Now, with a final gust of consent in line, the School of Environmental Studies' (SES) wind turbine will harness the earth's breeze to School District 196's benefit.

The turbine has already captured generous financial support and approval from the Apple Valley Planning Commission and City Council.

And, on Aug. 27, the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School Board unanimously approved agreements allowing the construction of the 160-foot monopole topped with a 20-kilowatt wind generator on school grounds at the Minnesota Zoo, and for the district to sell the energy it generates.

"This is an exciting time for our school," SES Principal Dan Bodette said at the meeting. "Over the years we've talked about bringing learning to life for our students, and we've talked about the possibility of having a wind turbine on our site with solar panels, but we were always hung up on the cost associated with the project."

When Dakota Electric Association offered to fund the estimated $175,000 project, which includes two 1-kilowatt solar panels, an informational kiosk and security fencing, the wind turbine became a reality. SES students have been involved in every step along the way, Bodette said.

"We've had kids involved in this project since day one. They've come and said they wanted to be involved in building the curriculum and working out how the structure is going to be developed in all the planning steps," he said.

Bodette said Dakota Electric will begin construction in early September and complete the structure by the end of the month or early October. Information about the output of the turbine and solar panels will eventually be available on the Internet.

Once up and running, it's expected to produce enough energy to power up to three average size homes, and School District 196 will sell the energy back to Dakota Electric to cover maintenance costs.

"I think it's a great idea. What better place than this school," Board Chairperson Rob Duchscher said, thanking Dakota Electric, which serves homes throughout Dakota County and other nearby counties, for its cooperation and support.

"We think it's good for kids, it's good for the environment and it'll be a real good show piece for the district," Bodette said, adding that he's already fielded inquiries about the project from other interested schools, including some in Australia and New Zealand.

At its meeting Aug. 27, the School Board also:

- Approved 7-0 a contract with BusRadio for free age-appropriate radio broadcasts for children on their bus rides to and from school. The company will, at no charge, install special radios that allow bus drivers to select programs for elementary, middle or high school students, field trips, AM or FM radio.

After hearing a presentation on the program Aug. 20, Duchscher and Director Jackie Magnuson said they received e-mails from parents concerned about the proposal. Both assured the audience the district would not be locked into playing the programs by approving the contract.

"We're not buying anything, and if we don't like this, we're not in any kind of agreement at all that says we can't just shut it off," Magnuson said.

The equipment will be installed and ready for use in buses by the end of September, District Finance Director Jeff Solomon said, rather than at the beginning of the year as previously stated.

- Accepted approximately $13,500 in grant funds for Cedar Park Elementary Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) School - one of three new elementary magnet schools in the district.

The school received $9,568 from the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board to implement an all-school project to reduce the amount of trash thrown away. The program seeks to make Cedar Park students, staff and families more aware of the waste produced at school and home, and will allow the community to see how that amount can be reduced by purchasing, using, reusing and disposing of certain products.

A $4,000 grant was awarded to Cedar Park by the Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District Board to create an outdoor learning area on the west side of the new STEM addition. The project will demonstrate how native plants used in the urban landscape can reduce the volume of water runoff, improve water quality and be an attractive alternative to traditional, non-native plant landscaping.