-
Step up your organization’s social media at our December Environmental Education Network meeting
-
Aquatic invasive species, climate change, green jobs, and Adopt-a-Drain resources
-
Become a Plastic-Free Challenge partner
-
Learn more about upcoming grants and scholarships
-
Green Partner grantee updates
Thursday, December 5 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Is your organization active on social media or wanting to increase your presence? Join us for a virtual meeting focused on social media for environmental education! We'll showcase outstanding accounts and content so you can gain inspiration from successful examples of environment-forward social media content. Watch some entertaining reels and TikToks and share laughs as we vote on the funniest one.
Share funny or successful content from your organization during registration for a chance to be featured! This is a fantastic opportunity to learn what makes social content effective, discover tips for engagement, and be inspired to elevate your own social media presence.
Aquatic invasive species resources for educators
Interactive aquatic invasive species display available to borrow
A portable interactive aquatic invasive species (AIS) display is available to help spread the message about preventing the introduction of AIS throughout Hennepin County.
The display features a landscape with realistic models of boats and buildings to encourage people to explore the pathways of AIS introduction, including lesser-known sources such as garden centers and pet stores.
The creation of this display was funded through a Hennepin County AIS prevention grant.
Video for 4th and 5th grade youth
Hennepin County has created a short video (3 minutes) to help 4th and 5th grade youth learn more about aquatic invasive species (AIS). Content includes an introduction to what AIS means, an overview of the risk of AIS in the environment, common AIS found in stores, and information on what to do with unwanted pets.
Please use this video with your youth audiences and share with educators in your network.
Green jobs video for 6th to 8th grade students
Climate Generation’s Green Careers for a Changing Climate 20-minute documentary introduces students in grades 6 to 8 to STEM careers and features interviews with green STEM professionals. Use the discussion guide and skills activity to inspire students and explore pathways to careers in sustainability. Access the documentary and related materials.
Free resources for teachers to participate in Adopt-a-Drain with their classrooms
We are partnering with Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education to provide free resources for teachers throughout Hennepin County to participate in Adopt-a-Drain with their students! Materials include posters, data collection cards for students, safety tips and sign-up cards for families, pencils, stickers, temporary tattoos and other cool swag! Explore the website to see materials and sign up.
|
Teachers can apply for a paid schools climate solutions fellowship
Are you a Minnesota educator seeking to activate your school community around climate change solutions? Climate Generation is offering ten educators a paid opportunity to participate in the Minnesota Schools as Climate Solutions Fellowship from January through May 2025.
This fellowship will gather in-person and virtually to cultivate spaces for learning, sharing, and problem-solving as each fellow develops or strengthens an action plan for a school-based climate solution. Example projects might include advocating for solar panels on the school roof, bike-to-school initiatives, or embedding climate justice lessons.
The Plastic-Free Challenge offered by Hennepin, Ramsey, and Washington counties, engages residents in learning about plastics and taking action to create a world with less plastic.
We can’t do it alone! We need your organization’s help with promotion and engagement for the upcoming Plastic-Free Challenge, which will run in February 2025.
All partners will have their logo displayed on the challenge website, gain access to promotional materials, and get various recognition and cross-promotion during the challenge. There is no cost to becoming a partner. Being a challenge partner shows your organization’s commitment to sustainability, helps build community, and promotes collective action.
 See the Plastic-Free Challenge partnership page to learn how to become a 2025 Plastic-Free Challenge partner and fill out the partnership form. Businesses, community groups, cities, neighborhoods, schools, and retailers are welcome partners.
What does it mean to be a partner?
There are many ways to be a partner in the Plastic-Free Challenge. Here are some ways we ask partners to get involved. Find the way that works for you!
-
Expanding our reach by promoting the challenge to your audiences.
-
Strengthening engagement in the challenge by creating teams of colleagues, friends, and neighbors who motivate and hold each other accountable.
-
Increasing our impact by offering educational events on plastic-free topics or discounts on plastic-free goods and services.
 Photo courtesy of Julie M Gile Photography
Nonprofits, local government agencies, institutions, and businesses in Hennepin County can apply now for funding to implement projects that prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.
Grant funding can be used for education, to promote behavior change, to address pathways of aquatic invasive species introduction, implement early detection and rapid response efforts, and pursue other ideas that prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.
Review the grant flyer (PDF) for more details. Applications are due by Tuesday, January 14, 2025. Learn more and apply.
For more information, contact Tony Brough at tony.brough@hennepin.us or 612-348-4378.
Big Read grants from National Endowment for the Arts
Big Read grants from the National Endowment for the Arts are now open to organizations supporting community wide reading programs. The theme is “Our Nature: How Our Physical Environment Can Lead Us to Seek Hope, Courage, and Connection.” Project activities can include hosting book discussions, writing workshops, and other creative activities that examine how we shape our physical environment and how it shapes us. Grants range from $5,000 to $20,000 and programs will run from September 2025 to June 2026. Applications are due January 30, 2025. Learn more and apply.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offers scholarships with paid internship
NOAA is offering academic scholarships of $9,500 per year plus a paid summer internship to undergraduate sophomores or third year students in a five-year program. Scholars in this program complete a 10-week, full time, paid summer internship project. Apply by January 31, 2025. Scholarship information and application instructions.
 |
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.
Expansive pollinator education from Pollinate Minnesota at Minneapolis Public Schools
Pollinate Minnesota taught classes with live bees to a total of 35 classrooms from fall 2023 through summer 2024. Classes were held at Dowling, Loring, Lucy Laney, and Webster elementary schools, South High, Hmong Academy, Camden High, and Minneapolis Public School’s True Food Farm.
They also developed grade-specific curriculum and hosted two teacher workshops. An additional 31 teachers learned curriculum to bring back to their classrooms.
|
In total, the program provided education about pollinators and discoverable experiences with live bees to over 1,300 students. By the end of the program, students were able to:
-
Describe honeybee biology, wild bee biology, the essential role of bees in healthy ecosystems and food systems, and pollinator decline
-
Experience demonstrations with live bees
-
Gather data critical to understanding pollinator decline
-
Feel empowered to advocate for pollinator protection
-
Connect directly to current timely advocacy issues for pollinator protection
Minnesota African Women’s Association engages community members in recycling and advocacy
Through their African Girls Environmental Education Project, the Minnesota African Women’s Association (MAWA) engaged 150 African youth and adult women from Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, and Minneapolis about the topics of recycling, reducing waste, and removing toxic household products from the home.
MAWA intentionally focused their education efforts on African women because these women are generally their household’s environmental decision makers. Through education about what can be recycled and how recycling works, participants became motivated to take action, bring what they learned back to their families, and share with other members of their community.
Participants also began conversations with apartment building managers, shop and business owners, and churches about the importance of recycling and ensuring that recycling bins were available to patrons. These advocacy actions led the group to host workshops and teach over 1,000 Pan-African youth and adult women how to recycle more at home and reduce waste. The women especially loved learning about actions that could save them money, including how to make green cleaners. Through surveys, over 80% of participants reported that they began recycling at home following a workshop.
|
