Green Notes March 2017

Green Notes

MARCH 2017


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GreenNotes covers environmental news, programs and events from Hennepin County.

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Recycle non-reusable clothing and linens at Hennepin County Drop-Off Facilities

Non-reuseable textiles

Clothes and textiles that can’t be reused or donated due to tears, stains and other damage can now be recycled at Hennepin County drop-off facilities. This is an important way to keep even more waste out of the garbage. 

Items accepted include clothing, shoes, accessories, bedding, curtains, pillows, towels, table cloths, and stuffed toys. Find out more on the Green Disposal Guide. And remember, you can find donation options for clothing, textiles and shoes in good shape on the Choose to Reuse website.


Grant program updates

Grants available for environmental education

Hiawatha Academy Green Partners grantee

Organizations interested in working with their audiences to learn about and take action to protect the environment can apply now for grants through the Green Partners environmental education program. Grants of up to $20,000 for returning grantees and $8,000 for organizations new to the program are available.

Non-profit organizations, community and youth groups, schools, congregations, park districts and community education programs can apply for projects that inspire residents to reduce waste, recycle, reduce hazardous waste, conserve energy, protect pollinators, and improve our air and water quality. Learn more and apply.

Information meetings

Learn more about the program and get feedback on project ideas at an upcoming information meeting. Meetings will be held on Tuesday, April 18 at 2 p.m. at the North Regional Library in Minneapolis and 4 p.m. at the Golden Valley Library.

For more information or to RSVP to an information meeting, contact Patience Caso at patience.caso@hennepin.us or 612-348-9352.

                                           

Grants awarded to prevent spread of aquatic invasive species

AIS prevention

Hennepin County recently awarded 14 grants totaling $320,000 to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. Funding will be used for inspections at public lake accesses, outreach and education, research on zebra mussels, boat cleaning facilities and more. Grants will support projects throughout the county, including in Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Edina, Excelsior, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Mound and Richfield. Learn more about the grants awarded. For more information, contact Tony Brough at tony.brough@hennepin.us or 612-348-4378.               

                                                                    

Business recycling grants awarded

Park Tavern business recycling grantee

Hennepin County provides grants to businesses and non-profit organizations to improve recycling, reduce waste, and implement organics recycling programs. The commercial sector generates more than half of the waste in the county, and much of that waste is recyclable.

The county awarded 21 grants to a variety of businesses and organizations in the last grant round. Grants were awarded to apartment buildings, grocery stores, manufacturing facilities, medical clinics, a movie theater, office building, restaurants, and a roller rink. Learn more about the grants awarded.

Applications for the next grant round are due by June 15. Learn more and apply. For more information, contact Andre Xiong at andre.x.xiong@hennepin.us or 612-543-1316.


Volunteers learn tree care basics

More classes to be offered in the fall

Tree steward volunteers

Hennepin County foresters hosted their first tree pruning workshop for volunteer tree stewards on Saturday, March 18. Through the class, 20 residents became University of Minnesota certified Citizen Pruners by learning about the proper pruning techniques then trying out their new skills by helping to prune young trees along County Road 81 in Brooklyn Park and Crystal.

If you are interested in learning more about trees but missed this class, an expanded tree steward class will be offered in the fall. The class will cover the basics of tree biology and health, planting, watering, and pruning through a combination of classroom instruction and hands-on, outdoor field experience. The class will be offered in partnership with the City of St. Louis Park and the University of Minnesota on Wednesday evenings in September. Learn more.

For more information, contact Jen Kullgren at jen.kullgren@hennepin.us or 612-596-1175.


Students can prove their natural-resources knowledge at the Envirothon

Envirothon

Teams of junior or senior high school students can sign up now for the Envirothon, a problem-solving natural resources competition. Students are tested on their knowledge of aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife and current events through hands-on activities and presentations. The top teams advance to the state Envirothon where they will compete to represent Minnesota at the national competition and have a chance to earn scholarships. The envirothon will be held April 19, and Hennepin County can provide support and transportation funding to teams from the county.


In the news

Hennepin County focuses on increasing organics recycling

Organics recycling

Hennepin County is working to increase organics recycling, in which food and non-recyclable paper are recycled into compost. The county is focusing on organics recycling because it’s the greatest opportunity to reduce our trash and meet our recycling goals. The county is taking a multifaceted approach to increasing organics recycling by working with cities to offer service to residents, providing grants to businesses to start organics recycling, promoting food waste reduction strategies, and exploring additional management options such as anaerobic digestion. Learn more at Waste360.


