The Will Steger Foundation is working closely with the Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) through our YEA! MN program to connect schools and student leaders with the Minnesota Energy Challenge, a program of CEE.  The goal of this collaboration is to educate Twin Cities metro area students about the importance of energy conservation, inspire student-led action projects, and to motivate schools to find creative and constructive ways to save energy.

Will Steger Foundation is actively engaging Minnesota youth in critical Clean Air Act defense. High school students representing Youth Environmental Activists of Minnesota (YEA! MN), a joint program of the WSF and the Alliance for Sustainability, joined a coalition of MN youth from across the state, to address US Senator Klobuchar on the issue. Read a reflection on the meeting from youth organizers at the MN Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG).

What is clear and everywhere you go? Need another hint? Its molecular mass is 28.97 grams. The answer is Clean Air! Recently, Minnesota youth representing eight different student organizations met together to speak with Greg Bohrer, Energy and Environmental Legislative Aide to US Senator Amy Klobuchar, regarding our Senator’s action to preserve the integrity of the Clean Air Act. The Congressional Review Act (CRA) Challenge has been introduced into Congress, and would formally retract the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate cross-state pollution. People who enjoy clean air are worried.

With such varied youth organizations represented, we recognized many different implications the CRA Challenge would have. Cole Norgaarden and I, members of Youth Environmental Activists of Minnesota (YEA! MN) highlighted that today’s youth are the “green generation”, and as 22% of potential voters in the next election, we want our Senator to stand up for the environment and Minnesotans. The other collegiate youth identified public health, the value of science, the green economy and the importance of regulating greenhouse gases as reasons to support the Clean Air Act. As a group, we asked if Senator Klobuchar would commit to defending Clean Air Act safeguards from future attacks in Congress and if she would help stop attacks on Clean Air by voting against the CRA Challenge resolution on the Cross State Air Pollution Rule.

The word “vague” simplifies the outcome of the meeting. A definitive answer was never given; Bohrer portrayed the Senator’s agenda as one that could support the Clean Air Act, but would not actively work to voice opposition to the CRA Challenge. As youth activists, passion and initiative are threaded throughout our lives, making it difficult to have a leader who is less impassioned than we are. This meeting has reminded me that youth and adults alike need to continue standing up against environmental degradation. Voicing our opinions is necessary to see the action we would like, and I promise, I’ll be doing a lot of voicing in the future.

Leah Norman, MN High School Senior, YEA! MN Steering Committee Member

Edina High School Project Earth is a student-run environmental group that takes part in working to create a greener community. Our primary responsibility is to collect the school’s recycling on a weekly basis. In addition, Project Earth has developed a Climate Action Project we are in the process of completing, which includes the installation of a water bottle filling station at Edina High School.

About five years ago, several students at Mahtomedi High School (MHS) explored the possibility of implementing a small wind project on their campus. Shortly afterwards, a group of motivated citizens in the area concerned about energy conservation, renewable energy and sustainability formed the Mahtomedi Area Green Initiative (MAGI) with a vision of seeing a turbine on the sidelines of the high school athletic fields. These community volunteers and Mahtomedi students, led by the MHS Eco Club, have banded together to work with neighbors, businesses, schools, churches and local government to gradually build a broad base of support for that initial dream: an educational renewable energy project to benefit the community and the environment.

With a solid plan, well-respected wind energy contractor and committed community behind us, students have played a major role in working to raise the $100,000 needed to build a 10 kilowatt wind turbine adjacent to the high school football field. The Zephyr Wind turbine, funded by private donations and grants, will be owned by Mahtomedi Public Schools. In the fall of 2009, the current group of Eco Club students got educated about the Zephyr Wind Project and made the decision to do what they could to support the fundraising and outreach components of the project. They planned, organized and followed through on the creation and sales of t-shirts to benefit the project. Through additional fundraising efforts, including several girl scouts in the club donating their cookie sales, the club has generated almost $3,000 for the project. They also participated in staffing and educating guests at a project fundraiser last summer that generated over $30,000.

