|
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
Angie Ziobro
Christina Schmitt
Mary Karius
Patience Caso
Please forward this email to interested individuals and encourage them to sign up.
|
Hennepin County Environment and Energy is hiring an Environmental Outreach Specialist to oversee community engagement and outreach programs, especially focused on multicultural, low-income and disadvantaged audiences. Outreach will be on a variety of environmental topics, especially recycling, organics recycling, waste reduction, reducing hazardous waste, and protecting water.
Specifically, this position will:
- Manage a peer-to-peer outreach program that will engage community groups in doing outreach on residential organics recycling for composting programs.
- Advance the department’s socially inclusive outreach strategy to reach multicultural, low-income and disadvantaged communities to take environmental action.
- Promote department programs and educational resources through diverse community partnerships.
Bilingual skills in English and Somali, Hmong, and/or Spanish are preferred but not required. The position closes on April 15. Find out more and apply.
Proposals due May 15
 Looking to engage your community in activities to increase recycling, reduce waste, reduce energy use, prevent pollution, and protect our air, land and water? Apply now for funding, project support and free resources through the Green Partners Environmental Education Program. Grants of up to $15,000 are available. Eligible organizations include community groups, youth programs, congregations, park districts, and private and public schools.
|
Information meetings
Get information about funding requirements, feedback on your project ideas and tips for completing your proposal at an upcoming information meeting:
- April 28 from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Brookdale Library, Study Room 1, in Brooklyn Center
- April 28 from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Pierre Bottineau Library, Sheridan Meeting Room, in northeast Minneapolis
- May 5 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Walker Library, Calhoun Meeting Room, in Minneapolis (in conjunction with the Green Partners Networking meeting)
For more information, contact Patience Caso at patience.caso@hennepin.us or 612-348-9352.
Each year, the Environmental Initiative honors innovative projects that have achieved extraordinary environmental results by harnessing the power of partnership. Two Hennepin County programs have been named as finalists for the 2015 awards.
-
Environmental Education category: The Green Partners Environmental Education Program provides environmental education resources, grants, project support, training, supplies, field trip transportation and networking meetings to support community organizations in engaging the public in overcoming barriers and taking action to protect the environment.
-
Community Action category: The Master Recycler/Composter program uses the train-the-trainer model to capitalize on the interest and motivation of residents with a passion for waste reduction and recycling. Master Recycler/Composters are trained in waste prevention, recycling, composting and public engagement and then commit to volunteer at least 30 hours in the community, helping the county expand its reach.
Additional award finalists
Hennepin County is also identified as a key project partner in two additional projects named as award finalists:
- The Master Water Stewards program (Environmental Education category) recruits, educates and certifies community leaders who work to protect water quality by installing projects that increase water infiltration and educating neighbors.
- The University District Pack and Give Back program (Community Action category) is a collaborative effort to reduce waste during move in and move out times near the University of Minnesota by connecting students and landlords to resources that help students reduce, donate and recycle unwanted household goods.
Award winners will be announced at an awards banquet on May 21.
 Event planners and coordinators seeking to go green and achieve low-waste events can receive free, customized assistance from Hennepin County. Staff can help you create waste reduction plans, educate vendors, train volunteers and provide collection options. Access the following free event planning resources at www.hennepin.us/eventrecycling:
|
-
Recycling containers that can be borrowed for free to add recycling and organics recycling to events.
-
Event recycling and waste reduction guide with steps to take before, during and after the event to make your green event efforts a success.
-
Green event resources including signage and sample letters to send to your vendors and presenters.
For more information, contact Carolyn Collopy at carolyn.collopy@hennepin.us or 612-596-0993.
Spring is a great time to make changes around your home and yard to reduce waste and protect water.
Compost bins
 Start recycling your fruit and vegetable scraps, leaves and grass clippings into a nutrient-rich compost you can use in your yard or garden by purchasing a compost bin. Hennepin County has compost bins for sale at the Hennepin County Drop-off Facility in Brooklyn Park. Compost bins are 3’ x 3’ x 3’, made of cedar and wire mesh, and cost $45. Bins are for sale during regular drop-off facility hours.
