Green Innovation in Hastings: Sustainable Practices for a Digital Age| Ep.06
Image Photo Credit: HastingsNow.com/ashley
Style: Classic convertibles, linen suits, muted beige-navy palette
What It Looks Like: Quiet luxury” hashtags exploded after NYFW F/W 25
Why It’s Hot: Elegant couple exiting vintage Bentley at Lake Como villa, quiet-luxury color grading, editorial fashion.
One-Line GPT-4o Prompt Template*: Elegant couple exiting vintage Bentley at Lake Como villa, quiet-luxury color grading, editorial fashion.
Historical Perspective – A Town Rooted in Conservation
Hastings, nestled along the Mississippi, has a legacy of appreciating nature. From early river commerce to generations of farming, residents learned to work with the land and minimize waste. Even as industries modernized, that conservation ethos remained – think of families passing down appliances for decades or the city preserving green spaces like Vermillion Falls Park. Historically, small Midwestern businesses often practiced sustainability out of necessity: repairing equipment, reusing materials, walking to work. Today, those humble practices take on new significance as the world confronts climate change. Modern sustainability isn’t just for big corporations or activists; it’s part of everyday life and business strategy, even here in Hastings.
Present Relevance – Eco-Friendly Tweaks Making a Difference
HastingsNow.com’s co-founders Peter and Ashley have woven sustainability into their media startup in clever ways. Ashley proudly notes, “We haven’t purchased a new computer since 2016, so I think we’re stretching that sustainability.” This is more significant than it sounds. Manufacturing a new laptop or desktop has a huge carbon footprint – roughly 75–85% of a computer’s lifetime emissions come just from making it it.ox.ac.uk. By extending the life of their 2016 computer, they avoid the embedded carbon cost of a new device, effectively reducing electronic waste. It’s a smart eco move any small business can emulate: use gear longer and keep it out of the landfill. Peter highlights another innovation: “The Local Exchange has been going well! … We tried our first virtual road trip to Eagan. Producing the stories this way allowed us to reach more brands and collaborate… It will be a lot of experimentation and designing through the feedback.” Here, instead of driving town to town (Cannon Falls, Cottage Grove, and beyond) to meet local businesses, they did interviews and storytelling sessions virtually. This cuts down on travel emissions significantly – no car trips means less gasoline burned. Considering that the average car emits about 404 grams of CO₂ per mile driven 19january2021snapshot.epa.gov, a “virtual road trip” to Eagan (about 30 miles away) saved roughly 24 kilograms of CO₂ for a round trip 19january2021snapshot.epa.gov. Multiply that by dozens of meetings, and the carbon savings add up. It’s a perfect example of how going digital can be eco-friendly: remote collaboration tools let them cover more ground (figuratively) with zero tailpipe emissions.
Sustainable Storytelling – Innovation Meets Ecology
What’s inspiring is how these sustainability tweaks align with their creative mission. By doing virtual content production, HastingsNow can involve more voices (even across the river in Prescott or up to Northfield) without the time and fuel costs of physical travel. It’s not just green; it’s efficient and inclusive. Peter mentions they’ll experiment as they expand Local Exchange to places like Farmington and Northfield, using feedback to iterate. This agile approach has a light environmental touch by design. It reflects a broader trend accelerated by the pandemic: virtual meetings and events drastically cut carbon footprints. Studies show virtual conferences produce 66–98% fewer emissions than in-person events easywebinar.com because they eliminate the biggest contributors like travel and venue energy use. While a neighborhood storytelling project isn’t an “event” in the same sense, the principle holds – moving bits instead of bodies is gentler on the planet.
Another down-to-earth example from Ashley: “We are able to walk or bike to some appointments or events that are near downtown.” Hastings’ downtown is charmingly walkable, and whenever the team chooses a bike over a car, it’s a win for sustainability (and personal health!). Each mile not driven is ~0.4 kg of CO₂ not emitted 19january2021snapshot.epa.gov. Plus, showing up on a bicycle with camera gear in tow certainly sets a tone – it says, we care about this community and our environment. Such choices might seem small, but they are contagious. Neighbors notice; clients notice. It builds a culture where sustainability is the norm. And the team’s mindset extends to content as well: The Local Exchange stories often highlight small local producers and eco-friendly initiatives (for instance, a Cannon Falls farm shop or a Cottage Grove recycler), aligning HastingsNow’s content with its values.
