Written by Andy Goldman-Gray, Executive Director of Upstream

Guess what? 49% of Minnesotans will be disappointed with the election result this November. But we will all wake up the next morning and still be Minnesotans.

In an election year, it’s easy to forget that we have a lot in common – and one obvious commonality is our shared value of caring for the outdoors.

Ask a Minnesotan what they love most about our state, and I’d be shocked if they don’t mention the outdoors. The lakes, the parks, the seasonality. We all love it. We rely on it for our livelihoods, health and socialization. So how can our values be so unifying, yet it feels like we have so little in common?

I’m the executive director of Upstream, a culture change campaign that aims to build bridges, heal divides and inspire greater stewardship of our natural places. Founded by a group of Minnesota leaders with divergent political, geographic and racial perspectives, we recently conducted a poll that found that 83% of Minnesotans trust other Minnesotans to do the right thing when it comes to caring for our shared natural places. Minnesotans overwhelmingly trust each other. But that trust goes away when politics are injected into the conversation.

Through my work with Upstream, I have talked with thousands of Minnesotans of different backgrounds, ages and beliefs. I’ve learned that caring for our lands, lakes, parks and communities goes beyond politics and trends. As a state, our best shot of stewarding our outdoor heritage comes when we build from this sense of trust in our neighbors.

We have a duty as Minnesotans to trust each other’s positive intentions, share stories of how we care for our state, and learn from each other about the many ways we can continue to be better stewards to this place we call home.

As we approach another divisive election, I encourage Minnesotans to stay rooted in our strong shared values. Though it often feels like we’re given a binary spectrum of “us against them” in our politics, social media, news and more, our love for our places is so much larger than those differences. Focus on what we have in common and let it be an antidote to divisive politics.

What’s Your Upstream Story?

We share stories of stewardship written by and about Minnesotans like you! Share your story here.