PPL Needs EcoVillage Volunteers This Week!

Post by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director, photo contributed by PPL.

PPL Building Project-Hawthorne EcoVillage
Support efforts in North Minneapolis to build and renovate affordable housing for those in need in the community in response to the foreclosure crisis. PPL’s Housing Development dept. is renovating a house at 3023 N. 4th St. as part of the Hawthorne EcoVillage project. Volunteers needed! Construction/carpentry experience welcome but not required.

Where: 3023 N. 4th St., Minneapolis
When: Thursday 11/4, 9-5
Friday 11/5, 9-5
Saturday 11/6, 9-1

Construction experience is welcome but not required. Skilled supervision, tools, materials and snacks provided. Volunteers are asked to bring a bag lunch and work gloves.

For more information or to sign up, please contact Julie Huck, PPL Volunteer Mgr., at 612-455-5111 or email Julie Huck.

Hawthorne Neighborhood Honored by the City!

Post and photos by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director.  Videos by Jeff Skrenes except where noted otherwise.

Based on the neighborhood's award-winning success in and around the EcoVillage, and in celebration of Habitat for Humanity's and former President Jimmy Carter's partnership in bringing several new families to our community, the Minneapolis city council recognized the tremendous accomplishments of Hawthorne, PPL, and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity at today's full council meeting.

Videos are after the jump as well, and the resolution reads...

MetLife Award Presented for Progress in EcoVillage

Post, photos, and video by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director.

The MetLife Foundation yesterday awarded Project for Pride in Living and the Minneapolis Police Department for their work in conjunction with the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council and many other partners in the EcoVillage.  Out of 720 applicants from across 48 states, we were one of only eleven recipients this year.  Steve Cramer of PPL said in his remarks that they had trouble putting together a design for the press release because there are so many partners that we weren't sure how to fit them all on one page.

Many of them are pictured here.

 After the presentation, the first new construction of the EcoVillage, 400 31st Avenue North, was ready for its open house...(more pictures after the jump)

Video Footage from the EcoVillage Hawthorne Huddle

Habitat Spurs Progress in EcoVillage!

Post and photos by Jeff Skrenes Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director

As we gear up towards the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter visit in October, I strolled through the EcoVillage this week. Pictured above is 430 30th Ave N. When I went by one day, it was a normal vacant lot with a Habitat sign and some markers on it. The following day, ground was being broken here, as well as at 416 30th Ave N. I also had the chance to meet two of the families who will be living at 430 30th and 419 30th. They're wonderful people who will be excellent additions to the neighborhood.







Just south of the EcoVillage boundaries is another Habitat rehab at 2917 6th St N.



And while the new LEED home at 400 31st is a PPL project and not Habitat, it's still coming along nicely. The garage, being worked on in the photo below, is likely complete by now.



Mike Christenson of CPED has been fond of saying, "When things are done in the EcoVillage you're not going to belive it." Well, we're only in the infancy of building anew, and the future is already so bright. Here's what I believe: I believe that in several years, we'll put the finishing touches on this project. And when that happens, we'll tell all the newbies about how rough it was here for a while. When that happens, things will have been so good for so long that THEY'LL be the ones who don't believe us.