Star Tribune
Mall of America, the largest mall in the U.S., doesn’t use central heat?
When the Mall of America first opened in August of 1992, it was called “The Mall That Ate Minnesota,” by the New York Times.
The “78-acre full-sensory smorgasbord of consumerism,” as Neal Karlen wrote, is also frequently blamed for the death of retail on Nicollet Mall and in downtown St. Paul.
But while some Minnesotans roast the mall for its size and scope, it has also made some leaps in sustainability.
According to Daniel Jasper, the mall’s senior vice president, these ideas happened gradually and were implemented either by a) happenstance or b) because one of their team members recommended it.
One of the wildest things about the mall is that the building doesn’t have a central heating system, yet remains at a comfortable temperature, between 65 to 75 degrees. This is made possible not only by body heat from 40 million visitors annually, but also due to the 8 acres of skylights.
When the mall was first being built, space was reserved for heaters, but the team of engineers and architects, realized that they wouldn’t even need it. There are heaters in some department stores or near the entrances, but there is no central heating for the mall, which saves a whole lot of energy.
The skylights require virtually no upkeep either.
The mall was built with Minnesota’s weather in mind; it has a sturdy structure, and strong glass. The skylights were also placed at a steep angle, which allows rain to move downward, and when it snows, the heat from the mall rises and melts the snow off the skylight. So, they essentially clean themselves.
So what did they do with the space below the mall? What happened to all that room that was reserved for the heating infrastructure?
It became the home of SEA LIFE aquarium.
“We did not have plans to have an aquarium in the beginning … so not only was [the lack of central heating] a sustainable effort that saved immense amounts of energy, but it led to this really cool guest experience,” Jasper said.
They chose 30,000 plants specifically for the space
Most of the plants within the mall reside within Nickelodeon Universe, which creates some requirements.
For one, the area has a lot of sun from the skylights and increased humidity. Before opening Nick Universe, some people were worried that actual clouds would form on the ceiling from all of the humidity.
Temperatures in the area, according to Jasper, stay between 58 and 83 degrees, meaning the plants had to be more tropical, but project managers wanted to replicate feeling of being in the North Woods.
So here’s what they landed on: Norfolk pine, azaleas, along with other flowering, broad leaf plants and greenery to complete the aesthetic.
“I saw a paper that the designers relied on … that [said] having live greenery around really helps to enhance the experience and make people feel better about themselves. If people feel better about themselves, they’re going to dwell longer,” Jasper said.
Along the way, though, they realized this could act as a natural air purifier, which also was an accidental sustainable addition.
With thousands of plants, they’re bound to have problems, from parasites to insects, but at the Mall of America, their biggest problem is aphids.
Aphids are small insects that feed upon plants. While they eat, they leave a sticky residue called honeydew. Although a little annoying, honeydew is usually harmless, but can make leaves stick together, causing sooty mold.
Apart from the honeydew, aphids can often carry various viruses. These can stunt the growth of the plant, cause leaves to yellow or have spots.
A member of the mall’s landscaping team came up with a solution that didn’t include harmful pesticides.
Ladybugs are a natural predator of aphids, and help the mall’s plants to regulate in their environment. The ladybugs are released once a year in the spring, aligning with the aphids hatching season. Once the ladybugs take care of the hatchlings, aphids aren’t even a thought for a whole year.
This activity wasn’t released to the public for the first few years, but it is now quite a popular event.
Recycling at the Mall of America
The mall recycles nearly 65% of its solid waste. Here are some ways their byproducts are recycled:
- Food waste goes to a local farmer that raises hogs; the food waste feeds his livestock.
- The oil from fryers is turned into biodiesel fuel.
- Retailers’ unused inventory is donated to charity.
- All plastics, metals and cardboards are recycled.
By their lease, all of the tenants within the mall are required to follow the mall’s green policies.
While these initiatives weren’t part of the plan at first, Jasper is happy with what the building has become as a result of random chance and the suggestions of other people who work there.
“I think oftentimes people get mistaken and they think green can’t be business-friendly. You can say if you save energy [i.e. like the lack of central heat], you’re saving money … and that allows you to do more exciting things for your guests,” Jasper said, “and I love the fact, quite honestly that it was driven more often than not by front-line employees who went, I’ve got an idea, let’s do this.”
For more wacky facts about Minnesota, follow along with our series, which will continue to be updated this summer.
Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold is expanding his plans of renovating the Xcel Energy Center to include the construction of a 650-room convention center hotel.
It originally included plans to renovate the adjacent RiverCentre, a parking ramp and a bridge along Kellogg Boulevard. It was previously estimated to cost around $250 million to $300 million.
The price tag will rise now, Leipold said, but he did not specify how much. A 650-room hotel would top in size the 410-room InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront hotel that is already downtown.
“The whole project is so great for downtown St. Paul, and it’s not just the arena,” Leipold said. “It’s a lot of stuff, so we think it’s great for downtown. It’s good for our fans, good for our market and we’re pushing hard this year.”
Minnesota Wild fans cross St. Paul’s West Seventh Street to the Xcel Energy Center before a Minnesota Wild game in October 2021. (Alex Kormann)
Leipold said the Wild would perhaps contribute up to $250 million in financing and would seek further assistance from the state. But he said it’s unclear what the chances are to receive that support, given the November elections could potentially result in a new governor and the Legislature in Minnesota.
“We’re trying to sell the legislature and the governor,” Leipold said. “The problem is, nobody knows who’s going to be running the legislature, Republicans or Democrats. We don’t know who the governor’s going to be. We’re kind of in a tough spot right now. But ultimately, we need to get the renovations and the upgrades in this arena.”
State Sen. Sandra Pappas, who expressed skepticism about the project receiving state assistance last December, was unavailable for comment Wednesday. The office of Gov. Tim Walz did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The suit alleges there is no plan for single-family homes at the development, which will instead be multi-family homes. Buyers will have to obtain either a traditional mortgage, with interest, or “obtain a loan from a Sharia-compliant lender” that Nolosha knew would charge a “profit rate” on top of the cost of the house. It also alleges that “most egregiously” customers will not be able to move into Nolosha in 2023 or 2024 because the development will not be ready for “many more years at best.”
It also says that when the Attorney General’s Office requested that Nolosha pay customers a full refund due to the delays, Nolosha refused.
The Attorney General’s Office contends that Nolosha doesn’t own the development’s proposed site in Lakeville, but offered to buy the land for $4 million in April 2023. Four extensions to the closing date have since been granted, the latest setting that date for Nov. 10 and the price at $3.4 million.
Abdullahi has said he has a signed purchase agreement for the property.
The lawsuit states that Nolosha has lacked even basic communication with Lakeville and has not submitted a comprehensive plan to the city about the development, let alone broken ground. Attached to the lawsuit is a photo of the proposed site, calling it “just undeveloped wetlands.”
It accuses Abdullahi of enriching himself as the “sole full-time employee of Nolosha” earning a salary between $2,000 and $4,000 per month.
State Attorney General Keith Ellison encouraged Minnesotans to take advantage of a free legal clinic on Saturday that can advise them of their protections from consumer and medical debts, including new protections that became law this week.
Under the law that took effect Tuesday, Minnesotans can no longer have their overdue medical debts reported to credit rating agencies, and unpaid medical bills do not automatically transfer to a spouse, even after a death. Providers also can’t deny care to patients based on the fact that they owe overdue debts.
While those protections will spare Minnesotans from “unfair and undignified” collection practices, Ellison said, people still ultimately need to confront their debts. Saturday’s legal clinic from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center in Minneapolis is one way they can learn their best options for negotiating settlements or even shielding their assets by filing bankruptcy.
People might feel shame over medical debts, even if they were caused by diseases beyond their control, but ignoring them can increase financial and emotional burdens, Ellison said. “It’s not going to get better if you just let them bills accumulate and you just get more stressed out about it.”
Hospitals and clinics took different approaches when it came to denial of care for patients with overdue bills. Media coverage of this practice by Allina Health prompted the legislation by DFL lawmakers, along with a report showing how many lawsuits in state district court involved consumer or medical debt.
Sen. Liz Boldon, DFL-Rochester, said she coauthored the legislation based on hardship stories she heard from Minnesotans, including a parent whose child was at risk of losing access to care for a degenerative and potentially blinding eye disorder because of medical debts.
“Nobody is asking for a free ride,” she said. “They’re asking for a fair shot.”
While creditors can no longer sue spouses over partners’ overdue medical debts, Ellison said it is unclear what the law will do to existing lawsuits. Judges may have to decide in those cases whether to remove spouses as defendants, he said.
