Last night, the Big Partner Little Partner Program (Community Service Office) hosted an educational Earth Day event in the Linnaeus Arboretum. This was a cooperative effort that focused on small ways to “save the planet” and “connect with nature”. The event was a huge success and lots of fun for the St. Peter youth that attended. The evening kicked off with a trash relay where kids learned how to sort waste into recycling piles, compost, and the landfill. 
It really gave them a good idea of how much of our waste ends up in a landfill and how much we can recycle or reuse. Next little partners, hand in hand with their big partner explored the arboretum on an interactive scavenger hunt that had them hunting for specific arboretum items, but also for any trash that may need to be picked up in the arboretum after a long winter. It was a wonderful opportunity for the kids to see the small actions they can take in their community. Various other crafts and activities filled the evenings time and when 8:00 rolled around, both little partners and big partners were pleasantly fatigued. The cooperative effort was both fun and rewarding. We look forward to continuing to strengthen the relationship between the arboretum and other campus and community groups and have an Earth Day event next year that is even bigger and better. Happy belated Earth Day!