Happy Dancing Blog

Groundwater supplies 75% of Minnesota’s drinking water and 90% of water used for agricultural irrigation. Among the key messages about groundwater are several that definitely apply to those who live in Minnesota:

I believe we as humans have an innate connection to fire. Anyone who’s warmed their hands by the campfire on a cold evening knows well the connection I speak of, the dance of the fire as if it is a living thing. Indigenous Americans understood this as well as any.

Food sovereignty advocate and author Diane Wilson (Dakota) wants us to know that the local food movement is actually a very old idea.

November 18 of this year was the 25th anniversary of Use Less Stuff Day, traditionally the Thursday before Thanksgiving. Use Less Stuff...

In the fall, once the gardens are put to bed, many of us feel the urge to “clean up” our yards. We tend to label fallen leaves, pine...

David Freeman, along with his wife Amy, did for over a year as they lived in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area for over a year!

This is an unprecedented time. If you need help with your mental health, here are a list of numbers from the Minnesota Department of Health that are searchable for your county. For more information on mental health preparedness, here’s a good article from PBS . We are individuals. We are separate. We’re being asked to stay away from friends, family members, worshipers, and colleagues. But, humans are social creatures. It’s in our nature to be in close contact with others. W

We’re about to hold the 14th annual Back to Basics sustainability event and everyone on the Happy Dancing Turtle staff works with a passion and vigor for months before the event even takes place (Saturday, February 15). Yet, even with our “all hands on deck” mentality, we must ask for outside help, and that’s why we’ve continually returned to the Pine River-Backus school system year after year. We use countless rooms in the PR-B school and even though our event causes disrupt

Pollinators have been all the buzz in recent years as research has shown steady declines in populations.

Now that we’ve had a few frosts, many think they can hang up their garden gloves. But think again. If you want a successful garden next year, start this fall. Your garden is still alive and the microbial livestock in your soil need to be fed.

There are options for how to handle the overabundance that is likely pushing against your fridge door’s capability to seal (or is this just my fridge?). Eat right now, eat soon, or preserve/prepare for later consumption, or find a new home – these are the options we’ll be addressing.

2018 was designated the Year of the Bird by the National Audubon Society, so Birds of a Feather seemed like a natural theme for this year’s Eco Camp. With August now upon us, we have just one camp left. Our first three camps were a huge success and so much fun was had by all! There are favorite activities that we do every year with each group.

Entire schools, and communities across the nation participate in Screen Free Week, endeavoring to not use any screens during non school and work hours. No smart phones, no video games, no TV, no computers, no screens of any kind

The vendor fair is great place to catch up with old friends. Photo by HDT Staff. There were over 260 early registrations, with many more walk-ins. It was a really busy day! Photo by HDT Staff. Boondock Enterprises had a workshop on jelly making and joined the vendor fair for the first time this year. Photo by HDT Staff. Some of the samples were hits. Photo by HDT Staff. Dave enjoyed the horseradish jelly. Photo by HDT Staff. Phil Hunsicker and Mike Duvall of the MN DNR entert

No doubt the energizing keynote speaker had something to do with Back to Basics 2017 was the largest most attended B2B, yet. J. Drake Hamilton, Science Policy Director for Fresh Energy, spoke for an hour on the state of the renewable energy market in its current state and its future prospects.

Many families in Minnesota rely on food from food shelves to feed their households. For some, the food shelf is temporarily their only resource for fresh produce. Eating healthy food like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is important.