U of M News Wire: May 31, 2007

 
Nitrate levels in Lake Superior continue to rise, U of M study says
 
By Mark Cassutt
U of M News Wire

Nitrate levels in Lake Superior, which have been rising steadily over the past century, are about 2.7 percent of the way toward making the water unsafe to drink, according to a new study by University of Minnesota researchers. The complexity of the causes underlying the increase makes it difficult to predict when the water could become unhealthy.
 
A compound made from nitrogen and oxygen, nitrate is a component of agricultural fertilizer and is generated by fossil fuel combustion. Nitrate in Lake Superior has increased about five-fold since the earliest measurements in 1906. But surprisingly, the increase has been steady.   
 
“It’s puzzling because it doesn’t reflect post-World War II increases in fertilizer and fossil fuel or the Clean Air Act of 1972,” says Robert Sterner, professor in the College of Biological Sciences and lead author of the study. “It’s much more complex than that.”
 
Sterner says factors include the vast size of Lake Superior, which means it registers change slowly, and conversion of other forms of nitrogen within the lake (in decaying plant matter and sewage) into nitrate.
 
Everyone is exposed to small, harmless amounts of nitrate from eating fruits and vegetables. But nitrate contamination of drinking water can expose people to harmful levels. Too much nitrate can reduce blood levels of oxygen, which poses a risk to infants and children or adults with lung or cardiovascular disease.  Consuming excess nitrate over long periods of time is also suspected to cause cancer.
 
“We’re still a long way from drinking water advisories based on nitrate for Lake Superior, but it’s not too early to give this situation more attention, Sterner says. “We cannot easily or quickly reverse trends in this enormous lake.”
 
Sterner adds that in spite of two decades of legislation designed to address nitric oxide in acid rain, a source of nitrate pollution in water, nitrate in this body of water is still increasing, though perhaps at a slower rate.
 
The trend is a concern because Lake Superior contains 10 percent of the Earth's supply of surface fresh water. The new finding adds to recent news that global warming has decreased the level of water in Lake Superior.
 
The study is to be published online May 31 in Geophysical Research Letters.
 
 
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College of Design focuses on affordable housing

By Suzy Frisch
U of M News Wire

Nearly 350,000 households in Minnesota, or one in five families, struggles to find affordable housing. When families cannot secure housing that’s within their reach, they face an uphill battle to get out of poverty and even risk becoming homeless.

Those who pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing often find themselves in financial crisis. By spending upwards of half of their income on a place to live, they have little left over for expenses like food, clothing, health care, transportation and emergencies.

The lack of affordable housing in Minnesota is a crisis that doesn’t seem to be abating. In the Twin Cities metro area, 171,000 households -- and 46 percent of low-income families -- pay more than 30 percent of their incomes for housing, according to an independent study funded by the Family Housing Fund, the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, and the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. That number is expected to grow by an additional 33,000 families statewide (22,000 in the metro area) by 2010.  

Although Minnesota has cultivated a long history of innovation in developing affordable housing, much remains to be done.

“I think we recognize that it does take a village to house people,” said Becky Yust, professor of housing studies and head of the University of Minnesota College of Design’s Department of Design, Housing, and Apparel. “This is not a situation of an individual being able to go out and get a job and buy housing. The working class does not earn enough money to pay for housing that doesn’t take more than 30 percent of one’s income. The cost of housing is rising faster than wages and the inflation rate.”

One of two University of Minnesota Goldstein Museum of Design exhibitions, which runs through July 21, is “Affordable Housing: Designing an American Asset.” Organized and toured by the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., it takes a historical perspective on affordable housing in the United States and highlights successful projects from across the country. The Goldstein is one of the last venues on the national tour. To learn more about the exhibits go to www.goldstein.che.umn.edu/exhibitions.

Lyn Bruin, associate professor of housing studies (DHA), brought the exhibition to the attention of Lin Nelson-Mayson, director of the Goldstein Museum. Nelson-Mayson was able to secure the last available stop on the exhibition’s tour.

Bruin is guest curating the second show, called “Leading from Policy to Practice: Minnesota Affordable Housing.” She will highlight 10 projects from across the state in which the stakeholders—government and community leaders as well as private industry and charitable organizations—came together to create successful affordable housing. This type of collaboration has been instrumental in developing effective affordable housing in Minnesota, noted Bruin.

