UPDATE: Please confirm with host organizations about the status of listed events. Many in-person events have been cancelled, or there may be virtual options for some events.
See our Upcoming Events page, or check our community calendar below for upcoming green community events in Minnesota, or submit your own event!
Events in March–April 2018
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- Planting Native Prairie Workshop
Planting Native Prairie Workshop Planting Native Prairie Workshop
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March 1, 2018You do not need to live on a large property to create natural areas, help pollinators and enhance wildlife habitat. Something as small as a half-acre of your lawn or as large as a 10 acre or more crop field can be converted to beautiful and environmentally beneficial native grasses and flowers! The Scott Soil and Water Conservation District is hosting a FREE Native Prairie workshop and is inviting you to attend! Learn about site preparation, how to get your planting started, receive maintenance tips and find out more about possible funding!
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- Landscaping for Clean Water Workshop
Landscaping for Clean Water Workshop Landscaping for Clean Water Workshop
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March 5, 2018The City of Burnsville will again be hosting a Landscaping for Clean Water Introductory Workshop on March 5. This FREE event is open to Burnsville and other Dakota County residents. At these workshops, you can see many examples of beautiful raingardens and shoreline restorations that help clean up local ponds and lakes and stabilize shoreline erosion problems. You will also learn about dozens of native plants that can enhance flowerbeds and provide habitat for butterflies. As an added incentive, you will learn about financial incentives from Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District ($250 grant) and City of Burnsville (up to $1,000 grant) for these types of projects.
Registration required at http://www.dakotacountyswcd.org/cleanwater.html or call 651-480-7777. Open to Burnsville/Dakota County residents. Check website for other workshop date options in neighboring Dakota County cities.
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- Toy Lending Event
Toy Lending Event Toy Lending Event
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March 14, 2018Come to our toy lending event to become a member of the toy library. Access to over 1,000 toys appropriate for children age birth to 5.
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- 7 Mile Creek Stem Cutting and Staking
7 Mile Creek Stem Cutting and Staking 7 Mile Creek Stem Cutting and Staking
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March 24, 2018Join Great River Greening for willow stem cutting and staking along the creek in Seven Mile Creek County Park, in an effort to decrease soil erosion, and improve the streambank structure.
This 628-acre park is managed by Nicollet County and contains 10 miles of multi-use trails. It transitions from the Minnesota River to grasslands in the valley, to deciduous forests on either side and up the bluffs of Seven Mile Creek. The forests are home to white-tail deer, wild turkeys, and nesting and migratory bird species. Seven Mile Creek is also a designated trout stream, stocked each year by the DNR.
We have partnered with 7 Mile Creek Watershed, Nicollet County, and Mississippi River Network-1 Mississippi Campaign to engage and educate the local community and volunteers with hands-on conservation practices to protect and improve water quality.
Light snacks and lunch will be provided!
Recommended to ages 8 and up, children must be supervised.Registration is required.
Buy Tickets -
- Toy Lending Event, 5th Annual Dandelion Honey Pastry Chef Challenge
Toy Lending Event Toy Lending Event
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March 28, 2018Come to our toy lending event to become a member of the toy library. Access to over 1,000 toys appropriate for children age birth to 5.
5th Annual Dandelion Honey Pastry Chef Challenge 5th Annual Dandelion Honey Pastry Chef Challenge
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March 28, 2018Join the Beez Kneez and Seward Co-op for the fifth annual Dandelion Honey Pastry Chef Challenge. Seward Co-op bakers will compete with other Twin Cities pastry chefs, all creating unique pastries sweetened exclusively by dandelion honey.
$35 in advance, $40 at the door
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- CREATING YOUR RESILIENT YARD: ST. LOUIS PARK
CREATING YOUR RESILIENT YARD: ST. LOUIS PARK CREATING YOUR RESILIENT YARD: ST. LOUIS PARK
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March 29, 2018$15 per household (Free for residents of St. Louis Park)
Unseasonably warm weather, long droughts and flooding rains are the new normal for spring and summer in Minnesota. Learn how your yard can adapt to and even help mitigate threats posed by these extreme weather events.
Participants receive:
—A brief overview of the importance of resilience, a walk-through of the different pieces that help make a yard resilient, and information on how to begin incorporating them on your property. Includes details on raingarden installation, stormwater management, and tree, shrub, flower and turf alternative recommendations.
—1 on 1 design assistance from Blue Thumb landscape designers, U of M Extension Master Gardeners from Hennepin County, and Master Water Stewards.
