Friday, September 30 from 9 to 10 a.m.
 Join environmental educators to learn about work Hennepin County has been doing related to youth employment in the environmental field.
Hennepin County piloted a Green Pathways youth internship program this summer. Find out about the intern experience including highlights from one of the interns. Participants will also hear how Green Pathways was created and implemented from the project manager.
This virtual meeting will include:
- Research and outreach findings about youth employment in the environmental field
- Green Pathways experience takeaways from one of the youth interns
- Overview of Green Pathways program creation and implementation from the project manager
In August, over 200 people scoured Minnesota lakes and rivers in search of starry stonewort and other aquatic invasive species as part of the annual Starry Trek.
This year, volunteers in Hennepin County searched eight accesses on Lake Minnetonka as well as Bush, Christmas, Holy Name, Independence, Long, Lotus, Normandale, Parkers, and Round lakes.
One of the volunteers was Krista Espelien, a SCUBA diver who visited many of the Lake Minnetonka sites to help in the search for aquatic invasive species. No potential new aquatic invasive species populations were recorded this year in Hennepin County.
“The search for starry stonewort on Lake Minnetonka was ‘unsuccessful,’ as in no starry stonewort was found…so successful!” said Espelien.
See where volunteers have searched over the years. Final results for 2022 will be posted soon on the Starry Trek website.
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Tours of the Brooklyn Park Transfer Station
After a hiatus due to COVID-19, Hennepin County is again offering facility tours at the Brooklyn Park Transfer Station. The facility provides an opportunity for residents to properly manage household hazardous waste, recyclables, organics, and problem materials such as computers, TVs and appliances. Tours describe how the facility works and highlight the importance of reducing, reusing, recycling and preventing pollution.
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Participants and chaperones
- Tour participants must be 7 years of age or older
- Group sizes can range from 5 to 28. (A presentation is available for larger groups at their school or location)
- One adult chaperone per 5 youth is required for grades 2 to 8
- One adult chaperone per ten youth is required for grades 9 to 12
Minnesota State Education Standards
Youth tours have been linked with MN State Education Standards.
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Science:1.1.1.2, 0P.2.1.1.1, 1E.4.2.1.1, 2E.4.2.1.1, 4E.4.2.1.1, 4E.4.2.2.1, 6E.1.1.1.3, 6E.3.2.1.3, 7L.4.1.2.2, 8P.4.2.1.1, 9E.2.1.1.2, 9E.2.2.1.3, 9E.3.2.2.1, 9E.4.1.1.3, 9L.2.2.1.2, 9C.4.2.2.1, 9P.3.2.2.2
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Math:1.3.2, 3.4.1.1, 4.4.1.1, 6.1.1.3
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Social Studies:1.4.8.1, 0.3.1.1.2, 2.2.3.5.1, 2.3.4.9.1, 3.1.1.1.1, 3.1.4.6.1, 3.2.3.5.1, 4.2.3.3.1, 4.3.4.9.1, 5.1.1.1.2, 5.1.4.6.3, 6.1.1.1.2, 7.4.4.23.1, 8.1.1.1.1, 8.2.3.4.1, 9.1.4.6.8, 9.2.5.11.1, 9.3.4.9.1
Request a tour
Complete the BPTS transfer station tour request calendar and form to request a tour for your group.
Education kits are available for reservation
Are you interested in conducting an environmental education lesson or activity with a group, but don’t have all the supplies you need? Environmental education kits are available for reservation by groups within Hennepin County.
A few pieces of the Trees and Forestry kit
Guidelines
The maximum checkout period is 10 days unless approved by special request. Kits must be picked up and returned to the Hennepin County Environment and Energy office in downtown Minneapolis. Please request kits a minimum of 10 days before they need to be picked up to allow staff time to prepare them for you. Reserve a kit.
Available kits include:
Brick of cans display, every Drop water demonstration kit, food waste prevention, green cleaning, green gifts, green parties, household hazardous waste, organics recycling, packaging waste reduction, recycled products, recycling education kit (youth), and trees and forestry.
Communication resources and print materials
Free resources on a number of topics including recycling, composting, and protecting natural resources are available to download or order from our environmental resources order form. The resources below and many more are available for free to community groups, cities, schools, and residents in Hennepin County.
