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About Fairview Conservancy
Description of the Project
The owners of Syvantis believe that successful businesses have a duty of stewardship for their communities. In 2006, the owners of Syvantis and their families purchased a parcel of land in Baxter, Minnesota to house their growing business. Syvantis Technologies received several grants to assist in building project. Grantors included the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the Initiative Foundation, Crow Wing Power, MN Regional Partnership, and others. Over the course of the next several years, the project grew to demonstrate that not only does low impact development help the environment, it makes economic sense for small businesses as well.
Fairview Conservancy is a 4.5 acre demonstration project to designed increase awareness and participation of north central Minnesota commercial landowners in conservation design alternatives. The project is focused on commercial properties in Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd, and Wadena counties. The project includes numerous forms of low impact development and green building alternatives that meet the following criteria:
- Can be easily applied communities in rural Minnesota.
- Can be adopted with a minimum disruption to the company’s normal business practices.
- Demonstrates a quick payback of initial project costs.
- Cost is not appreciably more than a traditional comparable alternative.
- Provides a quick, positive, and measurable impact upon the area’s natural resources.
Fairview Conservancy provides guided tours of the facility demonstrating the application of each alternative. If you are interested in receiving a free tour of the property, please call 218-828-9550.
Awards
Fairview Conservancy was winner of the 2008 Minnesota Environmental Initiative Award for Green Building and Development. Janelle Riley was awarded the 2009 Minnesota Erosion Control Association Environmental Excellence Award.
The Fairview Office Park Project has been featured at many conferences, including the Build Smart Summit, the Green by Design Conference sponsored by Minnesota Green Communities, the Minnesota Erosion Control Association Annual Conference, the Brainerd Lakes Area Environmental Learning Network, the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Annual Conference, and the Renewable and Alternative Energy Forum.
Links to Other Sites
- Minnesota Erosion Control Association (www.mnerosion.org)
- MPCA Small Business Environmental Assistance Program (http://www.pca.state.mn.us/programs/sbap_p.html)
- Minnesota Build Smart (www.mnbuildsmart.org)
- Minnesota Green Communities (www.mngreencommunities.org)
- Initiative Foundation (http://www.ifound.org/enviromental_index.php)
- Minnesota Sustainable Communities Network (http://www.nextstep.state.mn.us)
