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ABOUT GREEN NOTES
GreenNotes covers environmental news, programs and events from Hennepin County.
Please take a few moments to read our stories. Share your feedback and ideas for protecting the environment.
Also check out archived issues.
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 Hennepin County is recognizing local businesses for their efforts to recycle and divert organic waste, which includes food scraps and non-recyclable paper, from the trash through composting, sending food scraps to local farmers to feed animals, or by donating edible food.
Businesses that become a Hennepin County Environmental Partner receive window decals that communicate their efforts to customers. They are also listed in an online directory that potential customers can use to find and support businesses that are recycling and diverting organic waste from the trash.
 The first decals were awarded to Kim Bartmann’s Barbette restaurant for its long-term efforts to minimize the amount of food waste that gets trashed. Many businesses in the county, in addition to Bartmann’s restaurants, are already recycling and diverting food waste, including the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport and the Minnesota Twins. See the Hennepin County Environmental Partners map to find businesses whose recycling practices have been recognized by the county.
In response to a request from business leaders to develop a recognition program, the county partnered with the Noun Project, a platform of more than 50,000 icons and symbols, to develop the decals. The county is now seeking businesses interested in getting recognition for their recycling efforts. Apply now to become a Hennepin County Environmental Partner.
For more information, contact John Jaimez at john.jaimez@hennepin.us or call 612-348-5893.
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All duties and authorities associated with a soil and water conservation district have been transferred to Hennepin County from the Hennepin Conservation District following authorization from the county board in June. This is the final step in a legislative and administrative process to discontinue the Hennepin Conservation District and transfer all responsibilities the county. This change reduces complexity, increases efficiency and improves transparency by reducing the number of organizations involved in the governance of land and water conservation and giving responsibility to an entity familiar to county residents.
The change also streamlines government and the delivery of conservations services by eliminating the costs associated with maintaining the Hennepin Conservation District board while still delivering the same conservation services and programs. The county has provided conservation services, including enforcement of the Wetland Conservation Act, administering state cost-share grants and inspecting conservation easements, on behalf of the district through a cooperative agreement since 2007. These duties are in addition to a variety of conservation services the county already provides, such as:
All requests and correspondences previously directed to the Hennepin Conservation District should now be directed to Hennepin County Environmental Services. For more information, contact Randy Anhorn at randy.anhorn@hennepin.us or 612-348-2027.
 Why do you choose to reuse? Maybe you have kids that outgrow their stuff constantly. Or you want to use good equipment for your house projects without breaking the bank. Or you want to find the clothes you love to wear while sticking to your budget.
Whatever your reason, Choose to Reuse coupons will help you get great deals on quality products while supporting local businesses and protecting the environment. Coupons are valid August 1 through October 31 at 50 local retailers that rent, repair, resell, consign and exchange used goods.
Get the free coupons on your smart phone through the Chinook Book app, or pick up a coupon book at participating retail locations, Hennepin County Service Centers, Hennepin County libraries and all Three Rivers Park District locations. You can also pre-order a coupon book now.
Get more information and find reuse options using the Choose to Reuse online directory or call 612-348-3777.
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Purchase a compost bin at the Brooklyn Park Drop-off Facility
 Hennepin County is selling compost bins to help you start composting in your backyard and recycle your food and yard waste into nutrient-rich soil amendment. Purchase a bin at the Hennepin County Drop-off Facility in Brooklyn Park during regular drop-off facility hours. Compost bins are 3’ x 3’ x 3’, made of cedar and wire mesh, and cost $45.
By composting at home, you can:
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- Reduce the amount of garbage your household produces.
- Reduce the amount of water and fertilizer required for your yard and garden by suppressing weeds and holding moisture in the soil.
- Improve soil quality and provide essential nutrients for plant growth.
For more information, contact Katie Alexander at katie.alexander@hennepin.us or 612-348-6648.
The owner of Freeway Motors of Rogers pled guilty to illegally discharging industrial wastewater to a lake near his property and paid fines and restitution of $4,466. Responding to a complaint filed by a former employee, Hennepin County inspectors witnessed the company discharging industrial waste to a lake in April, 2011. Under normal circumstances, the wastewater would flow through an oil-water separator to a septic system, but a malfunction caused the wastewater to regularly back up into the shop. Witnesses said that the owner gave orders for employees to pump the backed up waste to the nearby lake. Tests showed that the waste contained toxic materials including aluminum, zinc, copper, toluene, chloride, oil and grease.
Evidence showed that the owner delayed connecting to the City of Roger’s sewer system because of the expense. The building is now connected to the city sewer system.
For more information, contact Mike Risse at michael.risse@hennepin.us or call 612-348-5790.
 About 100 high school students from across Minnesota had a chance to research and debate environmental issues, learn from experts and explore solutions at the Minnesota Youth in Government Youth Conference on State Issues, held in June in Minneapolis. Hennepin County recycling specialist Ben Knudson discussed the history of solid waste policy and presented an overview of the county’s recycling and waste management programs to the joint waste management and energy committee. After learning from experts, the students drafted, debated and voted on a resolution addressing their issue.
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Grant funding available and grants awarded
Have you considered how your business might contribute to air pollution? Every person and business contributes to the mix of pollutants emitted to our air every day. Reducing emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at your business can save you money, increase your facility’s efficiency, improve worker health and productivity, and make your workplace cleaner and safer.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has $320,000 in grant funding available for small businesses for projects that reduce VOCs from their facilities. The grants can help pay for changes to manufacturing processes and chemical usage as well as facility-wide opportunities such as reducing vehicle miles traveled, purchasing low-VOC supplies and improving energy efficiency.
