Youth Eco Solutions

2011-2012 YES! Teams

Click on their name to scroll down to more information

 

North YES! region

Royalton
  • Worked with their city council and mayor to plan for the city’s needs in both green energy and new technologies and incorporating students in that process. They also met with city councils from surrounding communities and U.S. Senator Franken to highlight their work thus far.
  • Students helped design and build an electric vehicle that will be driven on the Brainerd International raceway on May 15th. The car will continue to be used in the future to demonstrate to their greater community the opportunities for sustainable energy
  • Updated their school’s recycling by placing consistently labeled recycling bins throughout the building, making announcements, sending information to teachers about the program, and setting up a collection schedule

    Alexandria students greet visitors at the door of the Eco Fair
Parkers Prairie 
  • Researched and prepared a presentation for school administration on retrofitting water fountains with hydration stations
  • Increased community awareness through an initiative focused on environmentally friendly habits by putting together “eco-baskets” that included: information on their group; helpful websites; resources for home owners (energy audit, junk mail reduction etc…); a reusable grocery bag; a LED or CFL light bulb; a 100% recycled notepad; and a reusable water bottle.
Foley
  • Plans to participate in an educational tour focusing on clean/alternative energy including an ethanol plant, hydro dam, wind farm and a biomass plant
Alexandria
  • Participated in a Recycling Recovery activity facilitated by Pope Douglas Solid Waste facility
  • Were radio show guests on Open Line to promote the Alexandria Community Eco Fair and the YES! Team
  • Ran an effective energy reduction campaign encouraging everyone, from students to staff to “pull the shades, shut off lights and other electrical devices
  • Volunteered and participated at the Alexandria Community Eco Fair Alexandria

 West Central YES! region

ACGC
  • Hosted an Elementary Education Event where they taught the elementary students about clean energy through activities on wind, solar, biomass, and composting
  • Reduced the amount of waste reaching the waste stream by promoting blue jean, tennis shoe, holiday light and print cartridge recycling throughout the year
  • Purchased and placed 16 solar-powered spot lights in their community
    ACGC students lead elementary classes in making recycling bins as well as other lessons
  • View an overview of their work here
Dassel-Cokato
  • Established their group in their school and community. Started a recycling program in their high school.
Eden Valley-Watkins
  • Exhibited school’s solar panel installation in Show & Tell at MN School Board Association Conference
  • Found containers and locations for recycling
  • Made a video to introduce the recycling project to the school
Lac qui Parle Valley
  • Hosted a recycling competition between junior high and senior high to promote newly established recycling stations in their school
  • Volunteered at the DNR education booth at Parent Expo
  • Purchased and installed a hydration station, winning a second from the Elkay company for their great work
  • View an overview of their work here
Litchfield
  • Hosted an e-waste recycling drive and a Green Your Holidays event
  • Are participating in the One Vegetable, One Community program
  • Growing plants in their greenhouse to start a community garden plot
  • Installed two hydration stations in their high school and one in their middle school
  • View an overview of their work here
Minnewaska
  • Used kilowatt meters to measure the energy saved during their Blackout day
    Willmar Community Greenhouse produced over 180 lbs. of greens for the High School cafeteria
  • Calculated a cost savings of $30
  • Made weekly rounds to classrooms to collect recycling, bolstering the effectiveness of their recycling program
  • Initiating composting in their school by starting with worm bins
  • View an overview of their work here
New London- Spicer
  • Growing plants in their hoop garden for the school
  • Researched solar-powered lights for their parking lot, but opted for installing two hydration stations in their school instead
  • Revitalizing the traditional Elementary Outdoor Science curriculum with activities on local foods, composting and alternative energy
  • View an overview of their work here
Willmar
  • Formalized their relationship with Willmar Public Schools to employ a manager for the Community Greenhouse
  • Upgraded heating system to improve efficiency and address maintenance issues
  • Planned and implemented a Renewable Energy Workshop for all Willmar 5th graders—highlighting the Greenhouse, solar ovens, and more!
  • View an overview of their work here

