Network meeting invite, sustainable holiday tips, and more

Hennepin County, Minnesota sent this bulletin at 11/19/2025 10:00 AM CST

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In this edition

RSVP to attend the next environmental education network meeting
Take a short survey about trees
Sustainable holiday tips to share
No Child Left Inside grants
Trainings and events
Green Partners highlight: Minnesota Tool Library

Hennepin County environmental education network meeting: Building trust with your audience on social media

Thursday, November 20 from 11 a.m. to noon on Zoom

Building trust with your audience on social media network meeting invite

Join fellow environmental educators for a virtual network meeting about building trust with your followers and audience on social media. We will hear from Jessie Brown, Social Media Specialist from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, about how a successful social media effort relies on building quality relationships with your audience, and how the foundation for developing, maintaining, and benefitting from those relationships is built on trust.

You will learn how to:

Build trust with your audience
Apply these concepts to your social content
Maintain healthy boundaries
Cash in on what you've built by empowering brand advocates

Register for the network meeting

Love trees? Have tree troubles? We want to hear from you!

Hennepin County wants to hear from you about trees in your community

Whether you face challenges in caring for lawn, garden, and natural spaces or are an avid tree caretaker, your perspective matters. Share what you love about trees, what barriers you’ve run into, and how we can work together to grow a greener community that works for everyone.

Take a short survey.

We want to hear from your community!

Please share the survey with your audiences via newsletters and social media between now and Friday, December 6. Find a newsletter article, social media posts, and graphics in this media kit (DOCX).

Sustainable holiday tips to share

We all go into the holidays with the best of intentions. We want to share great gifts, tasty food, and plenty of time together. With all the gift-giving, decorating, and celebrating, the holidays also tend to be a time of increased waste. Fortunately, with a little planning, there are plenty of ways to create joy, not waste, this holiday season.

Get newsletter articles, social media posts, images and graphics to share in the sustainable holidays media kit (DOCX). The kit includes resources on low-waste gift wrapping, eco-friendly decorating, hosting a low-waste feast, choosing real versus artificial Christmas trees, and planning green gatherings.

No Child Left Inside grants

Students wading in ankle-deep water in the Mississippi River with dip nets

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is now accepting applications for the 2026 round of No Child Left Inside grants. This program will get more students outdoors to learn how to be good stewards of Minnesota’s natural resources and help children begin a lifetime of outdoor experiences including learning how to cast a line, study animal tracks, hike or bike, or simply experience more of the natural world around them.

Public entities, schools, and nonprofit organizations serving youth under age 18 can apply for up to $25,000. Applications are due by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, December 17.

Learn more and apply.

Trainings and events

STEM on Tap

The STEM on Tap workshop series connects middle and high school STEM educators to practitioners, resources, and each other. Each workshop takes place at a brewery in the southwest metro and features a different STEM practitioner and topic. 

Upcoming workshop: Phenology

Wednesday, December 10 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Wooden Hill Brewing Co, 7421 Bush Lake Rd, Edina

Find out how phenology will connect you and your students to nature while keeping your fingers on the pulse of climate change in your own backyards. This workshop will provide hands-on strategies for using seasonal observations to inspire students to embrace climate science. Come prepared for a brief 10-minute outdoor phenology walk (weather permitting).

Learn more and register for a STEM on Tap session.

Green Jobs and Pathways Fair at North Hennepin Community College

Wednesday, January 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Center for Business & Technology, Helling Hall (enter door 12)
7411 85th Avenue North in Brooklyn Park

Join North Hennepin Community College for a day of learning about the outdoor recreation and green job industry in Minnesota and Wisconsin and upcoming job and internship opportunities from participating employers. Industry professionals will be available for resume review. Free lunch will be provided.

Green Partners highlight

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.

Minnesota Tool Library’s Overcoming Barriers to Repair project

A group learning upholstery skills at the Minnesota Tool Library

The Minnesota Tool Library (MTL) has expanded its community repair programming, engaging more than 2,000 households through tool lending, Fix-In events, and hands-on classes.

Between September 2024 and August 2025, MTL hosted 37 repair focused classes covering topics like electrical testing and measurement, fence repair, small engine repair, and updated courses in textiles and woodworking that emphasized reuse.

Fix-In events brought together community members, volunteers, and professional technicians to diagnose and repair household items and tools. The program achieved a 96% repair success rate. In total, 306 community items and over 120 tools from MTL’s inventory were repaired, diverting nearly 4,000 pounds of waste from the landfill.

The project not only reduced waste but also helped residents build practical repair skills and confidence. Learn more about the Minnesota Tool Library on their website.