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Earth Day and Arbor Day are both coming up in April, and there are many events planned locally to celebrate our community and environment.
 Contribute to the Mighty Mississippi Cleanup Challenge
This year, we’ve accepted the challenge to participate in the Mighty Mississippi Cleanup to help keep our lakes, rivers, and streams clean and healthy. There are three ways to contribute to this effort between April 15 and May 15:
- Join a cleanup event – see our map of Earth Day events to find cleanups in your community.
- Organize your own cleanup with colleagues, neighbors, or friends. Use the Adopt-a-River toolkit from Freshwater to help plan. Report your data and share a photo to be included in our overall results.
- Sign up to Adopt-a-Drain and report your drain clean out – any data reported in Hennepin County during the challenge will be counted toward our results.
Learn and connect
Beyond participating in a cleanup, you can celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day by helping plant trees, joining a bike ride, planting for pollinators, learning about local sustainability resources, participating in a clothing swap, going on a nature hike, and much more! Explore all the opportunities on our Earth Day and Arbor Day events map.
 See our map to find cleanups and Earth Day and Arbor Day events in your community.
Hennepin County offers a variety of funding opportunities to assist residents and partners in implementing projects that protect the environment, and many grants are available now.
Green Partners environmental education grants
 Youth with MIGIZI put seeds and soil into milk carton for winter seed sowing
Applications are being accepted for Green Partners grants until Thursday, April 25. Grants are available to nonprofit organizations, community groups, youth programs, schools, congregations, early childhood family education programs, and park districts.
Types of grants
Three types of grants are available
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Environmental action: For projects focused on motivating adults to do more to protect the environment and act at home, at work, or on-the-go.
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Youth environmental education: For projects focused on working with youth to develop awareness of environmental issues and increase interest in environmental stewardship.
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Youth green jobs: For projects focused on offering green jobs exploration and training to individuals ages 14 to 24, especially those facing disparities.
Information meetings
Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend an information meeting or contact the Green Partners grant program manager for feedback on project ideas before applying.
Virtual information meetings will be held Tuesday, April 2 from 11 a.m. to noon for environmental action grants and Thursday, April 4 from 4 to 5 p.m. for youth environmental education and youth green jobs grants.
Learn more about the grants, how to apply, and RSVP to an info meeting. For more information, contact greenpartners@hennepin.us.
Waste prevention grants for businesses and nonprofit organizations
 Grants of up to $50,000 are available to for projects at businesses and nonprofit organizations that focus on preventing waste, including:
- Replacing disposables with reusables
- Preventing wasted food
- Reusing and recovering goods and materials
- Supporting innovative waste prevention research and development
The county also offers smaller grants for bins and compostable bags.
Applications will be accepted until November 11 as funds remain. Visit the business recycling web page to learn more and begin the application process.
School waste prevention and recycling grants
Grants are available for schools, including all K-12 schools, colleges, universities, and preschools, to start or improve programs to reduce waste and keep recycling and organic materials out of the trash.
Applications of up to $15,000 are being accepted through November 15, as funds remain. Visit the school recycling web page to learn more and apply.
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Contaminated land assessment and cleanup grants
 Lyndale Flats in Bloomington received an Environmental Response Fund grant in fall 2020 for contaminated soil cleanup.
Environmental Response Fund grants are available for the assessment and cleanup of contaminated sites, or brownfields. Grants are available to cities, local public entities including economic development agencies and housing and redevelopment authorities, nonprofit organizations, and businesses.
In February, the county awarded 12 Environmental Response Fund grants totaling $1.8 million. The grants will fund asbestos and lead-based paint abatement, vapor mitigation, and contaminated soil assessment and cleanup.
Applications for the next grant round are being accepted until May 1. Prior to applying, contact brownfields@hennepin.us to discuss your project and funding needs.
Natural Resources Opportunity grants
Opportunity Grants are available for larger natural resources projects to improve water quality or preserve, establish, or restore natural areas. These grants are ideal for projects seeking to leverage multiple funding sources, and applicants are encouraged to use these funds as required match for other funding.
