Springfield team receives top prize for their energy action projects
MAY 5, 2010—A large group of orange-vested and boot-clad students and volunteers spent Saturday, April 24, participating in the first annual Redwood River clean-up and Earth Day event organized by the Marshall Area Environmental Education Team and the City of Marshall.
The event also included educational exhibits. Local solar electric and wind turbine installer, Tim Lipetsky, visited with participants about the economic benefits of renewable energy. A group of students displayed a tub of vermi-composting bins, complete with red worms. Keynote speaker Paul Thompson of the Will Steeger Foundation and YEA (Youth Environmental Activists) Minnesota, spoke to those in attendance about the impact and importance of energy choices.
Many participants represented Youth Energy Summit (YES!) teams. This school year, nine YES! teams including 110 students from the southern half of the program’s service area undertook energy action projects. Their goal was to address energy opportunities and issues in rural Minnesota communities.
YES! energy action projects were presented to a judging panel of 13 professionals, including representatives from business, economic and community development and education. Five teams received awards and all teams were recognized for outstanding efforts during a ceremony at the April 24 event.
The Springfield YES! team was awarded the overall Grand Prize—a cash award of $1,500—as well as the Outstanding Teamwork Award of $500. The team completed research and a feasibility study to construct the area’s first green roof and installed motion detectors in a locker room. The team is also raising funds to install solar lights along the Cottonwood River Trail. Springfield’s energy awareness efforts reached thousands of students and adults, educating them about energy conservation, renewable energy technologies, green roofs and more. The group worked to sustain and improve other projects including an elementary Energy Monitoring Patrol, composting of food waste, recycling and weekly energy news articles.
Additional awards included Second Prize ($1,000) and Economic Potential Award ($500) to New Ulm Putting Green; Third Prize ($750) and Creativity and Innovation Award ($500) to Windom Area High School; Community Engagement Award ($500) to Marshall Area High School; and Conservation Award ($500) to Tracy Area High School. Teams from Westbrook-Walnut Grove, Redwood Falls Area High School, New Ulm Public High School and St. James High School were also recognized for their projects.
Awards will be used toward team projects or other school activities that meet the mission of YES! Awards were funded by the Southwest Initiative Foundation and Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. YES! 2009-2010 is administered by the Southwest Initiative Foundation, implemented through partnerships with Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center and Prairie Ecology Bus Center, and funded in part by the Minnesota Renewable Energy Marketplace: An Alliance for Talent Development. For more information, visit www.youthenergysummit.com, or call Southwest Initiative Foundation at 800-594-9480.
Photo: The Youth Energy Summit (YES!) team from Springfield received the Grand Prize Award as well as the Outstanding Teamwork Award for their efforts throughout the school year. The team is coached by Amanda Meyer and Jayme Fast.