Monday, April 7 from noon to 1:30 p.m.
Grab your lunch and join us virtually on Zoom to explore the intersection of food, climate, and sustainability in our community.
Madison Taylor from Minneapolis Farm to School will share about how the program provides students with access to fresh, local food in school meals. We will also hear from Kajsa Beatty and Brad Jordahl Redlin about the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s work to support farmers adopting climate friendly agriculture practices through Minnesota’s Climate-Smart Food Systems project.
You will have the opportunity to dive further into these topics through a breakout room discussion with fellow environmental educators about how you are incorporating more locally grown food or reducing wasted food in your household or organization.
Engage, educate, act and collaborate for the environment
 Youth Environmental Education program applications opening this week
Green Partners Youth Environmental Education projects engage youth in elementary and middle school in environmental education and outdoor nature experiences. Project activities engage youth in learning about the environment to develop their awareness and increase their knowledge of environmental issues and solutions. Strong projects are inquiry driven, incorporate hands-on and experiential environmental learning, provide outdoor nature experiences, and promote environmental stewardship.
Attend the Youth Environmental Education program information meeting
Tuesday, April 8, from 4 to 5 p.m.
Virtual information meetings are a chance to find out more about the Green Partners program, understand the county application process, and get your questions answered. Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend or watch the information meeting recording before applying.
Register to attend the Zoom meeting.
Application process
The application period for the Youth Environmental Education program is open now. Applications are due by 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 17.
Applications must be submitted through the Hennepin County Supplier Portal and pre-registration is required to apply. Instructions to register can be found on the Supplier Portal help website.
About the three Green Partners programs
Hennepin County provides funding to organizations to actively educate, engage and motivate residents to become environmental stewards and make positive behavior changes. Three types of projects are awarded – Environmental Action, Youth Environmental Leadership, and Youth Environmental Education. Eligible organizations include schools and school districts, early childhood family education programs, nonprofit organizations, community groups, congregations, and park districts.
We have updated the criteria for all three Green Partners programs for 2025. Applicants should review the information available on the Green Partners website to ensure they apply for the program type that best fits their project.
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Open for applications. Due by 3 p.m. on April 3: Environmental Action program: Environmental Action projects must primarily engage adults. These projects focus on motivating adults to make environmental changes at home and on-the-go, focusing on one or two environmentally friendly actions.
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Opening this week. Due by 3 p.m. on April 17: Youth Environmental Education program: Youth Environmental Education projects engage youth in elementary and middle school in environmental education and outdoor nature experiences.
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Opening soon: Youth Environmental Leadership program: Youth Environmental Leadership projects encourage environmental leadership and/or exposure to green jobs for young people in high school up to age 24. This program was previously called Youth Green Jobs.
Contact us
For more information, visit hennepin.us/greenpartners or contact the Green Partners program manager at greenpartners@hennepin.us or 612-596-6856.
Green Partners highlights
The following organizations received funding through the Hennepin County Green Partners program. Organizations receive training, support, and funding to implement projects that engage residents to learn about, protect, and improve the environment.
ReUse Minnesota educates youth about mending and repair
 Left to right: Student learns how to use a sewing machine, photo credit: Carolyn Wieland; Instructor Kris demonstrates for the students; teacher shows off a recent repair made using visible mending techniques
ReUse Minnesota offers students opportunities to learn new mending and repair skills through Club Mend, an eight-week after-school program, with funding provided by Green Partners. They also offer opportunities to youth in the wider community through camp-based programming where participants build their mending and repair knowledge over the course of a camp week. Learn about the Club Mend project at St. Louis Park Middle School in this story from the Sun Sailor.
Midwest Food Connection works with students to reduce food and plastic waste
 Student displays a corn husk dragonfly doll; Sticky notes display how students will help the planet.
Midwest Food Connection continues their work to engage 4th to 8th grade students in reducing wasted food, pledging to use less plastic, and exploring reuse options. With funding from the Green Partners program, Midwest Food Connection educators revised and expanded their lesson plans related to conserving food creatively. Using the newly revised lessons, students made dragonfly dolls out of corn husks, brought in plastic waste from home to brainstorm how to repurpose it, and made pledges to conserve food and plastic long after the classroom lessons are over.
Tree steward training
Saturday, March 29 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Brooklyn Park Library
 Learn the basics of tree biology, tree planting, watering, pruning, and tree health through a combination of classroom instruction and hands-on, outdoor field experience. This free class is offered by Hennepin County in partnership with the University of Minnesota and is open to the public with no prior experience needed. Learn more and register to attend tree steward training.
Aquatic invasive species detectors training
Virtual course portion followed by in-person workshop on Friday, May 9 in Wayzata
Hennepin County is hosting a free aquatic invasive species training that includes science, identification, and surveillance. The course consists of two portions: a self-paced online course and an in-person workshop. The online course takes approximately 8 hours and must be completed before the in-person workshop. Learn more and register for AIS detectors training.
Mississippi River Institute
July 21 to 23 in Minneapolis and St. Paul
This free institute, hosted by Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education, is designed to increase teachers’ science content knowledge and investigation skills. Learn more and apply to attend the institute.
Communicating for Impact virtual town hall
Friday, March 21 at 1 p.m.
 Join the North American Association for Environmental Education for a free town hall on strategic communications. Learn how to craft messages that inspire action and build resilience. Register to attend the town hall.
Addressing climate emotions webinar
Tuesday, March 25 at 5:30 p.m.
Learn about and gain access to the free Climate Emotions toolkit from Climate Mental Health Network, designed to address the emotional impacts of climate change and support student and teacher mental health. Register for the climate emotions webinar.
Climate Resources webinar series
Tuesday, April 1 and Monday April 14 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
This series of free interactive webinars is designed to increase knowledge of climate literacy and support the open sharing of resources. Topics include climate adaptation and mitigation and transformative climate action. The series is offered by Committed to Climate and Energy Education and the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management Education. Register for the webinar series.
Teaching with data visualizations webinar
Wednesday, April 9 from 5 to 6 p.m.
Experience a free hands-on, arts-based approach to science content using geospatial data visualizations which help students understand and think critically. This webinar is hosted by the Center for Education, Engagement and Evaluation. Register for the data visualizations webinar.
Field Edventures schoolyard explorations webinar
Wednesday, April 16 from 4to 5 p.m.
Explore ways to teach students about bees and participate in community science projects. Register for the free schoolyard explorations webinar.
How do we identify climate change? Explainer video
This video from World Wildlife Fund’s Wild Classroom explains the differences between weather, climate, and climate change. A transcript and student worksheet are also available. Access the video and other educational resources.
Climate emotions and actions Gen Z zine
This digital zine from the Climate Mental Health network covers climate emotions and wellness for youth. The resource offers a collection of perspectives and tools to support youth regarding the emotional impacts of climate change and healthy ways to respond. Access the zine.
Proposals due Monday, March 31 at 2 p.m.
The City of Minneapolis Health Department’s Green Careers Exploration grant is open for applications. This grant will support organizations providing education, experience, and advancement opportunities in green careers and public health to Black, Latinx and Native American youth in Minneapolis. Eligible agencies must serve residents in Minneapolis.
Find the RFP and apply through the City of Minneapolis eSupplier site.
Learn more
hennepin.us/environmentaleducation
Environmental education network Facebook group
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