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If you enjoy visiting lakes around Hennepin County, join Lake Pledge to learn what you can do to protect our lakes by preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species.
Lake Pledge will help you learn how the activities you do on and around lakes may unintentionally introduce aquatic invasive species. Through short, entertaining videos, you’ll learn what actions to take to prevent the spread. The website and app are free, family-friendly, and take just minutes each week to participate.
 About Lake Pledge
In 2021, Hennepin County and three lakes in Maple Grove piloted Lake Pledge by encouraging lakeshore homeowners to join. In early 2022, the program expanded to more lakes and added a mobile app. Now, the website and app are open to anyone who uses lakes in Hennepin County.
Join Lake Pledge
- Join at lakepledge.com or download the Lake Pledge app through the Apple App Store or Google Play.
- Select the Hennepin County lake you use most often.
- Select all the ways you enjoy spending time on the water on any lake, such as sailing, fishing, kayaking, wakeboarding, and more.
For more information, contact Tony Brough at tony.brough@hennepin.us or 612-348-4378.
The Stop Food Waste Challenge starts next week! Leading up to the start of the challenge, we’re giving you five reasons to join:
1. Put more money in your pocket: The average family of four spends $1,800 every year on food they’ll never eat and just end up throwing away. The challenge will help you learn easy, practical skills so you can spend your money on more important things.
2. Earn prizes! There will be multiple opportunities throughout the challenge to be entered into a raffle to win a prize, such as a gift certificate to a local grocery store or coop or a low-waste grocery shopping kit.
3. Take the challenge along with family, friends, neighbors and colleagues: When you sign up, you can start a team and invite your family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues to take the challenge with you.
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4. Combat climate change: It may come as a surprise, but reducing food waste is one of the most important actions we can take to address climate change.
5. Attend free events: Events include a virtual challenge kickoff with Chowgirls about turning leftovers into delicious pizza, a Q and A on Instagram with Hennepin Environment, a produce preservation demonstration with Chef Christopher Loew, and more!
The challenge goes from August 1 through August 31. Join the challenge now at hennepinfoodwaste.ecochallenge.org.
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Learn how to provide habitat for birds and bats by downloading or ordering three new brochures. These resources will help you learn how to:
Download or order free print copies from our environmental resources order form. These resources and many more are available for free to community groups, cities, schools, and residents in Hennepin County.
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Hennepin County is soliciting proposals for a contract to develop a master plan for decarbonizing the Hennepin County Energy Center.
The Hennepin County Energy Center provides steam and chilled water to county buildings and a few private customers in downtown Minneapolis. Currently, water is heated and cooled using a mix of natural gas and electricity.
Elements of the decarbonization master plan
The decarbonization master plan for the Hennepin County Energy Center will include two overlapping deliverables: a long-term plan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and short-term strategies to implement before 2030 to increase energy efficiency and create a foundation for transformative long-term investments. Increasing energy efficiency and developing new ways to harness and store energy for this system will be the core elements of the master plan.
This effort is an important part of achieving the county’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050 as established in the Hennepin County Climate Action Plan. Decarbonizing energy facilities is an emerging field, so developing this master plan will continue to position Hennepin County as a leader in climate action.
Learn more and apply
Proposals are due Wednesday, August 24. A tour of the Hennepin County Energy Center will be offered on Wednesday, August 3 at 10 a.m.
Learn more and access the request for proposal documents on the Hennepin County Supplier Portal. If you would like to attend the tour, contact Dave McNary at david.mcnary@hennepin.us.
The county recently awarded 26 Green Partners environmental education grants totaling $470,100 to community organizations to engage their audiences in learning about and taking action to protect the environment. Together, these projects will engage more than 6,000 residents in taking action and reach more than 122,000 residents with environmental messages.
The program prioritizes environmental education and engagement with youth, Black, Indigenous, communities of color and other underserved and historically marginalized communities to reduce health and education disparities and advance environmental justice. Of the organizations receiving grants, 20 will work primarily with Black, Indigenous, and communities of color.
