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We are renaming this newsletter for 2021. This decision was made after engaging partners, educators, and staff. Starting in January, this newsletter will be called Environmental education news. The content won’t change, just the name. We look forward to continuing to engage with you in the new year!
Although plastic is a versatile material with many uses, it is also concerning because it presents health risks, contributes to litter and pollution, and is challenging to dispose of. Some of the most common and problematic plastic items we deal with every day come in the form of packaging and single-use plastics. Since these items are used for a short period of time and then discarded, they contribute significantly to the increasing amount of plastic waste.
The Hennepin County Plastic-Free Challenge is a month-long effort starting January 20 to reduce plastic consumption, especially single-use plastics, in ways that fit best in your lifestyle and are most impactful to reducing your footprint.
Start the New Year off right: Resolve to reduce your impact with the Plastic-Free Challenge
Kicking off the New Year with the Plastic-Free Challenge is a great way to adopt new habits that will help you set and keep resolutions to lower your impact on the environment.
There are many simple changes you can make that will add up to a big impact – using reusables, skipping plastic straws, saying no to plastic bags, understanding your plastic footprint, avoiding plastic packaging, and much more.
The online Plastic-Free Challenge has more than 60 of actions you can choose from in seven categories. Join the challenge, commit to taking action, and see the impact of your actions add up. You can even create a team to take the challenge along with your family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues.
The challenge runs January 20 to February 17. Once you sign up and create your profile, you can browse the categories and actions, check off the actions you already take, and select up to five one-time actions and five daily actions to make progress on during the four-week challenge.
You can also create or join a team to take the challenge along with family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Or join the community team and connect with participants throughout Hennepin County.
Gift wrapping tips
As you figure out your gift-wrapping plan for the holidays, use these tips so that your gifts look glam while making the best environmental choice!
     
Share with your network
Access our social media posts to share these tips with your networks:
Holiday disposal guide
Between packaging from deliveries, decorations, gift wrap, and more, the holiday season is a time when we often have a lot of stuff to get rid of. To make sure you recycle and reuse as much as you can – take a moment to review our holiday disposal guide for tips on the best way to get rid of common holiday items.
Recycle at home
Boxes
This includes cardboard boxes, boxes from deliveries, shoe boxes, electronics boxes, and gift boxes.
Flatten before recycling. Check with your hauler for options if you have a lot of them.
Paper
You can recycle plain gift wrap, packing paper, and cards and envelopes made of plain paper.
Flatten paper before recycling to ensure it gets properly sorted with the paper at the recycling facility.
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Bring to a drop-off for recycling
Plastic bags, film, and bubble wrap
Deliveries can come with a lot of plastic packaging. You can bring shipping envelopes made entirely of plastic, plastic film, air pillows, and bubble wrap to a drop-off for recycling. Find drop-off locations at retail and grocery stores at plasticfilmrecycling.org. These items are also accepted at Hennepin County drop-off facilities.
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String lights, electronics, and batteries
It’s common this time of year to have things like string lights that no longer work, electronics that you are upgrading, or items with batteries that you need to get rid of. These items are accepted at Hennepin County drop-off facilities for recycling or proper disposal. Find options for disposing of common household items on the Green Disposal Guide.
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Special pick-up or yard waste site
Real Christmas trees, wreaths, and greenery
Check with your hauler or city as many offer special pickup options after the holidays. Or take these items to a yard waste site. Remove everything, including lights, ornaments, and tinsel, before disposing.
If wreaths and greenery are not accepted by your hauler, put them in a plastic bag and put in the trash. Unless you know your tree and greenery was grown in Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture says you shouldn’t leave them in your backyard because of concerns about pests. Learn more about best practices for holiday greenery.
Trash
Gift wrap and decorations
 Many items commonly used to decorate gifts go in the trash. This includes:
- Glossy, shiny, or glittery wrapping paper
- Tissue paper
- Bows and ribbons
- Cards that have glitter, foil, or plastic adornments
- Cards printed on photo paper
As you clean up during the holidays, items like gift bags, gift boxes, ribbons, and bows are great to save and reuse next year!
Packing materials
Styrofoam and shipping envelopes made of multiple materials (such as paper and bubble wrap) go in the trash.
Virtual recycling education kit
Since our physical education kits are not currently available to borrow, we are creating virtual kit resources to help you educate your participants on different environmental topics. The first virtual kit we have created is about recycling. Use these presentations and activities to create your own education kit to teach participants about recycling and also go through common items that are and are not recyclable in Hennepin County. Be sure to utilize our recycling guide as an additional education tool.
Keep an eye on hennepin.us/environmentaleducation for more virtual kits in the coming months.
Recycling presentations:
 Use these presentations during meetings or lessons to teach participants background information about recycling and also go through common items that are and are not recyclable.
Recycling BINGO activity:
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Have some fun with this great BINGO game! Cards are customized by Hennepin County to feature both items that are recyclable and the natural resources they come from. There are beginning and advanced versions of this game. |
Teaching in nature’s classroom: free online course
The Teaching in Nature’s Classroom Course will be offered from January 25 - May 7, 2021. This course is an opportunity for educators new to outdoor and garden-based learning as well as educators who are experienced in the field to consider best practices and reflect on their own teaching practice in outdoor learning environments with a focus on school and community youth gardens. The course was developed as a companion to the book Teaching in Nature’s Classroom: Principles of Garden-Based Education.
The coursework is intended to be useful and inspirational. You should plan for 30 hours total to complete the course. This course is designed to be flexible and self-directed so you can fulfill the course requirements according to your optimal timeframe and in relation to your concurrent teaching duties and other obligations. Learn more. Registration will open on January 4, 2021. Sign up to receive a notification when registration is open.
The course is brought to you by Rooted, whose work and collaborations are rooted in food, land, and community, Life Lab, a national leader in the garden-based learning movement, and the Wisconsin School Garden Network.
ASL courses for outdoor professionals
Learn ASL from deaf outdoor experts
Learn the basic signs you need to know in order to communicate with Deaf people while working, recreating or volunteering in the outdoor field. Courses start the week of January 11, 2021 and run through March 15, 2021. The cost is $500.
Learn more and sign up.
The following organization has received a Hennepin County environmental education grant and is busy engaging their audience in taking action to protect the environment.
Off the Blue Couch's Rusty and The Crew recycling workshop series
 Rusty and The Crew are hosting monthly workshops on recycling & organics recycling. Community educators will also discuss how our waste is connected to climate change during the trainings. Waste reduction incentives will be given for participation.
Training options:
- Tuesday, January 19, from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. or 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, March 16, from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. or 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, May 18, from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. or 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
To register, email offthebluecouch@gmail.com. Follow Rusty and Crew on Facebook for photos and updates.
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