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
Water is Life Workshop
By Taylor Templer 20 students and teachers from Youth Eco Solutions (YES!) teams at Royalton and ROCORI participated in the recent Water Is Life workshop at St. John’s University on March 21st. This workshop allowed students to connect with experts and gain information on water quality to position them for success as they excel in team-based projects this school year. Phil Votruba, Kara
“Plant Your Roots” Winter Workshop
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