Our recycling and organics guides are newly updated and are now available in eight languages: English, Hmong, Lao, Oromo, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. In addition, a new large print version (PDF) of the recycling guide is available. These guides provide an overview of what can be recycled, important items to keep out, and tips for setting up. All can be downloaded or ordered for free from the order form.
We also offer a variety of communication resources to promote environmental programs, issues and news in your communication channels. We have media kits with newsletter articles, web stories, social media posts, images, and graphics that can be downloaded and customized.
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New Climate Generation resource library
Climate Generation has developed a new climate action resource library for educators, youth, and community leaders to download curricula, toolkits, discussion guides, and watch videos all in one place. All the materials are free to download. Explore the resource library.
Outdoor learning virtual workshop series
Join other educators for any of these free virtual outdoor learning workshops hosted by the Outdoor Learning Store with 50+ outdoor learning partners. Workshops are one hour long and come jam-packed with ideas, inspiration, and resources.
All workshops are on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. and will be recorded for those who cannot attend.
- September 20: Life underground including student soil exploration resources and activities
- September 27: Animals care for mother earth, an Indigenous teaching resource for personal development
- October 4: Nature connection, sensory activities for all ages
- November 15: Teaching green in the elementary years
- November 29: Accessibility in outdoor learning
Learn more and register for a workshop.
Early childhood workshop series from Project Learning Tree
 Join Project Learning Tree for one of three free workshops to learn how to connect children ages 3 to 7 with nature. Experiences are set up to allow children to freely interact with nature while being introduced to letters, shapes, reading, writing, math, manipulatives, music, movement, group activities, play, and art. All workshops are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Workshop dates and locations:
How to train your reptiles
Monday, September 26 from 9 a.m. to noon
Wargo Nature Center, 7701 Main St, Lino Lakes, MN
Can a snake be trained? Yes! Sue Dahl, naturalist at Wargo Nature Center, will explain the techniques for using positive reinforcement training and the benefits it provides. Learn how to get started with target training a snake and other ideas for enriching the lives of these important animal ambassadors.
Registration is free for members of the Minnesota Naturalists’ Association and $10 for non-members. Learn more and register.
City-County Climate Action Conference
Thursday, October 6 from noon to 8 p.m.
Minneapolis Central Library or virtually via Zoom
Meet with teams from 40 cities to plan next steps to advance low-carbon buildings, energy, transportation, jobs, and resilience at this free conference hosted by Resilient Cities & Communities. View a full schedule for the day including a list of presentations (PDF). Learn more and register.
Minnesota Tool Library Community Fix-In event
Sunday, September 18 from 4 to 7 p.m.
Minnesota Tool Library, 1620 Central Ave. NE, Suite 126, Minneapolis
 Join the Minnesota Tool Library for a Fix-In events. All are welcome to bring in small household items, tools, and textiles that need some love. The Minnesota Tool Library will have tools and expertise on-hand to help troubleshoot and teach you how to repair your items. The event is free and open to the public. No registration required. Learn more.
Buzz Fest
Saturday, September 24 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Moir Park in Bloomington, 10320 Morgan Ave S. Bloomington
This event will showcase steps anyone can take to transform their yards into habitats that attract birds, butterflies, bees, and insects. The event will include presentations on a range of topics including habitat restoration, climate change, youth environmental action, native plants, and more. American Sign Language (ASL) and Spanish interpreters will be available for the duration of the event. Learn more about the event.
Buzz Fest is event hosted by Altlawns of Richfield and Bloomington, a Hennepin County Green Partners grantee. The Green Partners grant program supports the county’s goals of promoting environmental stewardship, engaging communities, enhancing quality of life, and protecting the environment for current and future generations. The grants provide training, support, and funding to organizations to implement projects that engage residents to protect and improve the environment.
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Flying Friends event
Saturday, September 24 from 4 to 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, 3815 American Blvd E, Bloomington
Join Hennepin County, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service for an evening celebrating our flying friends – birds and bats! Learn about birds and bats in our region, major conservation challenges, and how to be bird and bat friendly. Experts will share information and facts about birds and bats in our region that can be incorporated into your curriculum and educational offerings. A presentation will be held indoors, and all other events will be outdoors, weather permitting. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.
Download the event flyer to share with your audiences (PDF). Space at the venue is limited and registration is required. Register here.
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