The program includes two types of grants – 13 of the organizations will work primarily with adult audiences to motivate environmental actions, and 13 organizations will work primarily with youth on learning about the environment and becoming environmental stewards.
Grant projects focus on a variety of topics, including protecting natural resources, reducing waste and recycling, and taking action on climate change. Grantees will engage audiences in 14 cities throughout the county.
Learn about the organizations receiving grants and their projects.
For more information, contact Patience Caso at patience.caso@hennepin.us.
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 Hennepin County Environment and Energy is piloting a new internship program called Green Pathways in which a cohort of BIPOC youth are spending their summer learning about various environmental careers.
The intern cohort, comprised of an Urban Scholar and three recent high school graduates recruited through the BrookLynk have been busy pruning and identifying trees with county foresters, mailing environmental education literature, learning how paper is recycled, and hosting a table to teach people about reducing food waste.
Still to come this summer, they will do biological monitoring with natural resources staff, shadow hazardous waste inspections, learn about communications and motivating behavior change, table at a National Night Out event, and survey haulers at our waste management facilities.
The goals of the program are to create a supportive cohort of youth of color, learn skills to add to professional resumes, and inspire youth to consider environmental careers.
For more information, contact Christina Schmitt at christina.schmitt@hennepin.us.
 During the first week of July, the City of Eden Prairie, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and Hennepin County natural resources staff held a native seed harvest with more than 20 volunteer interns at the Prairie Bluff Conservation Area. After a training on identifying native plants, volunteers and staff spent a few hours harvesting seeds and discussing careers and work in the natural resources field.
The harvested seed will be used at restoration projects at the Metropolitan Airports Commission overlook, Upgrala Unit of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, and Eden Prairie conservation areas.
For more information, contact Matt Stasica at matt.stasica@hennepin.us.
Natural resources staff recently completed a cost-share project with a landowner in the Rush Creek Subwatershed in northwestern Hennepin County that will help prevent water pollution. The landowner responded to a piece sent by Hennepin County promoting the availability of funding through the state’s Clean Water Fund for landowners in the Rush Creek Subwatershed to implement best management practices that protect water.
The project involved installing fencing to keep a cattle herd out of a wetland and stream that ultimately flows to Rush Creek. This practice will reduce both bacterial contamination and excess sediment flowing into the stream and has helped the landowner with daily management of his herd.
For more information, contact Kevin Ellis at kevin.ellis@hennepin.us.
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Work groups developing actions to accelerate Hennepin County to a zero-waste future
Work groups that include a broad diversity of community voices, industry stakeholders, and subject matter experts are currently working to identify and recommend actions for the county's Zero Waste Plan. More than 160 people registered to join a work group. Each of the seven work groups has at least 20 members that includes a balance of community members, stakeholders, and experts.
The work groups are meeting throughout July and August to learn about the county’s solid waste system and the challenges and opportunities to achieving zero waste, review and propose actions that will accelerate the county’s path to zero waste, and finalize recommended actions for inclusion in the Zero Waste Plan.
Case studies help identify gaps and opportunities for Hennepin County
To help the county understand options and opportunities for creating a zero-waste system, Resource Recycling Systems (RRS), the solid waste consultant for the Zero Waste Plan, researched how other communities have made significant progress toward zero waste. The six communities they studied were chosen based on their programs, policies, demographics, and geographies – some because they are similar to Hennepin County and others because they have programs and policies the county could learn from.
RRS also identified strengths, gaps, and opportunities for Hennepin County’s solid waste system. The gaps analysis compared best practices from communities working toward zero waste to the county’s current system to identify both areas of success and opportunities for improvement in six key areas: collection, processing, education and outreach, policy, and partnerships.
Read about the six community case studies and findings from the gaps analysis.
Next steps
Broad public engagement to gather feedback on the recommended actions will occur in September and October. Information about ways to give feedback will be shared on beheardhennepin.org and through Zero Waste Plan email updates.
The draft Zero Waste Plan will be presented to the county board in November.
Stop Food Waste Challenge kickoff with Chowgirls
Wednesday, August 3 from 6 to 7 p.m.