Applications are being accepted through May 30. For more information, contact Ellen Sones at ellen.sones@hennepin.us.
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Aquatic invasive species grants awarded
 The county recently awarded 10 grants totaling over $150,000 to lake associations, nonprofit organizations, watersheds, and businesses to prevent and slow the spread of aquatic invasive species.
These projects will:
- Provide early detection and prevention of aquatic invasive species
- Educate youth and conduct targeted outreach
- Increase watercraft inspections, self-inspection, and boater education
- Upgrade an educational kiosk
- Conduct rapid-response water milfoil eradication
For more information, contact Tony Brough at tony.brough@hennepin.us or 612-348-4378.
Free backyard composting workshops
Start recycling your food scraps and yard waste into compost – right in your own backyard. Hennepin County offers free online webinars and in-person workshops to help you get started.
 Composting and recycling specialist Kira Berglund will share tips for backyard composting, including how to set up your compost pile, what materials you can compost, how to get the mix right, and more. There is no charge to sign up, but registration is required.
Webinar dates:
- Tuesday, April 30 from 7 to 8 p.m. Virtual on Zoom. Register.
- Monday, May 6 from noon to 1 p.m. Virtual on Zoom. Register.
In-person workshop:
- Saturday, May 18 from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Hopkins Library. Register.
Soil health and funding open house
Thursday, April 11 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Independence City Hall Community Room
Hennepin County conservation staff are hosting an open house for rural and agricultural landowners focused on cover crops, soil health, and the bottom line. Guest Keith Olander from AgCentric and Central Lakes College will speak on the economics of cover crops.
The open house will include free pizza, the opportunity to sign up for free soil testing, and a raffle for bird and bat hoses.
Please RSVP, and contact Roz Davis at rozalyn.davis@hennepin.us or 952-262-0397 with any questions.
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Building material donation collection at city cleanup events
Have used or unwanted building materials and tools laying around? Don’t throw them out – donate! This spring, several cities are offering opportunities to donate usable building materials to a local nonprofit that specializes in the reuse and resale of building materials.
At each event, Better Futures Minnesota will be onsite to assess all materials for quality and potential for resale. Any items not accepted by Better Futures can be disposed of at the event – disposal fees may apply. Contact the city for more information about each event.
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Orono spring cleanup (open to residents of Orono, Long Lake, Minnetonka Beach, and Spring Park): Saturday, April 27 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Orono Public Works Facility, 2700 Kelley Parkway in Orono
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Recycling day for Minnetrista and Mound residents: Saturday, May 4 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Minnetrista City Hall, 7701 County Road 110 West, Minnetrista, MN 55364
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Special drop-off day for Minnetonka residents: Saturday, June 1 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Minnetonka Public Works, 11522 Minnetonka Blvd., east parking lot
When you waste food, you waste money. We toss nearly 40% of food in the U.S. For a family of four, that can add up to more than $2,500 in wasted food every year!
In an effort to keep that food out of the trash and keep that cash in consumers’ pockets, Hennepin County is launching a public education campaign during Food Waste Prevention Week (April 1 – 7). The Trash or Cash campaign will use a game show theme to help people learn ways to save money by not wasting food.
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The campaign will offer kitchen hacks to get the most out of your groceries, such as:
- Produce sold by weight, such as grapes, potatoes, and bananas, means you can take more or less.
- Create an "Eat First" area in the fridge to keep track of what needs to be used right away.
- Store food the same way you found it in the grocery store. If it was chilled, keep it in the fridge. If not, it’s ok to keep on the counter.
- Freeze meals in portions you will want later and use ice cube trays to freeze small amounts of ingredients like tomato paste, herbs in olive oil, or coconut milk.
Get more tips by signing up for Fridge Check Fridays. Each week, you’ll get a new kitchen hack plus a reminder to take a quick look in your fridge and make a plan to use extra food before it goes bad.
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