I want to thank everyone who supported me in my bid for mayor of Crystal in 2024. Running for mayor was the most rewarding thing I've ever done, and elevating the local political conversation to include environmental sustainability satisfied a deep need to heal the suicidal damage to the environment we've done as a species.

Here are some things I've been thinking about since the election:

• Over Salting (road and sidewalk salt) is a serious issue that is largely invisible to most people, but every year this issue gets worse because chloride does not degrade in the environment. This substance accumulates in our water bodies, killing aquatic species of all kinds including plants, mollusks, fish, etc. 

  • Studies have shown that the people who are doing the worst over salting are individual home owners and contractors. Contractors over salt because they are concerned about liability if someone falls. However, there are two bills in the state House of Representatives that would release contractors from liability if they become smart salt certified (through the EPA) and prove that they are doing it correctly. These bills are: HF 820 and HF 3565. 

• Plastic Pollution is also a serious issue that is largely invisible. I'm not exclusively talking about litter, although that is also tragic. Microplastics and nanoplastics are everywhere. We swallow them every time we eat and breathe them in every time we inhale. They have been found in every organ of the human body including reproductive organs and the brain. These micro and nano plastics release endocrine disrupting chemicals which contribute to our collective declining health in the United States. 

  • Luckily, Minnesota passed an extended producer responsibility bill which will go into affect in 2026. This bill has some teeth to it because manufacturers who are using non-recyclable, compostable, or reusable packaging will be financially responsible for having created that waste. This is the most forward thinking bill in the USA regarding extended producer responsibility and we should be proud.

• Suburban Solutions to Climate Change: This is the primary reason I ran for mayor. I've been reading a book called Walkable City, How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time by Jeff Speck. This book lays out a game plan for cities just like ours for how to lower our tailpipe emissions by retrofitting our city to be designed more for humans and less for cars. One of the poignant statements the author makes is that if someone who lives in a suburb like ours purchases an old drafty house and fixes it up to be LEED certified, it wouldn't be as impactful as if that person's city becomes more walkable. Here's a brief overview from page 71:

  • Step 1: Put cars in their place

  • Step 2: Mix the uses

  • Step 3: Get the Parking Right

  • Step 4: Let Transit Work

  • Step 5: Protect the Pedestrian

  • Step 6: Welcome Bikes

  • Step 7: Shape the Spaces

  • Step 8: Plant Trees

  • Step 9: Make Friendly and Unique Faces

  • Step 10: Pick Your Winners

Let me leave you with some thoughts: The damage we do to the environment, we do to ourselves. Every time we poison to kill bugs or weeds, we poison ourselves. Every time we burn a substance for energy, we poison our own air. When we pollute our water, we pollute our own blood.

The web of life is what's keeping us all alive.

Paid for by the Rachel for Mayor Campaign Committee, 3401 Zane Ave N, Crystal, MN 55422, (701) 491-2777