“The two exhibitions complement each other so well,” said Nelson-Mayson. “The National Building Museum’s exhibition will provide a historical context and explore how projects from around the country serve their different communities. It’s a nice backdrop to zero in on the topic in our own state. We’ll see the national overview with an in-depth look at Minnesota.”

A successful Minnesota collaboration featured in Bruin’s exhibition is the one between Nicollet Meadows and Washington Terrace subdivisions in St. Peter, Minnesota, which were built in the aftermath of the massive tornado that struck the area in 1998.

Partners in this project included the school superintendent, bankers, and business people, who teamed up with the city government and other agencies such as the Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership, the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, and the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. With the architects, this group created home styles that fit into old town St. Peter and developed a neighborhood that’s now popular with families.

In staging this exhibit, Bruin aims to do more than just honor effective partnerships and projects from across the state. “I want it to be more than a history lesson. We have a lot to be proud of, but we need to build on that,” she said. “We need to take what we learn from our successes and not-quite successes to tackle new initiatives. People should realize that we need to continue to collaborate. It’s too big an issue and too big a societal problem to assign to any one sector.”
 
In addition to the exhibitions, Bruin hopes to spur more conversation on the topic of affordable housing through an upcoming symposium and monthly, informal brown bag lunches.

The symposium, “Affordable Housing in Minnesota: Designing, Celebrating, Innovating for the Future,” will be held June 19–20 at the University’s Continuing Education and Conference Center and McNeal Hall on the St. Paul campus. It aims to bring together an eclectic group, including architects, interior designers, landscape architects, policy experts, state officials, housing researchers and planners, real estate agents, mortgage brokers, housing and social service providers, clients, volunteers, and concerned citizens. Meeting in small groups, they will brainstorm ideas for developing the state’s affordable housing of the future.

Through exhibitions, symposia, and collaborative discussions about the topic of affordable housing, the College of Design seeks to become the convener of a community of interest around the topic of affordable housing. The college and the U of M can act as an unbiased source of research, ideas, and motivation for all the parties in the state to come together to create the necessary affordable housing in Minnesota, Bruin noted.

“Our mission is to work for the good of the state as a whole,” she added. “To me it just makes common sense that the state’s university would be trying to support our state government in developing and implementing the most efficient, effective housing policy.”
 
 
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Growing Concerns
A parenting column with Dr. Martha Erickson
of the University of Minnesota

Question: I am home-schooling my four children, ages 10, 8, 7 and 4. I believe this is the right thing for my family, but I often feel like I am not taking anytime out for myself. My house is a mess and I often find myself yelling at the kids in frustration. What can I do to make sure that I remain focused on educating my children without losing my mind?
 
Answer:  It sounds like teacher is ready for recess! If I were you I’d begin by taking inventory of potential sources of help and support.  First of all, does your husband share your commitment to home schooling? If so, perhaps you could arrange for him to teach a couple of lessons each week during the evening hours or on weekends while you take some time for yourself. Even an hour to walk or sleep or read a good book can ease some of the pressure you feel. Maybe it’s also time to arrange for your husband to take on more household tasks -- or, if financially feasible, hire someone else to clean for a few hours each week.
 
Are there other extended family members or close friends who are invested in your children’s education? If so, maybe they would be willing to take the children on a special outing or introduce them to a new skill or hobby every so often? It’s hard to ask for one-sided favors, so how about offering something in return -- maybe even a casserole and dessert made by you and the kids during home-school time.  Cooking provides great opportunities to practice reading, measuring, fractions, temperature and time concepts.
 
Are you affiliated with other home-school families? Perhaps you could work out a weekly exchange with another family as a way of buying yourself some time off.  Or maybe there’s an interesting after-school program in sports or the arts that would be a good complement to your children’s home schooling and would allow you time for yourself.  Even hiring a neighborhood teenager to come to the house once or twice a week for educational games or story-time could allow you a much-needed break.   
 
If you’re like most parents who home-school, you do so to ensure your children a good education in academic subjects and in values and character development. But, if you’re exhausted, frustrated and yelling at your children, you probably are defeating your own purpose for home schooling. If you can’t find the support and respite you need to sustain you in your effort, it may be time to reconsider enrolling your children in school. If it comes to that, you could become an active partner in your children’s education by volunteering in their classrooms and supporting their teachers’ best efforts – and still have time to catch your breath and enjoy some of the activities that help you feel calm and fresh.