About Us
Mission Statement
To serve our social and physical environments through blending science and values—this has been and remains our mission from our founding in the early 70s.
Addressing problems in the human environment involving behavior and public health risk comprised much of our work during our first 25 years. Our anti-tobacco efforts directed toward teens and pregnant women were among some of the first in the nation. Our efforts toward driving and boating safety and substance abuse have been copied and reproduced by many public health organizations, members of the faith community, and both public and private agencies. However, our main focus was to provide information that would help schools and families.
Starting in 1998 much of our focus moved to ecology and environmental issues that need to be calmly but forcefully addressed. Much of the material here is still designed to support schools, from guidelines on their pesticide application to crisis management to advising parents on changing dynamics.
Our video and written materials can be used without charge; we only ask that if you think it represents something of value you forward it on to others who would benefit.
Environmental Resource Council Board
Bruce Bomier is Board Chair of ERC. He has degrees in Public Health / Epidemiology and Forensics and has published extensively in the areas of public health and environmental policy. He also founded one of the major environmental engineering firms in the Midwest, the Institute for Environmental Assessment (IEA), and served as its CEO for many years. (See www.ieainstitute.com.) Bruce was also appointed by three successive governors to serve on Minnesota’s Environmental Quality Board and for several years provided environmental and humanities commentaries on Public Radio. In 2007, he retired from his engineering company to serve as Board Chair of ERC.
In Memory of Friend and former Board Member, Clark Bergloff
Clark Bergloff was an inspired educator with the Mora, Minnesota, School District. Although a highly successful football coach, he always said that teaching was the focus of his professional life. As one of ERC’s founding advisors and board members, his commitment will always guide our mission and values.
At Clark’s funeral in 2004, which was held at the 50-yard line of the Mora High School football stadium, his relationship to ERC was described as important in his life. ERC board members participated in the service, reading poetry relating to the environment that had been inspirational to Clark.
Clark’s quiet commitment to enhancing our ecosystems always motivated ERC, as did his conviction that providing young people with the right direction and education could help solve our most serious problems.
In Clark’s memory we have established the Bergloff Cyber Shungu Project which is donating computers to a private school in Zimbabwe which will greatly benefit the students and provide them with cyber technology.
The students and faculty are extremely grateful and, although it wasn’t requested, they have placed our ERC logo on all their computers. They are great kids with a great future and Clark would have been proud.
ERC AT WORK
East African students reading about the adventures of the Irish Brothers in The Valley of Purple Mist.
Russian high school students reading The Valley of Purple Mist adventure story to improve their English and share the reality-based adventures of the Irish brothers.
