To start the new year off on a healthy (and green) note, Minneapolis Public Schools is offering their first ever Parent Walk-to-School Workshop this Saturday at NorthCommonsPark(1801 James Ave N). I was lucky enough to sit in on the December meeting with the Safe Routes to School working group (the group who came up with and planned this event) and these folks are seriously dedicated to biking, walking, and all things healthy!  The workshop will be from 9:45-11:30 am and coffee/bagels will be provided.

Though this workshop is geared to parents, grandparents, and guardians, it is appropriate for anyone interested in walking and biking to school efforts. The workshop will feature how to plan walk/bike-to-school events, walking buses, and pedestrian safety when leading these efforts. Community Organizations that support walking and biking efforts such as the Minneapolis Bike Walk Ambassadors Trips for Kids will also be on hand.

All participants will be entered in a raffle which will include prizes like a subscription to the awesome bike sharing system Nice Ride, stop paddles and vests, and hula hoops for your school’s playground. You should go home with a lot of print resources, a new friend or two, and some incentives to jump start your next walk-to-school effort.

-Ash

Amelia Gulling, Green Community School Program Director for Las Vegas will attend her first meeting today as a group member of the Regional Sustainability Working Group for the Southern Nevada region.  This working group is organized under the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition and advises on sustainability measures for the community.

Adam Kessell, our Chicago Program Director, has worked tirelessly over the past year at Al Raby High School in Chicago, helping to promote sustainability and environmental education in and out of the school environment. From the creation of the outdoor living classroom to the amazing partnerships he has created, Adam has been a wonderful asset to this community in East Garfield  At this time, Adam has chosen to pursue another position and we wish him well.

We are now looking to fill Adam’s shoes. We encourage all interested individuals to apply through the link.

http://j.mp/A64eMO

Any questions regarding the position can be directed to Phil Koch, Executive Director, MGR Foundation at phil@mgrf.org .

We have just finished digging the wetland area and the clay in the soil is doing exactly what is supposed to do… hold water. We will be planting Arrow Leaf and two varieties of Willow in and directly around the wetland. We originally thought about cattails but because the variety in our area has hybridized with an exotic variety they have become extremely invasive so we opted not to plant cattails.

Raised beds are in! We are using easter red cedar rather than treated wood. Treated wood used in gardening often contains arsenic and formaldehyde to weatherize the wood. These toxins are then leached from the wood into your soil by water.

Youth created a traditional weaved fence from wood cut during the clearing of the lot. This fence design dates back thousands of years. It is an easy way to recycle tree debris and it also acts as living fencing. The decomposing wood becomes a home for insects and other beneficial fungi and bacteria.

Raby students in their environmental science class competed in mulch races. They spread over 1,200 pounds of mulch and planted over 1,000 Native grasses including little blue stem, big blue stem, and prairie drop seed. We are done planting but we will continue to be making landscaping renovations that will support a permaculturedesign. It is our goal to create a design that is a zero water waste planting areas.

25 students in the Advanced Studies Mathematics class did a waste audit of 109 lbs of classroom waste, which only represented 50% of all classroom waste generated in one day at Western High School. In the audit they found that 37% of that waste was recyclables (cardboard, paper, plastic, aluminum or glass).

The class plans on using these findings to develop ways in which Western can recycle more

ACE, Alliance for Climate Education partnered with GCS and Western High School to give a presentation to 1,700 of its students on global climate change. After the presentation GCS Program Director signed up 211 students that were interested in starting Western High School’s first ever Student Environmental Group!

Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year, is right around the corner. But instead of spending your day at the mall, waiting in long lines, how about doing something a little different this year? (more…)