- Details on the next Hennepin County environmental education network meeting in June.
- Resources to celebrate Arbor Month with your audiences.
- How to become a Community Recycling Ambassador this summer.
- Grant opportunities for trees and energy efficiency improvements.
- An art contest for 3rd to 6th grade youth.
- Earth Day event highlights from Green Partners grantees.
Environmental education network meeting: Adopt-a-Drain for engagement
 Wednesday, June 7 from 1 to 3 p.m.
In person at the St. Louis Park Library, 3240 Library Lane, St. Louis Park
Adopt-a-Drain in Minnesota is the largest volunteer effort of its type in the world! Over 11,000 people in Minnesota have adopted storm drains and agreed to keep them keep it clear of leaves, trash, and other debris to reduce water pollution. Over 20,000 drains have been adopted in Minnesota, and more than 10,000 of those drains are in Hennepin County!
In 2023, Hennepin County is growing the reach of the Adopt-a-Drain program by partnering with Hamline University to recruit and train teachers to incorporate Adopt-a-Drain into their classrooms. Register to attend the in-person meeting to hear from Ann Zawistowski, Interim Director of the Adopt-a-Drain Program, and Kris Bennet, Director of K-12 Resources, both from Hamline University's Center for Global Environmental Education.
Learn:
- About successes of the Adopt-a-Drain program and resident engagement
- How to use Adopt-a-Drain with a classroom or youth group
- How to teach youth to collect data for community science
- Where to access free online resources for K-12 audiences
- How to clean a drain and report online
Space is limited and snacks will be provided. Be sure to register ASAP.
 May is Arbor Month, and we’re celebrating the important role that trees play in fighting climate change.
Trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and store carbon in their wood. The older the tree, the more climate benefits it provides. The shade from trees also lessens the need for cooling in buildings, which reduces carbon dioxide and other pollutants from power plants.
For example, an oak tree with a 20-inch diameter – big enough that an adult could barely wrap their arms around – reduces carbon in the atmosphere by about 1,000 pounds annually. The energy that tree saves is enough to charge your smartphone about 55,000 times!
Learn more about the climate fighting power of trees on Hennepin County's Climate Action website.
Calculate the benefits of trees near you
Use these great tools as you teach your audiences about trees.
Calculate the benefits of trees near you using the tree benefits calculator.
To calculate the benefits, first identify the tree species. Our neighborhood tree bingo (PDF) and tree identification guide (PDF) are available to help figure it out!
Then, measure the tree by wrapping a measuring tape or string around the tree about 4.5 feet off the ground (about chest height) to get the circumference. Divide the circumference by 3.14 to get the diameter.
 If you are looking for ways to volunteer in your community and the knowledge to better educate your audiences on waste prevention, recycling, and composting, consider becoming a Hennepin County Community Recycling Ambassador (formerly known as Master Recycler/Composter)! The rebranding of the Master Recycler/Composter program to Community Recycling Ambassadors better reflects Hennepin County’s efforts to reduce racial disparities and serve all residents, in all areas, including waste reduction and recycling.
Community Recycling Ambassadors learn effective communication skills through a six-week course taught by industry experts and community leaders. This training program is free to participants.
The summer 2023 class will be held every Thursday from June 15 through July 27 (no class on July 6), from noon to 2 p.m. The class will take place virtually via Zoom.
The application for the summer class will open on Monday, May 22 and close on Monday, June 5.
Sign up to be notified when the application opens.
Healthy tree canopy grants available
 Hennepin County has healthy tree canopy grants available for tree plantings, ash tree removals, tree inventories, outreach and more. Grants are available to cities, affordable housing properties, schools, and nonprofit organizations.
The grants aim to combat threats to trees from invasive insects and disease, educate the public on tree care and the importance of trees, and increase the diversity and resiliency of the tree canopy. Review the grant flyer (PDF).
Applications are due by 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 8. Learn more and apply.
For more information, feedback on your project ideas, or help with your application, contact the Shane DeGroy at shane.degroy@hennepin.us.
Apply for a Lawns to Legumes grant
 Promote this grant opportunity to your audiences during pollinator and gardening programming.
Grants are available to increase pollinator habitat through the Lawns to Legumes program, offered by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources and Blue Thumb. Grants can help cover costs associated with establishing pollinator habitat for at-risk pollinators. The program also offers workshops, coaching, and planting guides. This cost-share funding up to $350 can be used to plant a pocket planting, pollinator lawn or meadow, or pollinator-friendly trees or shrubs. The deadline to apply is Friday, June 30. Applications submitted on August 22, 2022 or later that were not previously awarded a grant will roll over and do not need to be resubmitted.
More information.
Financing available for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects at buildings owned by nonprofit organizations and places of worship
 Buildings owned by nonprofit organizations and places of worship can reduce their carbon footprint and improve their bottom line by making energy efficiency upgrades such as new windows, lights, or HVAC systems, or by investing in renewable energy.
Hennepin County works with MinnPACE to offer an innovative financing tool that allows property owners to invest in energy efficiency and/or renewable energy upgrades with no upfront costs. Payments are rolled into a special tax assessment made payable twice a year for up to 20 years as part of the building owner’s property taxes. Utility savings exceed payment obligations, making investments cash-positive for property owners.
Learn more about how MinnPACE works and how to get a project started.
Art contest for 3rd to 6th grade students
 Show your students’ creativity and love for the Mississippi River!
Have your 3rd to 6th grade students or participants enter the Big River Art Contest to share their love for the Mississippi River. This contest is offered by the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
Entrants can win small prizes and display their art at the Fort Snelling State Park Visitor Center and the Mill City Museum. Submit art by Thursday, June 1. Learn more and view submission guidelines.
The following organizations received a Hennepin County Green Partners grant. The grants provide training, support, and funding to organizations to implement projects that engage residents to learn about, protect, and improve the environment.
Hennepin County staff celebrate Earth Day with Green Partners
Hennepin County staff joined several Green Partners grantees to celebrate Earth Day by attending community events, Green Expos, cleanups, and more! Below is a gallery of just a few of the events that Green Partners hosted in their communities to celebrate Earth Day.
Sean Gosiewski from Resilient Cities and Communities greets Patience Caso, Green Partners grant program manager, at the Lake Hiawatha Earth Day cleanup.
Coffee and donuts kept everyone warm at the Lake Hiawatha Earth Day cleanup.
Staff from the Climate and Resiliency and the Environment and Energy Departments participated in the Community Environmental Justice Expo during the 2023 University of Minnesota Green Summit.
Left to right: John Evans, Didier Bolanos Gonzalez, Patience Caso, Shane DeGroy, Eric Holthaus, and Joe Vital
Exhibitors at the Community Environmental Justice Expo.
Michael Chaney from Project Sweetie Pie engaging the crowd at the Community Environmental Justice Expo.
Longfellow Community Council teams up with Friends of the Mississippi River each year to clean up the river gorge. Patience stopped by to help pick up some trash.
Patience met up with Fartun Ismail and interns from the Somali American Women’s Action Center at the Whittier neighborhood Earth Day cleanup and annual meeting.
Interns from the Somali American Women’s Action Center cleaning up litter.
Learn more
hennepin.us/environmentaleducation
Environmental education network Facebook group
|
