Service Learning
Kansas City and Minneapolis Service Learning events teach volunteers how to make historic homes, buildings and green spaces sustainable — to be more efficient and restorative to the natural environment — while retaining their historic character.
Our service learning events bring skilled labor, volunteers and community partners together to restore and retrofit local historic buildings identified as a priority by the community. Each project includes a hands-on workshop with an expert preceding the work itself. The work done is affordable and replicable, encouraging community members and organizations to initiate similar projects and providing the tools for them to do so. Volunteers are mentored by experienced professionals and are eligible for continuing education credits. The event is documented and becomes part of the Historic Green virtual resource library, including photo, video and detail drawings.
Kansas City
In Kansas City this September, Historic Green and the USGBC Central Plains Chapter created the Sustainable Urban Preservation Program as part of our national service learning effort. Under this program, Historic Green will lead 6-8 hands-on sustainable preservation projects in low-income neighborhoods across the Central Plains Region, recruiting USGBC members as project leaders and volunteers and pairing them with technical experts and community volunteers to weatherize and retrofit historic homes, community buildings and sustainable community green spaces. Through our Kansas City Service Learning Initiative, Historic Green has already hosted 2 major green retrofit events and a community garden design charrette in communities across the KC metro, and we are planning events across the metro and in Wichita for 2012 through emerging partnerships with Christmas in October, Habitat for Humanity, Metropolitan Energy Council, and other community organizations.
Benton Garden Community Planting Day
Come join us as we help build a beautiful, functional, and sustainable community garden in the lovely historic Santa Fe neighborhood. We need volunteers ready to get their hands dirty installing raised planters and native plantings. We will start at 8:30, work till 4:30, and close with a community cookout. Be sure to bring close toed shoes, a bottle of water, and PACK A LUNCH! We will have drinks and snacks onsite.
The garden is located on the northeast corner of Linwood and Benton Boulevard in the heart of Kansas City, MO.
Registration is $5 for Historic Green & USGBC members, $10 for nonmembers, and FREE for Santa Fe neighborhood residents.
UPDATE: Looks like the Google map is glitchy-- note that the event is at the northeast corner Linwood & Benton; not where the red pin is showing.
Available Spaces: 35
Minneapolis
Historic Green is participating with Rebuilding Together Twin Cities through the Historic Green student chapter. Through 2012, Historic Green will participate in various hands-on workshops, such as weatherization and radiant barrier installation in low-income neighborhoods in the Twin Cities, using our USGBC Minnesota Chapter partnership for planning leaders and volunteers.
