The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

Trying to eat a sustainable diet? One big reason the whole Eating Locally trend has caught on is that a lot of environmentally conscious consumers have started thinking about their carbon footprint. Now a group of Minneapolis restaurants has taken the next big step - composting kitchen wastes to cut down on landfill.

Restaurants produce a lot of trash, and most of it winds up in landfills, where they produce methane, which contributes to global warming. Composting, by contrast, turns the waste into nutrient-rich soil.

DAY ONE

The warnings start off nicely enough, with the Basilica Block Party MC kindly asking people to stand further away from the stage, you know, for fear of electrocution or something.

Then it is, "Ladies and gentlemen, if you're worried about getting wet, you can go in the parking lot or go in the church. If you go in the church, you better say a prayer." That quickly morphs into the pleasantly shouted, "Head into the parking lot!" Then, essentially, "RUN FOR YOUR LIIIIIIVES!"