On October 1st, the Northeastern region of Minnesota had their 5th annual YES! Fall Summit at Laurentian Environmental Center. During the event, the students had some great conversations and sparked new ideas for different projects that they were interested in for this upcoming year. They heard from a representative from Waste Management. In addition, they learned about aquatic invasive species (AIS) and used tools to search for AIS and test the quality of Arrowhead Lake. The day concluded with a talk on climate change science by Jenna Totz of Climate Generation. The students

To support our work related to climate change and clean energy projects, YES! has major support from the McKnight Foundation. Kira Liu and Jenna Totz from Climate Generation were on hand to provide expertise at our Fall Summits and will be offering customized workshops related to finding solutions to today's climate change challenges throughout the season.

Diana Siebels from Waste Management presented a $5,000 check to YES! at the NE 2018 Fall Summit. Support from WM will go towards our statewide awards at the Twin's game this spring and they will provide project seed funds for waste reduction related projects.

YES! continues and thrives today because of the generosity of the ENRTF, the McKnight Foundation and Waste Management.

 

Courtney is a first year coach for the Springfield YES! team and was a YES! team member when she was in high school! While in high school, Courtney notes that the YES! team gave her a "passion for improving the sustainability of my own lifestyle and my community. It made me more aware of my impact and how I could help". In addition, participating in YES! furthered her love of biology and "influenced my decision to become a biology teacher".

 

This year, Courtney's YES! team is "learning about growing vegetables hydroponically using flood tables in our school greenhouse. The vegetables will be used on the school's salad bar. We are also looking into adopting a drain, Christmas light recycling, and working with our adopt a highway program".

Courtney's favorite part of participating in YES! is "seeing the positive impact that a project has on the individual, school, and community".

Thanks for sharing, Courtney! We love hearing from YES! alumni and are excited to have you back as part of the program in a YES! coach role.

 

Sophie is the Southern Coordinator. Previously she was a renewable energy intern at the West Central Research and Outreach Center and GreenCorps member at River's Edge Academy in St.Paul, MN. She is looking forward to working with all the YES! teams and seeing what students will accomplish in their schools and communities. Read more about Sophie.


Taylor is the interim West-Central Coordinator while Ali is on maternity leave. She is studying Planning and Community Development and Environmental Studies at St. Cloud State University and is excited about how YES! gets "our youth involved in projects that will make our communities sustainable and enjoyable to live in". Read more about Taylor.


Sam is the Northeastern Coordinator. A former GreenCorps member, he was stationed at Laurentian Environmental Center, where he helped implement the first year of YES! in the Northeast region. He has also worked as a Naturalist at Laurentian Environmental Center. He says, "my passion for the outdoors and working with students is what led me to this position and I am excited to hit the ground running with YES!". Read more about Sam.