Rain barrels
Capture rain water to reuse on your lawn or garden and reduce stormwater runoff by installing a rain barrel. Order a rain barrel at a discounted rate through the Recycling Association of Minnesota for pick-up at a distribution event in April or May in Minneapolis, Plymouth, St. Louis Park and other metro area locations. Or learn to make your own by attending the Friends of the Mississippi River's Make and Take Rain Barrel workshop on May 5.
|
 Minneapolis Solid Waste and Recycling customers will soon be able to recycle food waste and non-recyclable paper through the city’s curbside organics recycling program. The new organics recycling program is an easy way for residents to reduce waste and make a difference.
Residents will be receiving a mailing in the next few weeks with program information and a sign-up postcard. To participate, residents must sign up by returning the postcard or contacting Solid Waste and Recycling at 612-673-2917 or SWRcustomer@minneapolismn.gov by May 4.
The organics recycling program will begin in two phases, with 25 percent of customers having organics recycling available in August 2015 and the rest in spring 2016. Residents can find out what phase they are in by checking the organics recycling roll-out map.
For residents who want to start recycling their organics now, the city offers drop-off sites for organics recycling.
|
Events
Green Partners project ideas and grant funding info session
Join us to learn more about environmental education project support available through the Green Partners program. Get information about the grant funding and application process, supplies and resources available, and get feedback on your project ideas.
Networking meetings are open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided. RSVP to Patience Caso at patience.caso@hennepin.us or 612-348-9352.
Learn about the natural resources interactive map
-
Date: June 2, 2015
-
Time: 1 to 3 p.m.
-
Location: Ridgedale Library, RHR Room, in Minnetonka
Learn about the Hennepin County interactive natural resources map, which includes detailed information on vegetative cover, natural resource corridors, soils, wetlands, floodplains, geology, topography and the ecological significance of land in the county. The map is intended to help local governments and landowners make decisions about managing and protecting the natural resources on their properties.
The Hennepin Natural Resources Partnership provides a forum for a more holistic and collaborative approach to managing and protecting our land and water. Everyone is welcome to attend, especially those from cities, watersheds, agencies and organizations involved with or interested in natural resources management and protection.
RSVP to Stacey Lijewski at stacey.lijewski@hennepin.us or 612-348-9938.
 Hennepin County organizes collection events throughout the year to give residents more convenient local options for disposing of household hazardous wastes. Materials accepted include unwanted automotive wastes, household, lawn and garden products, batteries, mercury-containing items and more.
Collection events are held Thursday - Saturday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. The following collection events are scheduled for 2015:
|
- May 14 – 16 in Minnetonka
- June 11 – 13 in St. Louis Park
- July 9 – 11 in northeast Minneapolis
- August 20 – 22 in south Minneapolis
- September 17 – 19 in Shorewood
Download the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events flyer to promote these events.
 Fix-It Clinics provide residents an opportunity to receive free, guided assistance from volunteers on disassembling, troubleshooting and repairing small household appliances, clothing, electronics, mobile devices and more.
Upcoming Fix-It Clinics are scheduled for the following dates and locations:
|
- Saturday, April 18 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Brookdale Library in Brooklyn Center
- Saturday, May 9 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Southdale Library in Edina
- Saturday, June 13 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Redeemer Center for Life Church in Minneapolis. This clinic includes a Bike Repair Clinic!
Download a flyer to promote the Fix-It Clinics.
For more information or to volunteer, contact Nancy Lo at nancy.lo@hennepin.us or 612-348-9195.
Hennepin County staff, volunteers and Green Partners organizations will be out in the community at numerous events this spring with information on actions you can take to protect the environment by reducing waste, recycling, properly disposing of hazardous materials and implementing green yard practices to protect water. Get your questions answered by stopping at our table at any of these events:
-
Plymouth Home Expo: Friday, April 10 from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, April 11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Plymouth Creek Center Fieldhouse
-
Neighborhood Sustainability Fair: Saturday, April 11 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Faith Mennonite Church in Minneapolis
-
Richfield Community Wellness Expo: Saturday, April 11 from 10 a.m. to noon at Richfield High School
-
South Minneapolis Housing Fair: Saturday, April 18 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Minneapolis Sports Center
-
North Hennepin Community College Earth Week: Monday, April 20 to Friday, April 24 at North Hennepin Community College
-
Minnetonka Early Childhood Family Education Earth Day Celebration: Monday, April 20 from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. at the Minnetonka Community Education Center
-
Mississippi River Earth Day Cleanup: Saturday, April 25 from 9:30 a.m. to noon at multiple sites along the river in Minneapolis
-
Robbinsdale Early Childhood Family Education Earth Day Celebration and Kids’ Stuff Garage Sale: Saturday, April 25 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the New Hope Learning Center
To request Hennepin County staff attend your upcoming event or give a presentation to your group on waste reduction, recycling, protecting land and water, reducing hazardous waste or other environmental topic, contact Angie Ziobro at angela.ziobro@hennepin.us or 612-348-9850.
