Director Of 100% Campaign Visits Brainerd To Talk About Renewable Energy Mission

The director of a statewide campaign working to make Minnesota the next state to commit to 100% renewable power stopped by Brainerd today. Chris Conry of the 100% Campaign spoke to community members at the Brainerd Public Library about the coalition and its goals for the state.

“We’re a campaign that is reaching out to people across the state in order to advocate for equitable and clean energy across the state of Minnesota,” said Conry.

Chris Conry stopped in Brainerd today to talk about how they are working to bring Minnesotans together to create an equitable clean energy future.

“We’re a campaign that’s gathering steam, connecting with people across the state, and trying to get people involved in the process of pushing for that future,” explained Conry.

The event was hosted by BLUE, Brainerd Lakers United for the Environment.

“Brainerd Lakers United for the Environment is a local environmental organization based in Brainerd and we were founded in 2017,” said Doug Olson, BLUE member. “So we’ve been active now for two years.”

The 100% Campaign is a cross-sector, statewide, multi-racial, intersectional campaign to build an equitable clean energy economy that works for everyone in Minnesota. The campaign officially kicked off on February 5 and was formed by a group of individuals wanting to create a better future for our state.

“As a parent, I want to leave this state better for my kids. What that means is making sure we have a healthy environment, a thriving economy, and a way for everybody to feel welcomed and connected to the state,” explained Conry.

The campaign has four main goals: transition to safe, clean energy solutions; create solutions that work for all Minnesotans; encourage public and private investments into the solutions; and strengthen all communities that are impacted by pollution or the transition away from fossil fuels.

“One of the things that we’re doing is supporting the Pathway to 100% bill that Representative Long and Senator Frentz have introduced. It would put the state on a path to 100% clean energy by 2045 for Xcel and 2050 for everybody else in the state,” Conry said.

“They really want to make this transition fair and work for everyone. So it’s not going to be just wealthy people that will benefit, but everyone,” added Olson.

Though the road ahead will be long, Conry and the 100% Campaign say that they know its importance.

“It’s critically important that we transition to renewable energy because we have to leave the state in good shape for our kids and our grandkids. It’s an urgent part of the transition. It’s the part that we can play as Minnesotans. It’s the way that we can lead in the U.S. and in the world,” said Conry.