Events

City cleanups make spring cleaning easier

City cleanup days

This spring, cities across Hennepin County are holding cleanup events to make spring cleaning more convenient. City cleanup events offer residents a chance to get rid of hard-to-dispose items such as old furniture, exercise equipment, appliances, electronics, and more. Cities offer either curbside service or drop-off sites for your items. See if your city is holding a city clean-up event, and be sure to check with your city for details about what’s accepted and other guidelines.

 

Hazardous waste collection events

HHW event

Hennepin County hosts collection events across the county throughout the spring and fall to provide residents with a convenient option to get rid of household hazardous waste. A variety of items are accepted at collection events including paint, aerosols, cleaners, mercury thermostats, diesel fuel, and much more.

Collection events are scheduled for the following dates and locations. Please note that events will only take place on Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. this year.

  • Friday, May 12 and Saturday, May 13 at the City of Minnetonka’s Public Works Department, 11522 Minnetonka Blvd.
  • Friday, June 9 and Saturday, June 10 at the St. Louis Park Middle School, 2025 Texas Ave S (enter off W. 22nd St)
  • Friday, June 23 and Saturday, June 24 at the Minneapolis Public Works Department Snelling Ave. site, 3607 E. 44th St (enter off 44th St between Hwy 55 and Snelling Ave)


Additional events are planned for later in the summer and fall. See the full list of accepted items and additional event dates.

 

Learn repair skills at the Worn Wear Tour or Fix-it Clinics

Mending at Fix-it Clinics

April will be an exciting month for repair in Hennepin County. In addition to the county’s upcoming Fix-It Clinics, the University of Minnesota, Hennepin County and other community organizations are partnering to bring Patagonia’s Worn Wear Tour to the University of Minnesota on April 5.

The tour will include repair workshops, informational booths and other activities to promote upcycling and repair. Bring your clothing, electronics, and household items and learn how to repair them yourself. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Coffman Union and is free and open to the public.

 

Upcoming Earth Day and Arbor Day celebrations

Arbor Day

With both Earth Day and Arbor Day coming up in April, it’s a great time to get our in your community to learn about ways you can protect the environment or to give back by volunteering at a cleanup event.

Community events

Volunteer opportunities

 

Resilient yard workshops

Native plants

Learn how to adapt and protect your yard and garden against ever-increasing extreme weather threats at an upcoming Metro Blooms Resilient Yards Workshops. Attendees will learn how Minnesota’s changing weather patterns will affect their yards and best management practices to help manage these changes. Additionally, attendees will get one-on-one design assistance from Metro Blooms, Blue Thumb Landscape Designers, and Master Gardeners. 

The one-day workshops are scheduled April through June in locations throughout the county, including Champlin, Crystal, Edina, Minneapolis, Plymouth and St. Louis Park. See the schedule and register.

 

Rain barrel distribution events

Rain barrels

Rain barrels are a good way to help protect our lakes and rivers and capture water to use on your lawn or garden. If you’re interested in trying one out, be sure to take advantage of the Recycling Association of Minnesota’s upcoming rain barrel distribution events. A distribution event is scheduled for May 6 and May 8 at the City of St. Louis Park’s Public Works Facility. You must preorder a rain barrel for pick up at a distribution events. Learn more about the events and place an order.


Green tip: Reduce and properly dispose of hazardous products

HHW

This Earth Day, in addition to attending an event or working with others in your community to bring about big changes, you can focus on taking steps in your home to be more environmentally friendly. A good place to start is by focusing on reducing the amount of hazardous products you have in your home.

 

Read, reduce and replace

HHW

Become a label reader when purchasing products for your home. The words caution, warning, danger, or poison on labels tell you about the hazard level of the product. Minimize the number of products you have, and choose the least hazardous for the job. Learn more about identifying hazardous products.

An easy way to reduce hazardous waste is to switch to greener, less-toxic cleaning products. When shopping, look for environmentally friendly certifications like Green Seal or the U.S. EPA’s Design for the Environment.

Or make your own green cleaners at home, which is a great way to protect your health and the health of your family, pets and the environment along with saving money. See our Green Cleaning Recipes for ideas.

 

Get rid of it the green way

HHW

Household items that are hazardous cannot be disposed of in our home garbage or recycling and must be brought to a drop-off facility or event for proper disposal. This includes many cleaning products, yard and garden chemicals, automobile fluids, batteries, paint, electronics, and more. Check the Hennepin County Green Disposal Guide for disposal options.