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Green Partners provides updates about environmental education resources, tools, programs, grants and events to our environmental education partners.
Hennepin County has the following free environmental education resources available to partners.
Hennepin County Environmental Education & Outreach Team
Angie Timmons
Alisa Reckinger
Christina Schmitt
Mary Karius
Patience Caso
Sarah Goodspeed
Please forward this email to interested individuals and encourage them to sign up.
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Proposals due June 6
 Funding, project support and free resources are available through the Green Partners Environmental Education Program for projects that empower residents to reduce waste, increase recycling, reduce toxicity, reduce climate change pollution and improve air and water quality.
The Green Partners Program consists of three groups with varying levels of support and requirements:
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- Branch Group: Receive up to $15,000 to implement an innovative project.
- Root Group: Receive up to $8,000 to implement a project based on existing resources.
- Seed Group: Receive free field trip transportation and activity supplies.
Project proposals for Branch and Root group funding are due by 5 p.m. on June 6; Seed group applications are accepted at any time. Eligible organizations include community groups, youth programs, congregations, park districts, and private and public schools. Learn more and apply.
Information meetings
Learn more about funding requirements, get feedback on your project ideas and get tips for completing your proposal at an upcoming information meeting:
- May 14, noon to 1 p.m. at the Penn Lake Library in Bloomington
- May 15, 11 a.m. to noon at the Maple Grove Library
- May 15, 3 to 4 p.m. at the Northeast Library in Minneapolis
For more information, contact Patience Caso at patience.caso@hennepin.us or 612-348-9352.
Applications due June 15
 Hennepin County is offering grants of up to $50,000 to help businesses, non-profit organizations and institutions start or improve programs to divert recyclables and organics (food and non-recyclable paper) from the trash. Most businesses and non-profits in the county—from large office buildings to churches, restaurants and apartment buildings—are eligible to apply. Funding can help with the purchase of recycling containers, equipment and hauling services and minor improvements to loading docks and waste enclosures. Learn more and apply.
For more information, contact Andre Xiong at andre.x.xiong@hennepin.us or call 612-543-1316.
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 Backyard composting is a great way to turn food and yard waste into a nutrient-rich resource, and Hennepin County is selling compost bins to help people get started.
Bins are 3’ x 3’ x 3’, made of cedar and wire mesh, and cost $45. There are two options for purchasing a bin:
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- Purchase a bin at the Hennepin County Drop-off Facility in Brooklyn Park. Pay at the facility; no pre-order needed. Cash or check only. Bins are for sale during regular drop-off facility hours.
- Pre-order online to pick up during an event.
Learn more about purchasing a compost bin.
Bins are built by Sentencing to Service (STS) Homes crews, which is an on-the-job carpenter training program for incarcerated men and women.
Spread the word: download an article and social media posts to promote the compost bin sales.
For more information, contact Katie Alexander at katie.alexander@hennepin.us or 612-348-6848.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is accepting applications for Environmental Assistance Program grants. Proposals will be accepted in nine focus areas that cover a wide range of environmental topics, including reducing waste and recycling, adapting to climate change, developing sustainable cities and schools, and environmental education.
Approximately $1 million is available for projects taht encourage outcome-oriented, economically driven approaches to pollution prevention, waste reduction, toxicity reduction and resource conservation. Applications are due by July 16. Learn more.
 The Hennepin County Board recently awarded $118,000 in school recycling grants to 18 schools. Grants will be used to implement new or improve existing recycling and organics recycling programs. Some projects will expand collection of recyclables to the school grounds and athletic events. Other projects will reduce waste by purchasing reusable materials for the cafeteria, including bulk milk equipment, reusable trays, utensils and dishware. The projects will engage more than 20,000 students in waste reduction and recycling activities.
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The schools awarded are:
- Academy of Holy Angels, Richfield
- Athlos Leadership Academy, Brooklyn Park
- Bancroft Elementary School, Minneapolis
- Blake School, Hopkins
- Broadway High School, Minneapolis
- Cedar Riverside Community School, Minneapolis
- Hennepin Elementary School, Minneapolis
- Hope Academy, Minneapolis
- KIPP Stand Academy, Minneapolis
- Lionsgate Academy, Crystal
- New City Charter School, Minneapolis
- Orono Schools, Long Lake
- Prairie Seeds Academy, Brooklyn Park
- St. John the Baptist Catholic School, Excelsior
- Venture Academy, Minneapolis
- Wayzata Public Schools, Plymouth
- West Education Center, Minnetonka
- Yinghua Academy, Minneapolis
For more information, contact Katie Alexander at katie.alexander@hennepin.us or 612-348-6848.
