On a beautiful spring day, northside residents came outside to walk, bike and play with their kids. The buds were bursting from the trees along Shingle Creek. But the northbound wind carried wafts of a tar-like stench through the air.
Owens Corning, a shingle factory in the northwest corner of Minneapolis, is unmistakable in the neighborhood. Trucks constantly flow in and out of the facility, located just 90 feet from Shingle Creek, bringing in raw materials and taking out freshly pressed roofing shingles.
The factory has been here for 80 years and harks back to a less-regulated past. Living near the factory means dealing with asphalt-like odors on a regular basis, nearby residents told Sahan Journal. Now, a group of neighbors is organizing, looking for ways to address the smells and health concerns about pollution…