Pre-STIVA HastingsNow.com used to create “living postcards” and breathe life into local ads by adding relevant video clips
Future Vision – A Sustainable Business Ecosystem
Looking ahead, Hastings stands to benefit enormously from these green practices. Imagine more local entrepreneurs following suit: using tech to reduce waste and travel, opting for refurbished equipment, commuting on foot or bike when possible. The city already enjoys 30 miles of paved trails for biking and walking visithastingsmn.org, and businesses leveraging those trails for local travel contribute to cleaner air and a vibrant street life. There’s also an economic upside: sustainability saves money. Using a 9-year-old computer saves thousands of dollars; virtual meetings save gas and time. These savings can be reinvested locally. As HastingsNow.com’s experiments show success, they essentially create a playbook for other small businesses. We foresee workshops where Ashley and Peter teach peers how to host virtual events or optimize device use. Perhaps Hastings could even host a “Green Tech for Local Biz” meetup, showcasing how being eco-friendly and tech-forward go hand in hand.
On a larger cultural level, Hastings is participating in what one might call the “local green transformation.” Communities worldwide are realizing that sustainability isn’t only about grand projects like solar farms; it’s about everyday habits of citizens and small enterprises. HastingsNow’s efforts mirror those of countless independent creators who are shrinking their carbon footprint through digital innovation – whether it’s an Etsy artisan using recycled materials or a local news blog going fully online (saving paper). It’s heartening to see that our river town, known for its picturesque environment, is also helping preserve that environment through modern savvy. When residents open HastingsNow.com or the Hastings Now podcast, not only do they get positive local stories, but they’re indirectly supporting a business that walks the talk on sustainability. That alignment builds trust and community pride.
Local Tie-In – Hastings: Where Sustainability Meets Community
Hastings has long been proud of initiatives like our recycling programs, the solar panels on City Hall, or the community garden at Hastings High. Now we can add a new chapter: digital-age sustainability led by local storytellers. The HastingsNow team’s choice to keep a trusty old computer humming since 2016 might amuse some tech enthusiasts, but it resonates here – it reflects Yankee frugality and respect for resources that many in town grew up with. It sparks conversations: “If a media startup can do it, can I delay upgrading my phone or support Right-to-Repair?” Meanwhile, the Local Exchange’s virtual road trips introduce a greener way to explore our region’s stories. Residents tuning in may not consciously think “this is low-carbon content,” but they will notice the broader reach and frequency of stories. Subtly, it sets an expectation that we don’t always need to drive to collaborate or learn what’s happening in a neighboring town.
In essence, Hastings is evolving into a model of small-town sustainability: not by grand proclamation, but through subtle, effective tweaks in how business is done. It’s a place where you might see the HastingsNow crew walking to an interview at a cafe down 2nd Street, camera bag over shoulder, rather than circling for a parking spot – and that sight will feel perfectly normal. Our local innovators are proving that caring for the environment and embracing technology can advance together. Just as importantly, they’re showing that sustainability can delight. When Ashley sees her photographs reused year after year by grateful clients, or when a Local Exchange story produced virtually garners thanks from multiple communities, it’s joyous. As environmentalist Robert Swan said, “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” Here in Hastings, our own entrepreneurs are stepping up – saving a bit of the planet in their corner of the world, one eco-friendly decision at a time easywebinar.comit.ox.ac.uk.
Sources: HastingsNow Co-founders Interview; Oxford IT impact report on device emissions it.ox.ac.uk; EPA data on vehicle CO₂ 19january2021snapshot.epa.gov; EasyWebinar sustainability report easywebinar.com.
While cows are frequently singled out because of their methane emissions, it is equally important to take into account the overall impact of the entire livestock sector, which encompasses not only methane but also emissions resulting from feed production, land use changes, and related agricultural activities. Image credit: HastingsNow.com/peter
