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An environmental health newsletter from Ramsey County. |
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Clued in: CLUES shares sustainability strategies with community
 Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES) is Minnesota’s largest Latinx-led nonprofit organization. Its mission is to ensure the advancement of social and economic equity and wellbeing for the Latinx community in Minnesota. CLUES’ members care about the environment. They lead by example as an organization while educating the community about how to act responsibly towards the environment. Their efforts contribute to the Latinx community’s wellbeing and foster respect among other communities in Ramsey County.
Read more. (También en español.)
Protect pollinators with bee-friendly insecticides
 Pollinators are essential to the health of our plants that provide food and habitat for us and other animals. They move pollen from the male part of the plant to the female part of another plant, allowing these plants to make seeds and reproduce. But pesticides can be fatal to bees and other pollinators.
Read more.
Urban garden compost study takes root at Urban Roots
 Urban Roots is a non-profit organization in Saint Paul working to cultivate and empower youth through nature, healthy food and community. In Urban Roots' Market Garden Program, interns plant, maintain and harvest small-scale crops in the nonprofit’s urban gardens on the East Side of Saint Paul. Urban Roots grows over 15,000 pounds of produce annually.
Recently, Urban Roots expanded its urban gardening space and added compost derived from food scraps collected by Ramsey County’s residential food scraps collection program.
Read more.
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Enjoy summer fun at a county park
Get outside and enjoy summer with a visit to one (or more!) of the 15 county and regional parks that Ramsey County Parks & Recreation has to offer. A trip to the park offers a chance to enjoy nature without the need to venture out too far from home. Discover beautiful lakes, 92 miles of trails, off-leash dog parks and more.
The parks provide a variety of recreation opportunities as well – meet up with friends for a picnic, plan a day at the beach, bring the kids to a play area, or walk the winding trails that offer spectacular scenes of natural landscapes. And even while you’re out and about, recycling remains easy and convenient with collection bins located throughout each park.
Learn more about parks and recreation in Ramsey County.
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How to dispose of fireworks safely
Planning to celebrate the Fourth of July with your own fireworks display? Please follow your city rules and keep safety in mind at all times. Soak all used fireworks in a bucket of water before throwing them away. If you want to get rid of fireworks you haven’t used, contact your local police department or the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Department. They will accept them for safe disposal.
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Your participation made Earth Day Action Quest a success
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2021 Earth Day Action Quest throughout the month of April! There were 963 visits to the Action Quest website from residents of 22 different cities and towns across Ramsey and Washington counties.
Earth Day Action Quest included a number of sustainably-focused activities that celebrate and protect our community and environment. The most popular activities people chose to do were donating used items, collecting food scraps for composting, and visiting local parks. At the end of April, three participants were randomly selected to receive a $50 Visa Gift card as a reward.
“I didn’t know that we created so much food scraps on a daily basis!” said one of the winners. She added that “Sustainability is important to give our children a better living environment.”
Thanks again for participating. Keep up the good work and see you again next year!
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Challenge helps residents reduce food waste
In April, 10 Ramsey County residents took on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s challenge to reduce wasted food in their homes. They committed to tracking their food waste for five weeks and tried out tools for better food storage, shopping and planning. Together, they tracked 15.4 gallons of their wasted food in four weeks. That would amount to 1.2 million gallons of wasted food for all Ramsey County residents, using the group’s average.
Each week, participants reported what strategies were the most helpful in preventing food waste. Residents said that simply tracking their food was the most eye opening. Beyond that, they reported that tools for better storage and planning weekly meals were the most helpful. By the final week, challenge participants reduced their food waste by 5.8%, an amount that will grow as they continue to implement new habits and share their experiences with others.
Learn more about the challenge and find food saving tools.
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Urban Roots Mobile Market Grand Opening
Rivoli Bluffs Farm & Restoration Site
Saturday, July 10
10 a.m. – noon
Intersection of N. Rivoli St. and Minnehaha Ave. E.
Saint Paul
Event will feature Urban Root’s produce sale, free Tiny Footprint coffee,
Hill Tribe Station food truck, Flour Power pretzels, music by DJ Kool Akiem,
cooking demos and tours of the community garden.
Get free tickets at UrbanRootsMN.org/events.
Fix-It Clinics
Fix-It Clinics will resume this fall. Watch for details.
Household Hazardous Waste Collection
Mobile Site – July
Fridays: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturdays: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
1352 Ben Franklin Rd.
Arden Hills
Household Hazardous Waste Collection
Year-Round Site – July
Tuesdays – Fridays: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturdays: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
5 Empire Drive
Saint Paul
(Bay West facility)
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Gardening and Landscaping
Learn more about eco-friendly gardening and landscaping from a Ramsey County Master Gardener, sharing the latest University-based research.
Parks and Recreation
Explore what Ramsey County has to offer for parks, trails and recreational activities year round.
Partners’ Grants
Calling all business organizations in the East Metro! Got a great idea to get other businesses to go green? Use our green to get going.
Radon
Walk-in sales have been suspended until further notice. Purchased test kits will be mailed to customers' homes.
Recycling Containers for Events
Ramsey County's lending program for event recycling containers
has been suspended until further notice.
Check with your city or district council for options.
Recycling and Disposal Guide for Residents
From appliances to zinc batteries, find out what to do with items you no longer want. Visit RamseyRecycles.com/AtoZ.
Soil and Water Conservation
Ramsey County's Soil & Water Conservation division conserves and enhances
natural resources in Ramsey County. Learn what projects and programs are taking place in your neighborhood.
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