MN GreenStep Schools appreciates all the Member Resource Organizations that help schools in their efforts to grow. In March, we welcome three new Resource Organization members of MN GreenStep Schools that show the value of both local and statewide organizations in helping schools adopt best practices. You can click on their links to see their full resource organization page. Then consider being next… Go to the Resource Organizations Page to sign up.

MAEE has been a supporter of MN GreenStep Schools since its early development and is a recognized resource for environmental education.

MAEE is a non-profit that serve the entire state of Minnesota with training, advice, networks, and funding or grants. Their mission is to "advance environmental education in Minnesota by supporting and connecting environmental educators, advocates and allies." Their vision of "a world in which all people value and feel connected to our environment." See the MAEE GreenStep Schools Member Page where you can learn more about their free resources and contact Wendy Tremblay.

Welcome to our first City to become a Resource Organization! There are many synergies between the MN GreenStep Cities program and the MN GreenStep Schools program and we encourage more cities to join in supporting schools in their community.

From the City of Shakopee GreenStep Schools Member Page: "The City of Shakopee seeks to build partnerships with Shakopee Public School District, individual schools, & the community to provide resources, programs, and services to progress through the GreenStep School/Cities programs. The City created a Best Practices Committee to provide a forum to support students by continuously pursuing initiatives, designing projects, and tracking metrics to enable the City to connect students and faculty with staff resources and real-life educational opportunities." See the City of Shakopee GreenStep Schools Member Page where you can learn more about their resources and contact Andrew Boucher.

Counties make great GreenStep School Resource organizations, and Anoka County is a good example of resources tailored to schools.

The "Recycling & Resource Solutions unit within the Public Health & Environmental Services Department provides technical assistance, grant funding and information about proper waste management to waste generators in Anoka County. We provide these services to schools for free, in addition to training and education outreach for both staff and students. Our work focuses on waste reduction, recycling, and organics collection in schools." See the Anoka County Recycling and Resource Solutions GreenStep Schools Resource Organization Member Page where you can learn more about their resources and contact Katie Stelzner.

MN GreenStep Schools Proposed Legislation

On February 11th, a bill was introduced that would fund MN GreenStep Schools to grow from a pilot to a full program with ongoing development and support. Senator Wiger introduced SF 775. Representative Jordan introduced the companion bill HF 841. As of this writing, The bill has been referred to committees.