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- Landscaping for Clean Water Workshop - Burnsville, Landscaping for Clean Water Workshop - Burnsville
Landscaping for Clean Water Workshop - Burnsville Landscaping for Clean Water Workshop - Burnsville
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April 10, 2018The City of Burnsville will again be hosting a Landscaping for Clean Water Introductory Workshop on April 10. This FREE event is open to Burnsville and other Dakota County residents. At these workshops, you can see many examples of beautiful raingardens and shoreline restorations that help clean up local ponds and lakes and stabilize shoreline erosion problems. You will also learn about dozens of native plants that can enhance flowerbeds and provide habitat for butterflies. As an added incentive, you will learn about financial incentives from Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District ($250 grant) and City of Burnsville (up to $1,000 grant) for these types of projects.
Registration required at http://www.dakotacountyswcd.org/cleanwater.html or call 651-480-7777. Open to Burnsville/Dakota County residents. Check website for other workshop date options in neighboring Dakota County cities.
Landscaping for Clean Water Workshop - Burnsville Landscaping for Clean Water Workshop - Burnsville
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April 10, 2018The City of Burnsville will again be hosting a Landscaping for Clean Water Introductory Workshop on April 10. This FREE event is open to Burnsville and other Dakota County residents. At these workshops, you can see many examples of beautiful raingardens and shoreline restorations that help clean up local ponds and lakes and stabilize shoreline erosion problems. You will also learn about dozens of native plants that can enhance flowerbeds and provide habitat for butterflies. As an added incentive, you will learn about financial incentives from Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District ($250 grant) and City of Burnsville (up to $1,000 grant) for these types of projects.
Registration required at http://www.dakotacountyswcd.org/cleanwater.html or call 651-480-7777. Open to Burnsville/Dakota County residents. Check website for other workshop date options in neighboring Dakota County cities.
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- Toy Lending Event
Toy Lending Event Toy Lending Event
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April 11, 2018Come to our toy lending event to become a member of the toy library. Access to over 1,000 toys appropriate for children age birth to 5.
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- Hennepin County Fix It Clinic - Saint Louis Park
Hennepin County Fix It Clinic - Saint Louis Park Hennepin County Fix It Clinic - Saint Louis Park
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April 14, 2018Do you have broken stuff at home, but don't know what to do with it? Learn to fix your broken household items with help from friendly, skilled volunteers at a Fix-It Clinic. Bring in small appliances, clothing, electronics, mobile devices and more and receive free guided assistance from volunteers with repair skills to disassemble, troubleshoot and fix your items.
Fix-It Clinics teach valuable troubleshooting and basic repair skills, build community connections and reduce the number of repairable objects that are thrown in the trash. For more information, visit http://www.hennepin.us/fixitclinic or contact program coordinator Nancy Lo at nancy.lo@hennepin.us or 612-348-9195. Please email nancy.lo@hennepin.us if you would like to volunteer!
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- Switch to a Low-Maintenance Lawn & Native Habitat
Switch to a Low-Maintenance Lawn & Native Habitat Switch to a Low-Maintenance Lawn & Native Habitat
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April 19, 2018Want to get away from that loud, smelly gas lawn mower? You can! Imagine your yard as a cooling carpet of plants that fix carbon in the soil, provide habitat for pollinators, and require very little maintenance from you.
Douglas Owens-Pike, Project Manager at Metro Blooms, will give us a presentation on the many planting options available to reduce maintenance and increase habitat for both sunny and shady locations. He will bring copies of his book, "Beautifully Sustainable: Freeing Yourself to Enjoy Your Landscape" for purchase, with a percentage of sales benefitting Transition Longfellow.
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- Film Screening: Buffalo Returns
Film Screening: Buffalo Returns Film Screening: Buffalo Returns
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April 20, 2018Join us for a screening of Buffalo Returns, a short documentary about returning buffalo to Native lands. The screening will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by discussion led by Sasha Houston Brown, speaking on behalf of the Dakota tribe. Learn about the environmental benefits of raising buffalo, Tanka Fund’s project to return one million acres of Native land to buffalo.
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- Stillwater Raingarden Clean-up, CSA Fair, Dakota County Fix It Clinic, 2018 Lyndale Green Expo; Creating a Sustainable Community Together
Stillwater Raingarden Clean-up Stillwater Raingarden Clean-up
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April 21, 2018Join this fun, family-friendly Earth Day event!
Sustainable Stillwater MN and Lily Lake Association are teaming up with the Middle St. Croix Watershed Management Organization to clean-up raingardens around Stillwater. Join a team to help keep our raingardens beautiful and working properly!
Bring your rakes, work gloves, trowels, and a water bottle.
Learn more and RSVP at:
Sustainable Stillwater MN: 651-230-7882, sustainablestillwatermn@gmail.com
Lily Lake Association: kwarren@usinternet.com
CSA Fair CSA Fair
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April 21, 2018Come to the fair to learn about area CSAs and choose a farm that best meets your household’s needs. More information, along with a list of all attendees, will be available in the coming months.
