Click here for an overview of the 2010-2011 YES! season!
West Central YES! Cohort
ACGC
- Grew fresh produce in their garden for over 800 students.
- Designed and constructed a mid-scale composting bin.
- Converted 96 school exit signs to LED’s
- Hosted creative and engaging educational events for 350 elementary students.
- Read more about their work in the ACGC Falcon Flier
Alexandria
- Organized a “Green Squad” to coordinate the ~16 ‘action teams’ that will carry out a variety of projects.
- They hope to purchase and install Vending Misers, research potential areas for improvement with their school’s electricity and water use, as well as increase environmental awareness in their school.
Eden Valley-Watkins
- Completed a solar PV system with one tracking panel and two stationary panels. You can see their current readings here.
- Presented at the Clean Energy Resource Teams conference.
- Providing guidance on environmentally-conscious decisions for the school’s upcoming building project.
Lac qui Parle Valley
- Hosted worm composting classes and an e-waste recycling event in their community.
- Gathered support for “Light the Path” project, installing solar – powered lights along the Appleton Bike Trail.
Litchfield
- Planned and prepared a Green Your Holidays event.
- Refurbished their school greenhouse.
- Collected holiday lights for recycling.
- Hosting a Green Week in their community.
- Collected electronic waste.
New London-Spicer
- NLS showcased their ingenuity this year by designing and constructing sturdy recycling/trash receptacles, a hoop garden and a water system which uses rainwater runoff.
- Sent out surveys to all teachers to identify areas where they can improve energy conservation in the classrooms.
Ortonville
- Retrofit lighting throughout their school building
- Educated elementary students through 45-minute presentations
- Planned and hosted an Earth Day event.
Willmar
- Continues to maintain their year-round greenhouse. Students and volunteers make sure the greenhouse has adequate heat by re-filling pellets in the biomass burner, tending to the plants, continuously watering and weeding the beds throughout the season, and gearing up for the busy spring and summer seasons!
- Check out their website at: http://www.willmar.k12.mn.us/srhigh/content/greenhouse-project
Southwest YES! Cohort
Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop
- Developed a website, and are working on a video to showcase their projects on public access TV.
- Adding solar energy to their school’s greenhouse which already includes rain barrels and an in-vessel composting bin. http://gfw-greenteam.blogspot.com/
Hutchinson
- Continue to bring an effective composting program to their High School.
Marshall
- The Marshall YES! team, Marshall FFA and the Lyon County 4-H are bringing five educational sessions to elementary students in which they will teach about renewable energy in a fun and exciting way!
Morgan
- Kick-starting their participation in the YES! program and their recycling program with the collection of unwanted holiday lights through the “Recycle Your Holidays” campaign.
New Ulm Putting Green
- By designing and hosting EcoEarth Night for 5th-graders this year, New Ulm Putting Green earned the Creativity & Innovation Category Award.
- Also hosted the Earth Day Party for all southern region YES! teams.
- Check out their website at www.puttinggreen.org
Northfield
- Bringing 16 permanent recycling bins to their downtown area, involving local organizations and artists in the development and design of these unique bins.
- Participating in the city-wide Earth Day event by guiding kids activities and showcasing their recycling project.
Redwood Valley
- Thoroughly sought out resources and best-practices before beginning school-wide composting
- Created education video with “Captain Compost” to teach elementary students about composting their lunch
- Partnered with a local farmer to collect nearly 30 cubic yards of compost.
Springfield
- Completed installation of solar-powered lights along park trail.
- Reduced cafeteria food-waste by half, by first educating the students then hosting a competition.
- Created a video highlighting their Energy Monitor Patrol program, which won $50,000 in technology for their school through Samsung’s nationwide contest.
- Bringing a Pedal-A-Watt bike to their school’s weight room to power a TV.
- Monitoring the use of composting worm bins in the teacher’s lounge.
- More information on their student-developed Facebook page.
Westbrook-Walnut Grove
- Distributed 200 home energy kits
- Checked the tire pressure of cars at their school and in their community, educating drivers on the energy and gas savings associated with proper tire inflation
- Saved $21 on energy bills in one day alone by hosting a ‘Blackout Day’ during which as many lights as possible were shut off in the school
- Evaluated the school’s “vampire energy offenders” and recorded the lights used in the hallways.
- Check out their website for pictures and project updates!
Windom
- Standardized recycling school-wide with uniform bins and location throughout the building
- Worked with the PC’s for People program to recycle or reuse old computers
- Saved over 6,000 gallons of water by reducing team members’ shower time in one month alone
21 teams from across west central and southwest Minnesota participated in YES! 2009-2010.
An overview of the 2009-2010 YES! season.
