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Hennepin County is pleased to release a draft of our first Climate Action Plan (PDF). Feedback on the plan is being gathered through Wednesday, March 3.
The county is holding two online meetings where county staff will present core goals and strategies, gather input using online facilitation tools, and answer questions through a moderated process. The meetings are being held:
- Monday, February 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Monday, March 1 from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Anyone interested in the county’s response to climate change is encouraged to attend. Learn more and RSVP.
Individuals who wish to offer feedback on the plan but do not want to attend an online meeting may share their comments through an online feedback form.
County staff will summarize the feedback and make final edits to the plan in March. The board will take up formal adoption of the plan, which will include a final public comment process, in April.
Learn more about the development of the Climate Action Plan at hennepin.us/climateaction, and sign up to receive email updates about the county’s climate action plan.
Take Hennepin County’s survey to share what would help you waste less food
We love food, which is why most of us hate seeing it go to waste. By taking steps to reduce food waste, you can ensure the money you spend on your food and the energy, land and water it takes to grow it and get it to you doesn’t go to waste. Reducing food waste is also one of the most important actions we can take to address climate change.
Help Hennepin County understand more about food waste so we can work together to reduce it! Take the 5 minute survey to provide insights into how you interact with food – from shopping, storage, cooking, and finally disposal – and how the county can support you in preventing food waste. The survey is open until March 1. Your responses will be used to create better resources that help residents reduce food waste.
This survey is open to all Hennepin County residents, with a special focus on getting responses from people living in multifamily housing. Please share the survey with your audiences and encourage them to provide us feedback!
The county is providing free resources and assistance for small businesses, non-profit organizations and multifamily properties to start or improve recycling and organics recycling. Applicants may select up to $3,000 worth of containers and compostable bags from the county's product list. Review the 2021 Business recycling bin and compostable bag grant guidelines (PDF) for details on container and bag options. |
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Application timeline
Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until Monday, November 15, 2021, or until the annual program budget is exhausted, whichever occurs first.
Learn more
Visit the business recycling web page to learn more and apply.
Tuesday, February 23 to Saturday, February 27
Taking Nature Black is a virtual conference hosted by the Audubon Naturalist Society in partnership with many other organizations. It's a regional and national environmental lovefest and a Black healing, welcoming, organizing, celebrating, networking space. The theme is Call and Response: Elevating our Stories, Naturally!
Learn more and register.
Critical questions for program design during COVID-19 webinar
Thursday, February 25 from 2 to 3 p.m.
Join Youth Outside and NAAEE for a webinar to discuss the questions we should be asking ourselves as we continue to envision programming that connects people to the environment during these truly uncertain and evolving times. Participants will explore the importance of asking critical questions related to race, equity, and inclusion, and learn about a tool to start their own programmatic exploration.
Register for the webinar.
Teach Outdoors! Minnesota weekly virtual workshops
Join environmental educators and organizations for free virtual workshops weekly on Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. Each week will feature a different environmental educator/organization and topic. Sessions will be geared towards those working with elementary students, but anyone is welcome to attend. Recordings of past presentations are also available. Learn more and register.
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February workshops:
- Lichens
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources teacher resources overview
- Ice fishing
- Mysteries in the snow: winter animal tracking
Litter study group stakeholder interview with MnDOT
The Minnesota Department of Transportation would like your feedback on the issue of litter on highway roadsides. Please join an online discussion on highway roadside litter in your community. The session for the Twin Cities region is Friday, February 26 at 10:30 a.m. Register now, and read the MnDOT announcement (PDF) for more information. Contact Molly Short at Molly.Short@state.mn.us or 651-366-3501 with any questions.
Network climate action: scaling up your impact
5-week online course from Cornell University
February 22 to March 28
Many of us want to do something about climate change, but individual actions can feel inadequate in the face of the looming crisis. In this online course, you will learn what the latest research says about how to scale up your individual actions through your social networks. You will choose a climate action you take yourself and apply social influence research to persuade your family, friends, social media followers, or other social network to also take that action.
Cost: $60 (lower fee available if you are unable to pay).
Learn more and register.
Climate Generation’s virtual youth climate justice summit
Tuesday, February 23 and Wednesday, February 24
 The virtual youth climate justice summit is a day of youth action, learning, and a chance to directly participate in government. Youth can join workshops led by youth and partners in the movement for climate justice. Learn more.
The following organizations have received Hennepin County Green Partners environmental education grants and are busy engaging their audiences in taking action to protect the environment
Tree Trek and videos for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities
 Western Hennepin County is home to remnants of the Big Woods ecosystem and a special forest community ecologists call maple-basswood forest. It’s also where Voyageur Environmental Center sits, owned and operated by the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities. Normally, Voyageur is a nature destination for Boys and Girls Club kids, ages 8 to 14, many of whom are from at-risk communities.
Voyageur, a 2020 and 2021 Green Partners grant recipient, had hoped to spend last year expanding its environmental education with STEAM programming at schools and during in-person experiences at Voyageur. But like all in-person learning in 2020, plans had to evolve.
When COVID-19 hit, Hennepin County and Voyageur staff became inspired to create self-guided learning opportunities for Boys and Girls Club youth and the public. County staff partnered with Voyageur and the University of Minnesota to create the Tree Trek nature trail, with posts highlighting feature facts and offering QR codes to access even more info online. View a close-up of one of the sign posts (PDF).
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 Voyageur videos
Videos about Voyageur's ecology were also developed:
Big news from Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy
The Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy (CEED) has a Green Partners grant to engage participants in interactive and culturally specific workshops on energy conservation and home weatherization through their Energy Education series this spring.
Congratulations are in order for the recognition CEED is receiving for their environmental justice work!
Dr. Cecilia Martinez, co-founder and Executive Director of CEED, has been appointed by the Biden Administration to serve as Senior Director of Environmental Justice at the Council on Environmental Quality. Cecilia will play a major role in tackling racial disparities by facilitating and guiding the whole-of-government approach to environmental justice. This will be the first environmental justice position in the Executive Offices of the President.
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The following are upcoming workshops, trainings, and other activities hosted as part of Hennepin County Green Partners environmental education grants.
Tangletown Neighborhood Association's textile reduce and reuse event series
Join the Tangletown Neighborhood Association in reducing your textile waste. They are hosting a series of workshops and opportunities to take action.
Upcoming workshops:
Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light’s climate justice household webinar series
Thursday, February 18 from 7 to 8 p.m.
Learn about how planting trees builds healthy communities starting in our own backyards. Erika Schlaeger dos Santos, co-founder of The Family of Trees, will share the benefits of urban forestry, spanning from environmental, economic and social regeneration and beyond. Register here.
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