It’s important for kids to get their hands dirty when learning about gardening and the environment. That’s what more than 20 teachers from the Minneapolis School District talked about at the Schoolyard Garden Workshop in March. The workshop, led by Erin Rupp of Beez Kneez as part of Hennepin County's Urban Watch grant program, focused on transitioning indoor lessons to outdoor classrooms and adapting lessons to meet Minnesota State Academic Standards.
Teachers discussed challenges involved with taking classrooms outside and getting the lessons to stick with their students. Strategies identified include putting students in charge of different aspects of a garden, creating science notebooks and using aspirators, aka “pooters,” to examine bugs. A variety of gardening activities, including vermicomposting, pollinators and bee-keeping, were covered. Teachers also learned about the district’s Farm-to-School program and the move to put kitchens back into schools so meals may be prepared fresh on site.
For more information, contact Mary Karius at mary.karius@hennepin.us or 612-596-9129.
 River Watch is a stream monitoring environmental education program available to school classes and student groups. The program provides students a hands-on opportunity to learn about assessing water quality and how our actions influence the health of lakes, rivers and streams.
In 2013, groups from 16 schools monitored 19 stream stretches. More than 473 students volunteered more than 2,300 hours collecting water quality data. By analyzing the data collected, students gain an understanding of watersheds and how water quality is related to land use and human influences. The data is also distributed to various watershed organizations and program partners. Learn more in the 2013 Annual Report.
For more information or to get your class or student group involved, contact Mary Karius at mary.karius@hennepin.us or 612-596-9129.
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Green Partners project updates
The Will Steger Foundation, who received a Green Partners Brach group grant to expand the Youth Environmental Activists! Minnesota (YEA! MN) program in spring 2013, is a finalist for the Environmental Initiative Awards in the Environmental Education category. The Environmental Initiative Awards, which will be announced on May 22, annually honor innovative projects that have achieved extraordinary environmental results by harnessing the power of partnership.
Since 2008, YEA! MN has been a vehicle for behavior change by focusing on student leadership, experiential learning and peer mentorship. Through the Green Partners grant, YEA! MN is mentoring five high school environmental clubs and supporting student-led action projects to help youth reach their goals to reduce their carbon footprint.
 North Hennepin Community College celebrated Earth Day by focusing on recycling and waste reduction on campus. Earth Day events, which were funded in part by a Green Partners grant, included a recycling workshop, Hennepin County drop-off facility tour, performance of the student-written Recyclin’ with Rusty rap, and a waste sort.
In partnership with Hennepin County staff, about 25 students sorted through a day’s worth of recycling and trash generated in the Campus Center Building to figure out how well their recycling efforts were working and identify areas for improvement. The waste sort found that nearly 80 percent of the waste generated by students and staff could be diverted from the trash through recycling, organics recycling or reuse. About 43 percent of the waste generated was organics, 31 percent was recyclables and 17 percent was trash. The students will use the data collected to identify priorities for recycling more and diverting waste from the trash.
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Events
Residents can properly dispose of their unwanted automotive wastes, household, lawn and garden products, batteries, mercury-containing items and more at household hazardous waste collection events. Ten collection events will be held throughout the county in 2014.
Upcoming events will be held Thursday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the following locations:
- May 15 – 17, Minnetonka Public Works, 11522 Minnetonka Blvd.
- May 29 – 31, Minneapolis Public Works, 3607 East 44th St.
- June 12 – 14, St. Louis Park Junior High School, 2025 Texas Ave. S.
- June 26 – 28, Susan B. Anthony Middle School, 5757 Irving Ave. S. in Minneapolis
There are five additional collection events scheduled in Minneapolis and one in Shorewood.
Please note that electronics will not be accepted at collection events. See the full event schedule, guidelines and materials accepted.
Spread the word: download an article, social media posts or flyer to promote the collection events.
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Residents can get free, guided assistance on disassembling, troubleshooting and fixing broken household items at an upcoming Fix-It Clinic.
Clinics are scheduled for the following dates and locations:
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- Saturday, June 14, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Ridgedale Library in Minnetonka
- Saturday, August 9, noon to 4 p.m. at the Oxboro Library in Bloomington
Volunteer fixers are essential to making the clinics successful. If you have skills in electrical, mechanical or electronics repair, wood working, sewing or general tinkering, consider volunteering!
Spread the word: download an article, social media posts or flyer to promote the Fix-It Clinics.
For more information or to volunteer, contact Nancy Lo at nancy.lo@hennepin.us or call 612-348-9195.
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