By Taylor Templer Plant roots, native species, soil and water relationships, oh my! On March 5th, Youth Eco Solutions (YES!) held a workshop at Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center called Plant Your Roots. The day started out with a quote from Epic’s Impact Journal: “The age of climate change is upon us. In order to deal with a global-scale problem of this magnitude, the solution must be
“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
“Rain Gardens and Bees-Part 1” Winter Workshop
By Shelli-Kae Foster Did you know there are 350 – 400 different species of bees in Minnesota? Dr. Lewis Struthers, 79 -year old retired doctor and current University of Minnesota Master Gardener and bee keeper, met with a group of YES! students at Parkers Prairie as part one of a series of mini-workshops on native plants, bees and creating a rain garden. Lewis explained that bees communicate by
“Go Native to Improve Water Quality” Winter Workshop
By Shelli-Kae Foster Rain gardens, water quality, climate change and what we can do to improve our water were all topics of discussion for the 11 YES! students who attended the YES! Winter Workshop at Northland Arboretum on March 5, 2019. Coralee Fox, University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener in Crow Wing County, kicked off the day. She provided an in-depth look at what a rain garden is
“Electricity Generation and Usage” Winter Workshop
By Sam Horner The Northern Lights Community School (NLCS) requested a Winter Workshop centered around the topic of energy, so that is what they got! The NLCS YES! team is learning all about electricity and energy, so they got to see where their school’s energy comes from. The team took a short trip to Lake Country Power in Grand Rapids. The team was met at the facility by engineers and