Join Chowgirls' Culinary Director, Liz Mullen, for a fun virtual cooking demonstration. The kickoff event will feature creative ideas for turning leftovers in your fridge into delicious pizza while Chef Liz talks sustainability and ways we can all do our part in reducing food waste. It will also be a chance to learn more about the Stop Food Waste Challenge - it's not too late to join!
Register for the kickoff event.
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Minnesota Water Stewards presents “Immersion”
Saturday, August 13 from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield
Experience a live outdoor performance of eco-music and environmental sound by Minnesota Water Steward Mathew Hiram Himes. This new site-specific piece titled “Immersion” uses field recordings and underwater hydrophone sounds collected from the Wood Lake Nature Center and Minnehaha Creek Watershed to form the foundation of an original, long-form, electro-acoustic composition.
Minnesota Water Stewards is a program that certifies and supports community leaders to prevent water pollution and educate community members to conserve and protect our waterways. This year, Hennepin County is sponsoring eight residents to become Minnesota Water Stewards.
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Minnesotans love spending time outdoors during the long days and warm weather of summer. But summer heat and humidity can be dangerous, especially for those with underlying health conditions or who work or exercise outdoors.
Recent content added to our Climate Action website will help you be prepared to stay safe and cool during the hottest days.
Understanding how climate change is impacting summer heat and humidity
Hennepin County Emergency Management conducts research and monitors weather to identify long-term climate trends impacting Hennepin County, understand who is most impacted by these trends, and help people be prepared for extreme weather.
This research has uncovered a trend that is making our hot days more uncomfortable and dangerous: increased humidity. Days that are extremely humid are becoming more common and more extreme. This is concerning because the body’s ability to evaporate sweat is limited on extremely humid days, making it harder to cool off.
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Hot and humid days disproportionately affect residents with underlying health conditions and people who work or exercise outside. People without access to air conditioning and those who live in urban areas face even higher risks, because hard surfaces and less tree canopy make hot days even hotter.
Hennepin County has partnered with the National Weather Service to improve warnings for extreme heat stress using a measurement called Wet Bulb Globe Temperature. This is a measure of heat stress in direct sunlight and helps people spending time outdoors better understand how heat might impact them.
Learn more about how climate change is impacting summer heat.
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How you can stay safe during hot and humid weather
Here are some ways to make sure you and your family, friends, and neighbors are prepared to stay safe during hot and humid weather:
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Learn about and prepare for local conditions: Stay informed about heat alerts, which are issued by the National Weather Service and publicized by local media, and check the current and forecasted Wet Bulb Globe Temperature if you are planning to be active outdoors.
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Stay safe outdoors: Drink plenty of water, wear a hat and lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing, limit exercise as needed, especially during the hottest hours of the day, and take breaks in the shade or air conditioning.
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Keep others safe: Don’t leave children or pets in the car and check on elderly neighbors or others at higher risk.
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Find a place to stay cool: Check out Hennepin County’s map of cooling options at hennepin.us/cool.
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Learn the signs of heat-related illness: Review the Minnesota Department of Health’s information on the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Learn more about staying safe in the heat and humidity.
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Stay cool while saving energy
Making your home more energy efficient means you can stay cool and comfortable and save money, even in the warmest months.
Whether you own your home or rent, anyone can take these simple steps to stay cool in the summer months:
- Keep the sunlight out by closing the blinds or installing heat-reducing window film.
- Close doors and seal leaks to maximize the efficiency of your air conditioner.
- Upgrade your lightbulbs to LEDs, which save energy and produce less heat than incandescent lightbulbs.
- Grill out to avoid heating up your home with your stove or oven.
- Maintain your air conditioner by cleaning the air filter.
- Place your fans strategically to drive out hot air and bring in cool air.
- Take advantage of cool summer nights by opening doors and windows to create a cross breeze.
Make a larger investment in home energy efficiency by shading your home with trees or awnings, adding insulation and an attic ventilator, installing a smart AC controller, and using a dehumidifier.
Learn more about staying cool in the summer while saving energy.
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