Southwest YES! region

Cedar Mountain
  • Initiated a composting program in their school, partnering with a local farmer to compost on their property
  • Weighed food waste at Harvestland Elevator with each collection and documented data
    Cedar Mountain “sorts things out” with effective signs used to guide students where to dump their food waste
  • Comparing amount of food waste to school lunch menu to help make recommendations for future meals
  • View an overview of their work here
Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop
  • Installed two hydration stations in their high school and one in the middle school
  • Filmed informative video on their work as a team
  • Continue to compost school lunch waste
  • Started monitoring solar panel energy production data
  • View an overview of their work here
Redwood Valley
  • Bolstered their composting program
  • Installed Vending Misers on their school’s vending machines
  • Partnered with contractor to plan construction and installation of solar thermal collectors on their school, presenting plans to school board for approval
  • View an overview of their here
Sleepy Eye
  • Kicked off the year with a Grassroots Gathering event, establishing their presence in the community
    Installing 800 CFL’s in area apartment buildings was made easy thanks to the Sleepy Eye YES! team
  • Collected 557 pounds of holiday lights to be recycling
  • Installed over 800 CFL’s in local low-income housing—saving a calculated 36,800 kw, about $3,312 annually based on state formula from the PUC
  • Promoted other efforts such as a Blackout Day, Save it for Side 2, and energy reminders in their schools
  • View an overview of their work here
Springfield
  • Presented their work at the State Fair through InCommons
  • Received funding and made plans to build a greenhouse in partnership with local restaurant and FFA—also installing Earth Tub donated by Carleton College
  • Partnered with high school Ecology class to present energy education to elementary students
  • View an overview of their work here
Westbrook-Walnut Grove
  • Conducted Energy Audits in their school’s classrooms—both during the day and at night—to gather data on where and when the most energy was used in their school
  • Initiated a Lending Library of energy monitoring devices in partnership with their local library to promote energy-use awareness and conservation in their community
  • Purchased and installing both a Pedal-A-Watt system and wind turbine to be used in their school
  • View an overview of their work here
Windom
  • Promoted water conservation by distributing shower logs to their peers and awarding a prize to who conserved the most
  • Making plans for a community garden on site with the installation of their vertical access wind turbine to help power water pumps

Southeast YES! region

Austin
  • Researched and began to implement green roofing technologies on their school’s annex building.
  • Students presented their plan for the green roof to local businesses in order to secure support, both financial and otherwise
    Mankato West in action at the YES! Winter Workshop in Rochester
Chatfield
  • Hosted the Family Fun Ag Day and educated over 300 adults and children about where their food comes from
  • Started a vegetable-growing venture in their school’s green house to provide food for the High School Foodservice Program
  • Utilized hydroponics and aquaponics set-ups to grow tomatoes, radishes, lettuce, cabbage, kohlrabi, peppers, and herbs
  • View an overview of their work here
Mankato East
  • Designed and developed 6 original inventions to solve real-world problems
  • Designed, built, and tested several prototypes of their inventions, utilizing recyclable materials in their processes
  • Legally documented their invention process so as to be able to pursue a patent if desired
  • View an overview of their work here
Mankato West
  • Researched and implemented a real-time energy-monitoring system for the electrical consumption of their high school
  • Taught their fellow students through lunchtime energy quiz bowl, complete with prizes!
  • View an overview of their work here
Northfield
  • Designed several prototypes of recycling bins for the City of Northfield and will weld these bins this summer
  • Helped to plan and implement the 2012 Northfield Earth Day Event
  • Held a Northfield youth community meeting where they lead a discussion with area youth on the topic of re-localization and sustainability pertaining to energy, food, and economics
  • View an overview of their work here
Pine Island
Pine Island YES! team
  • Promoted a Black Out Day at their school in order to promote Earth Hour, complete with a photo contest and prizes
  • Implemented an effective school-wide paper recycling program
  • Will distribute 424 Energy Efficient CFL Light Bulbs at a local parade. Each light bulb will have a postcard attached, highlighting energy reduction suggestions.
  • Developed their outdoor classroom, which included buckthorn removal, building bluebird houses and bird feeders, and developing plans to install a rain garden
  • View an overview of their work here
Rochester Mayo
  • Successfully raised enough money to install a wind turbine that will power a large school monitor and lights around the school entrances

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