Eco Club students have organized speakers to occasionally attend their weekly meetings to provide background and increase their knowledge of the issues. Through use of the student announcements, including parent e-mails, students, staff and parents from throughout the high school have been invited to attend the presentations. Students have also staffed several community events with the purpose of educating the community about the project, reaching several hundred kids and community members. Events included the Mahtomedi Farmers Market, the school district Halloween Ball, RITE of Spring (community Earth Day event), two community engineering education events, football and basketball games, Zephyr Art Festival in the town square and the Zephyr Wind Project fundraiser. Residents and community members repeatedly commented on the knowledge and maturity of the students involved in staffing the numerous events. Those of us helping to coordinate the project believe that we couldn’t have accomplished what we did or received the participation of so many partners without their involvement.

The Zephyr Wind turbine will produce electricity for our schools while at the same time linking to Mahtomedi’s impressive K-12 Engineering Leadership Program and nearby Century College. It will be equipped with performance and wind measuring devices that will generate real-time data accessible via the Internet for learning experiences in science, technology, engineering and math. Other schools will be able to tap into the Zephyr Wind Project by accessing the data from the wind turbine. Real-time data from the project will be available through the internet. We are pursuing a partnership with the schools of the White Earth Tribe in northwestern Minnesota as they have a similar turbine, which will enable some interesting comparisons.

We have enough funds on hand to begin construction of the turbine, which is planned to be completed sometime during the summer of 2011. Our partnership, fundraising and project model can be replicated in other communities, and we would welcome the opportunity to share what we have learned with others.

Jeff Ledermann, Mahtomedi High School Eco Club Advisor

Will Steger Foundation is proud to announce the winners of our Climate Generation Award. Launched in partnership with the British Council and California Air Resources Board, the Climate Generation Program is a school-based competition connecting youth leadership and environmental curriculum with climate action projects. High Schools in Minnesota were eligible to participate at no cost, and encouraged to submit action projects in the following focus areas: energy conservation, renewable energy, water conservation, transportation, purchasing, facilities, awareness/communication.

Our three winners were chosen through a competitive process with final judging provided by the Will Steger Foundation Climate Champions, 10 dynamic youth leaders between the ages of 16 and 26 located across the Midwest. Winning projects were chosen for their authentic youth engagement, their environmental impact, and their integration of curriculum and other formal/informal learning opportunities.

First place went to Mahtomedi High School for their Zephyr Wind Turbine Project. Students, faculty, administrators, and community members worked together to generate public support and funding for the project which has already broken ground on school property. The project also includes curriculum developed in partnership with the University of Minnesota. Mahtomedi High School will receive a $1500 award to honor their work and support next steps

Two schools were tied for second place. Edina High School was chosen for it's Water Bottle Filling Station Project, aimed at reducing plastic bottle waste and encouraging the use of reusable water bottles. The Project Earth group worked closely with their faculty advisor to create peer buy-in for the project, generate public awareness and build financial support through a series of creative fundraising efforts. Edina High School will receive a $500 award to honor their project and support further implementation.

Pine Island High School was also chosen for second place. The high school Environmental Club conducted an extensive survey of paper use and waste through out the school and was able to significantly expand it's recycling program by securing new bins for each classroom and large plastic collectors in the hallways. The club also presented to the school board in support of hand-dryers in school bathrooms as means to reducing paper consumption and waste. They are currently in the process of securing support for this installation. Pine Island also received the $500 award in honor and support of their efforts.

Not only is it exciting to see concrete examples of school-based solutions addressing the climate crisis, it is even more significant to see students taking an active role in selecting and launching these projects in their communities. With active peer engagement, project visibility grows. It is our hope that these projects will inspire continued youth initiative on solutions and create a culture-shift from consumption to conservation on these campuses, and in schools across the state.