Dakota County Fix It Clinic Dakota County Fix It Clinic
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April 21, 2018Why buy what you already have? Get household items fixed for free and learn valuable repair skills at an upcoming Fix-It clinic.
At Fix-It Clinics, residents bring in clothes and household items to receive free guided assistance from volunteers with repair skills to disassemble, troubleshoot and fix items. Clinics build community connections and reduce the number of repairable objects that are thrown in the trash.
2018 Lyndale Green Expo; Creating a Sustainable Community Together 2018 Lyndale Green Expo; Creating a Sustainable Community Together
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April 21, 2018The Lyndale Green Expo will expose community members to accessible and easy ways to live greener. From zero waste activities to thrifting, the Lyndale Green Expo will be a fun event encouraging the community to leave a smaller carbon footprint.
The Lyndale Green Expo will include exhibitors, adults’ and kids’ activities, a community raffle, healthy snacks, and zero waste presentations. -
- Create Your Own Lawn of the Future
Create Your Own Lawn of the Future Create Your Own Lawn of the Future
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April 24, 2018Learn details about how to design and install your own sustainable lawn on Tuesday, April 24th with the Golden Valley Garden Club at Brookview Community Center, 316 Brookview Parkway South, Golden Valley 55426; NW of hwy 55 & Winnetka Av. Teacher is Douglas Owens-Pike
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- Toy Lending Event
Toy Lending Event Toy Lending Event
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April 25, 2018Come to our toy lending event to become a member of the toy library. Access to over 1,000 toys appropriate for children age birth to 5.
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- Pledge to pull garlic mustard with Friends of the Mississippi River at Crosby Farm Park
Pledge to pull garlic mustard with Friends of the Mississippi River at Crosby Farm Park Pledge to pull garlic mustard with Friends of the Mississippi River at Crosby Farm Park
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April 26, 2018A natural oasis in the heart of the city, Crosby Farm Regional Park is nestled at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. Enjoy the beauty of early spring at this riverside park, Thursday, April 26th, while helping protect native plants beneficial to our local wildlife and waters at this annual tradition.
Alongside Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR) staff, volunteers will be working in an area home to a striking array of spring wildflowers native to Minnesota – Dutchman's breeches, trout lily, and Jack-in-the-pulpit, to name a few. After a brief introduction and training, volunteers will help protect these and other important members of the native plant community by removing the extremely invasive plant garlic mustard, then make the pledge to return to the area to continue this much-needed work.Although a serious threat, garlic mustard is not only easy to identify but quick to pull by hand, making its removal the perfect restoration activity for volunteers who want to continue to improve wildlife habitat and the health of their watershed after an event, at times most convenient for them during the weeks following this event to fulfil their 'pledge to pull.'
All are welcome, however, space is limited and registration is required. To learn more and register, visit https://fmr.org/events/2018/04/26/pledge-pull-garlic-mustard-crosby-farm-park.
https://fmr.org/events/2018/04/26/pledge-pull-garlic-mustard-crosby-farm-park
Contact Amy at FMR, akilgore@fmr.org. -
- Improving Water Quality in Valley Creek with MPR, Ramsey County Fix It Clinic
Improving Water Quality in Valley Creek with MPR Improving Water Quality in Valley Creek with MPR
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April 28, 2018Registration is required:
https://www.greatrivergreening.org/events/valley-park-creek-with-mpr/Come volunteer side-by-side with MPR hosts and staff in this event celebrating MPR Water Month. We will be busting buckthorn and other invasive plants from Valley Park, in Mendota Heights, to improve the water quality in a creek that feeds the Mississippi River. We will also be casting seed for wildflowers and grasses to further improve the soil and habitat diversity. Join in and get a limited edition T-shirt.
This 94-acre community park is largely a natural area that features a creek, oak groves, and mile-long paved trail that winds and climbs through woodlands. The mature oaks and diverse vegetation provide an outstanding landscape to enjoy hikes and bicycle tours that connect to the Big Rivers Regional Trail. This volunteer effort will improve the filtering quality of the soil, removing pollutants from water before it reaches the creek and the river.
Learn more about MPR WATER MONTH at thewatermain.org
Light breakfast, snack, and lunch provided by Peoples Organic.
All ages welcome, children must be supervised.Partners & Funders: Minnesota Public Radio The City of Mendota Heights, Kowalski’s Market, and lunch is provided by Peoples Organic
Registration is required.
Buy TicketsRamsey County Fix It Clinic Ramsey County Fix It Clinic
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April 28, 2018Get household items fixed for free and learn valuable repair skills at an upcoming Fix-It clinic.
At Fix-It Clinics, residents bring in small household appliances, clothing, electronics and more to receive free guided assistance from volunteers with repair skills to disassemble, troubleshoot and fix items.
