The HERC (Hennepin Energy Recovery Center) is the trash incinerator in downtown Minneapolis. This is where garbage trucks from Minneapolis and some of the surrounding communities bring our trash. According to Hennepin County, the steam from the HERC produces enough electricity to power 25,000 homes and it also provides energy to Target Field and other areas of downtown. The County also reports that emissions from the HERC are consistently below Minnesota Pollution Control Agency permitted levels. Critics of the HERC are concerned about the environmental and health effects generated by the HERCs emissions. They assert that the HERC is a public health risk especially for the people living nearby, many of whom are people of color and low income, who are disproportionately impacted by HERC's emissions. 

Many Minneapolis residents are wondering, where will the trash go without the HERC? Can we afford to close it? Can we afford to keep it open? Will zero waste efforts be enough to divert from the HERC? What is the just course of action for our waste in Minneapolis?

This panel discussion will address the history, benefits, risks, science, and the environmental justice perspective behind the HERC.

Panelists:

Dave McNary is the Assistant Director of Solid Waste & Energy for Hennepin County. In that role, he oversees solid waste operations, recycling, and district energy facilities. He also leads local policy implementation aimed at zero-waste goals. He holds a Masters in Public Administration from Hamline University. 

Leslie Myint is Policy & Research Director for the MN Environmental Justice Table, a nonprofit organization working to transform our waste system away from burning and burying to regeneration and sustainability.  Her work is focused on analyzing data regarding different waste management practices.  She earned her PhD in Biostatistics from Johns Hopkins University and is a professor of Statistics and Data at Macalester College.

Nick Gerold is Director of Solid Waste & Recycling for the City of Minneapolis. He manages collection services for garbage, recycling, and yard waste throughout Minneapolis and oversees community cleanup programs.

Free and Open to All. Tuesday September 8, 6:30-8pm at Minneapolis Central Library, Pohlad Hall

In honor of Women's Equality Day, Women Defending Democracy welcomes former Minnesota State Representative Betty Folliard, a longtime advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Betty served in the Minnesota Legislature from 1997 to 2003 and has spent decades working to advance constitutional equality for women. She will provide an update on the status of both the national ERA and the proposed Minnesota ERA, examine the legal and political challenges that have stalled their adoption, and discuss why constitutional protections for gender equality remain as relevant today as ever. LWVMN 2025 Priorities include the ERA here.

Watch recording HERE.

Thursday, July 23, 2026

*Recorded on July 23. 

House 60B recording

Senate 62 recording

Forum Co-sponsor: Twin Cities Documenters at MinnPost

Candidate Forum Recording 

Candidate Forum Recording

Candidate Forum Recording HERE

Join us for this special session to honor one year of Women Defending Democracyand our shared commitment to collective action. We are proud of what we have built together and want to take this opportunity to reflect, celebrate, and remind ourselves of the difference we can make when we act together.

For this special session, we are thrilled to welcome Barbara McQuade as our guest speaker. McQuade is an American lawyer who served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan from 2010 to 2017. She is now a professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School, a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, and cohost of the podcast #SistersInLaw. She is the author of Attack from Within and her latest book: The Fix.

Watch recording HERE.

Pick up Barbara McQuade’s book at your favorite local book store!

Candidate Forum recording is HERE

Find Out What You Didn't Know About The Results of The Charter Schools Initiative.

Pulling from several years of research, Professor Orfield has surprising data to share regarding the outcomes of charter schools and how they are reshaping education in the Twin City metro area. Get informed on a critical subject that impacts Minneapolis Public School students.

Watch recording HERE.

Public concern about law enforcement training and practices has grown, especially after Operation Metro Surge when ICE & other federal agents used excessive force, conducted dangerous vehicle pursuits, made aggressive stops and arrests, and engaged in crowd control tactics that felt both alarming and unlawful.  These moments have prompted an important question: What does ethical law enforcement look like, and how is the Mpls Police Department preparing both new and veteran officers to meet the new standards of non‑discriminatory policing outlined in MPD's Settlement Agreement with the MN Dept of Human Rights? 

Watch recording HERE.

Under Threat: Freedom of the Press and the First Amendment

Watch recording HERE.

Featuring Guest Speaker: Jill Burcum, Strib Editorial Board and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Jill will spoke on the growing threats to the free press, as corporate consolidation increasingly affects both local and national newspapers. This trend often prioritizes cost-cutting and profit over public service journalism, leading to newsroom layoffs, reduced investigative reporting, and the hollowing out of once-vital community institutions. As local voices disappear, many regions become “news deserts,” leaving citizens with limited access to reliable, independent reporting. At the same time, national outlets face similar pressures, with consolidation narrowing the diversity of perspectives and raising concerns about editorial independence, as fewer corporate entities control what information reaches the public.

Climate change is one of the most urgent and complex challenges of our time. It affects everyone, but not equally.

Some communities that have historically faced racial, economic, and environmental injustices are more vulnerable and less resilient to the impacts of climate change. That is why the City of Mpls has developed a Climate Equity Plan that focuses on actions that benefit diverse and low-income communities, especially in the Green Zones, which are disproporionately harmed. Hear more about the underlying factors that contribute to disparities and solutions to address the problem. Learn about the issues from Jayda Pounds, Sustainability Program Coordinator, Mpls Dept of Health.

Watch recording HERE.

Special guest Kari Hong, Appellate Attorney at Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project.

Professor Hong returned to LWVMpls to provide an overview of the rapid expansion of American detention centers as an extension of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the for-profit detention industry.

Watch recording HERE

She examined how this growth reshapes immigration enforcement and will address the potential long-term consequences of detention infrastructure on civil rights, due process, and democratic values.

Federal, State, and Local Government: Who Controls Our Elections?

Guest Speaker David Schultz, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies at Hamline University.

What are the roles and powers of federal, state, and local governments when it comes to election administration and funding? What are possible disruptions to the 2026 elections and how can we prepare to ensure elections run smoothly.

Watch recording HERE.

As part of the LWVMpls Women Defending Democracy (WDD) Initiative, an Advocacy Training session was offered with longtime advocate Kitty Westin. Kitty is the former President of the League of Women Voters of Minneapolis, one of the founders of the Eating Disorders Coalition, and a driving force behind the passage Anna Westin Act (2015). She brings decades of experience in civic engagement and advocacy, and shares our deep commitment to protecting our democratic institutions. In this 60-minute virtual session, Kitty walks us through the fundamentals of effective advocacy—what actions we can take, how to craft messaging that resonates, and what strategies help us make a real impact

Watch recording HERE.

An interactive session for makers and thinkers to collaborate, connect, and spark new ideas.