 Learn about simple changes you can make in the way you take care of your yard that will provide wildlife habitat and help keep our lakes, rivers and streams clean at an upcoming Metro Blooms rain gardens and beyond workshop. Workshops cover pollinator friendly yard care practices and the basics of rain gardens and shoreline plantings, as well as one-on-one design assistance from landscape professionals and Master Gardeners. Workshops are scheduled during April through June in Bloomington, Champlin, Edina, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Plymouth and St. Louis Park.
|
Updated: Green Cleaning Recipes brochure
 According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, only a fraction of registered chemicals have gone through complete testing for human health concerns. You can protect your health and the health of your family, pets and the environment by making your own cleaning products with simple, less-toxic ingredients. Many common household products, such as baking soda, lemon juice, vinegar and liquid dish soap, can make effective and inexpensive cleaners.
See the updated Green Cleaning Recipes brochure for recipes to use throughout your home.
New: How to Get Rid of It Guide
|
 This new brochure provides an of overview reducing, recycling, and disposing of yard waste and hazardous waste. The How to Get Rid of It Guide includes information on what can be recycled at home, what materials should be brought to a drop-off facility, resources for reusing and repairing household goods, options for disposing of yard waste, safe storage tips, and information about Hennepin County drop-off facilities.
|
New articles available from Rethink Recycling
Rethink Recycling develops monthly newsletter articles and social media posts on recycling topics for partners to use. New articles available include:
- Residential recycling: the importance of good signage
- Make Earth Day every day by reducing hazardous waste
View the 2015 topics calendar for the list of articles that will be written this year.
The following projects are being funded through the Green Partners Environmental Education Program. The projects featured this month are all examples of organizations or schools that are engaging students in schools to take action and make a different. For more information about Green Partners grants, contact Patience Caso at patience.caso@hennepin.us or 612-348-9352.
Wilshire Park Elementary promotes biking, walking and waste reduction
Wilshire Park Elementary in St. Anthony Park is working on promoting biking and walking to school, establishing a no-idle zone in their school parking lot, integrating waste reduction into their 5th grade curriculum and promoting sustainable practices in their community.
They promoted International Bike/Walk to School Day in October and are helping to coordinate groups of students who are biking and walking to school. They currently have two active walking groups and three biking groups. They have also collected baseline data on car idling during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up, are working on specific lessons plans about waste reduction for 5th graders, used the county’s Packaging Waste Reduction Kit to promote waste reduction at family events and started a Healthy Kids, Healthy School column in their bi-weekly school newsletter.
Spark-Y and Roosevelt High School team up to create sustainability center
 Spark-Y is working with Roosevelt High School on the final design for an outdoor greenhouse that will be used by both students and the community. They have already completed construction of an aquaponics system at the schools. Students have been maintaining and operating the aquaponics system, planting and harvesting vegetables and herbs, learning how to take environmental actions in their daily lives and researching careers in sustainability. They have also started four composting systems in classrooms and will be holding a community celebration at the end of May.
School green teams work with Will Steger Foundation to take the lead on environmental action projects
The Will Steger Foundation’s YEA! Minnesota program is supporting high school green teams to implement environmental action projects.
- DeLaSalle High School students are focusing on improving recycling.
- El Colegio High School students are working to reduce food waste and educate peers on sustainable food systems by developing vermicomposting and aquaponics systems.
- Hopkins High School students are working with both the green team and engineering class to create water bottle fillers that can attach to each drinking fountain, and they are selling reusable water bottles and taking pledges to reduce waste.
- The South High School Green Tigers have successfully installed a hydration station to refill reusable water bottles and will be hosting a school bike ride to Minnehaha Falls on May 1. Additionally, South and Southwest high schools are participating in Garbage Games, a waste reduction competition that runs from April 20 to May 1.
|