VOCs are emitted from many industrial and commercial processes. You may recognize them as fumes coming from coatings, inks, solvents, adhesives, gasoline or other chemicals. They are released when fuels are burned in vehicles and equipment, and can be released from the storage and transportation of chemicals and fuels. When these VOCs are released into the air, they can be chemically transformed into ground-level ozone, which is a component of smog and is a harmful air pollutant. Business sectors that commonly emit VOCs include trucking companies, dry cleaners, auto body shops, print shops and gas stations.
Proposals are accepted through August 13, 2014. The Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) can assist with grant and loan applications. Contact Matt Domski at 612-624-5119 for assistance.
Applications due October 15
 Grants of up to $50,000 are available to help businesses, non-profit organizations and institutions start or improve programs to reduce waste and 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. These grants can be used to help businesses get recycling programs in place before the new Minnesota state law requiring businesses to recycle goes into effect.
Funding can help with the purchase of recycling containers, equipment and hauling services and minor improvements to loading docks and waste enclosures. Proposals are due by October 15. This is the final funding round for 2014. Learn more and apply.
For more information, contact Andre Xiong at andre.x.xiong@hennepin.us or call 612543-1316.
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Hennepin County has received a $400,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to encourage redevelopment by assessing environmental contamination and developing remediation plans for vacant and under-utilized properties located along six transit corridors. The county has worked with community organizations and cities along the Bottineau, Central, Hiawatha, Lowry Avenue, Penn Avenue and Southwest transit corridors to identify priority sites based on the potential to create jobs, address blight, reduce health threats and integrate with community planning. The goal of this project is to improve environmental conditions in disadvantaged communities and support jobs development along the transit corridors.
For more information, contact John Evans at john.evans@hennepin.us or 612-348-4046.
The county board has awarded six Environmental Response Fund grants totaling more than $787,000 for the assessment and cleanup of contaminated properties. The grants will fund a variety of cleanup measures, including soil and groundwater assessment, asbestos and lead-based paint abatement, and contaminated soil cleanup at projects in Brooklyn Center, Minneapolis and Robbinsdale. The cleaned up properties will be redeveloped for a variety of uses, including affordable housing, a children’s services facility and commercial development. Additionally, one project will support lead paint abatement at residential properties throughout the county. Learn more about the grants awarded.
Environmental cleanup grants support the redevelopment of contaminated properties, which spurs economic growth, creates jobs, revitalizes neighborhoods and leverage private and public investment. The future of environmental cleanup and redevelopment in Minnesota has a positive outlook since funding for the Environmental Response Fund in both Hennepin and Ramsey counties was restored in 2013. Read more in the Star Tribune.
For more information, contact John Evans at john.evans@hennepin.us or 612-348-4046.
In the News
 Third-grade students at Creek Valley Elementary School in Edina worked with Cool Planet at the end of the school year to help their teachers find recycling and reuse options for their classroom materials and supplies as they prepared for the school’s construction this summer. The students wrote letters to the editor of the Sun Current about their project and encouraging others to reduce and reuse. Cool Planet’s project is supported through a Hennepin County Green Partners grant.
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A survey of wells throughout Minnesota by the U.S. Geological Survey has found measurable levels of antibiotics, detergents and other consumer chemicals of emerging concern in water throughout the state. The chemicals come from a variety of consumer and industrial products, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, lotions, detergents and plastic-making ingredients, and are released from landfills, septic systems and wastewater treatment systems. Neither the state nor federal government currently maintains any health-based water quality standards for the most common chemicals found. Actions consumers can take to protect our drinking water include disposing of unwanted medicines at drop boxes and avoiding lotions and detergents with fragrances. Learn more on Minnesota Public Radio.
Events
 Get rid of your unwanted automotive wastes, household, lawn and garden products, batteries, mercury-containing items and more at upcoming hazardous waste collection events.
Events will be held Thursday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the following locations:
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- July 31 – August 2, Jenny Lind Elementary School, 5026 Dupont Ave. N in Minneapolis
- August 7 – 9 at South High School, 3131 19th Ave. S in Minneapolis
- August 21 – 23, 340 27th Ave. NE in Minneapolis
Additional collection events scheduled are scheduled in Minneapolis and Shorewood in September and October.
Please note that electronics will not be accepted at collection events. See the full event schedule, guidelines and materials accepted.
 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:
- Saturday, August 9, noon to 4 p.m. at the Oxboro Library in Bloomington
- Saturday, September 13, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization in northeast Minneapolis
Clinics have also been scheduled for October through January. See the full schedule.
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!
For more information or to volunteer, contact Nancy Lo at nancy.lo@hennepin.us or call 612-348-9195.
Green Tip
 Recent heavy rains have resulted in flooding problems in basements and homes throughout the metro. If your home is prone to flooding, make sure to move or properly dispose of household products that contain hazardous materials by taking the following steps.
Identify what you have. Common household products that contain hazardous materials include batteries, solvents, paints, paint thinners, pesticides, household cleaners, and automotive products and fuels. One way to determine if a household product is hazardous is to look for one or more of these words on the label: caution, warning, danger, poison, flammable, reactive, corrosive, toxic. See our household hazardous waste guide for more information.
Move hazardous materials to a dry place. If you think you’ll have flooding issues, move your household products to an area that will stay dry. Materials that come in contact with floodwaters will likely need to be disposed of.
Safely dispose of hazardous waste. Bring hazardous products you no longer need or can no longer use to a Hennepin County drop-off facility. Most items are accepted for free.
Get more tips on keeping your home safe during flooding from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
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