By Sam Horner, Shelli-Kae Foster, and Taylor Templer On August 17th YES! staff participated in the University of Minnesota’s Starry Trek event. In fact, all across the state of Minnesota, a multitude of volunteers participated in the event to survey different lakes to help locate an aquatic invasive species (AIS) called Starry Stonewart. The goal of the volunteers was to locate the plant and to
Events
Third Annual YES! State Award Ceremony at the Twins Game
By Taylor Templer The Third Annual YES! (Youth Eco Solutions) State Award Ceremony was held at Target Field on May 12th, 2019. This event was attended by over 100 YES! students, coaches, staff, and supporters. Top qualifying teams included New London-Middle School, Sartell Middle School, Sleepy Eye Schools, and Northern Lights Community School (Warba). YES! works hard to bring opportunities
YES! Presents at 2019 National Green Schools Conference
By Shelli-Kae Foster, Program Director YES! co-presented with Rivers Edge Academy and Edison High School for the session “Getting to Green in MN” at the 9th Annual National Green Schools conference on April 8. The session portrayed 3 replicable programs to engage students and staff with hands-on place- based sustainability models. Here are a few highlights: Rivers Edge Academy is a
Healthy Soil=Healthy Lives
By Sophie Bishop Healthy soil is the foundation for a healthy life. It’s where our roots begin to strengthen our bond to nature. Sadly, with poor land usage, our top soil is eroding away and becoming less viable for plants and microorganisms. On March 20, 2019 the New Prague YES! team and the Sleepy Eye YES! team attended an event at Gustavus Adolphus College (GAC) to learn about soil health
“Sustainable Architecture and Renewable Energy” Winter Workshop
By Sophie Bishop Creating a building that is sustainable and energy efficient is a challenge for the next generations. We need to think of the future with climate change and how we can cut down on greenhouse gas output and costs. Kitty Stratton, Super Energy Efficient Design Consultant, and Gary Schollmeier, a renewable energy expert, came to Westbrook-Walnut Grove (WWG) on March 5th and 6th to
“Rain Gardens and Native Plants–Part 2” Winter Workshop
By Shelli-Kae Foster Robin Trott, University of Minnesota Extension Educator/Douglas County began Part 2 of the Rain Garden workshop mini-series by asking a group of 6 YES! students “Why do you want to build a rain garden?” One student replied, “To make our school look better,” while another added, “To filter the rain water.” Robin jumped right in and explained to the students that they must