Upcoming Events
Deep Valley Trash Clean Up
Spend a couple hours over the weekend making an impact on the environment, locally! A collaborative effort between: Key City Bike, Blue Earth Project, Living Earth Center…and most importantly, all of YOU!
• 10am - register teams & grab supplies
• 10:15am - mission brief, then disperse on FOOT or by BIKE
• NOON - trash weigh-in & prizes
Invite your friends and family - meet at Key City Bike at 10am to register in teams of 2. Don’t worry if you don’t have a buddy yet when you get here. Folks will scour the areas of the river trail, river parks, and neighborhoods closest to the river where the trash is most likely to impact our watershed in the next few months. We'll provide a map.
Free to participate - teams will return to KCB by NOON to weigh their trash treasures. **sorted recyclables = double weight credit** Top teams will receive prizes! Last year a whopping 700lbs of litter was collected.
Please wear clothes you don’t mind getting a little dirty! We will have a limited amount of supplies available to borrow including: gloves, safety vests, trash bags, buckets, and wagons. Plan for how you will carry your bounty: buckets, bike trailers, strollers, wagons, bungee cords, kitty litter buckets + zip ties, backpacks, grabber arms…bring em if you got em!
Garden 101 Workshop
Learn the skills you need to grow a successful garden!
Whether you're a beginner or want to improve your skills, this is the workshop for you! We will cover what you need to know to get your garden up and running and share tips and tricks to help you have a bountiful harvest.
Class Size is limited, so register today!
Class is offered on our tiered pricing scale, with current registered LEC Community Gardeners eligible for the Reduced/Student price!
Tiered Pricing Scale:
$45 - Benefactor: purchase your ticket and sponsor 2 scholarship tickets
$22 - Sustainer: purchase your ticket and sponsor a reduced/student ticket
$15 - General Admission: base class price
$7 - Reduced/Student Admission: reduced pricing for students and attendees needing a reduced rate
To request a scholarship ticket, please email info@livingearthcentermn.org
Mankato Zero Waste Compost Pick Up Day
In partnership with Mankato Zero Waste it's time for the annual Compost Pickup Event!
It's a prime time for adding compost to your gardens, plants or lawns!!
You may fill up to two of your own containers of compost.
Freewill donations accepted and appreciated.
Community Farm Open House
Kick off the 2026 Growing Season with Living Earth Center and your community!
The Blue Earth County Community Farm is home to our Produce Donation Program, where volunteers help grow food that is donated to community partners such as ECHO Food Shelf, FOCP Summer Food Program, St Peter Food Shelf, and MORE!
Stop by the Community Farm any time between 1 and 4pm for farm tours and other springtime fun, including planting native plants, crafts, games, and light refreshments!
Everyone is welcome!
Event is FREE with donations greatly appreciated.
Preregistration is not required, but appreciated.
May BEC Community Farm Volunteer Day
You are invited to join us at the Community Farm from 5 -7 pm for an evening of volunteering! Many hands make light work, we will be doing seasonal farm maintenance tasks such as, planting, watering, weeding, harvesting, and more!
***BONUS***
Dinner provided by LEC!
No experience necessary! Everyone is Welcome!
Registration is not required but appreciated for meal planning.
Summer Solstice Celebration
SAVE THE DATE!!!
Plan to celebrate the longest day with your community!!
More details to follow - but you can expect a seasonal reflection, crafts, entertainment, and more!!
Event is free, with freewill donations greatly appreciated!
Preregistration is not required, but also appreciated.
June BEC Community Farm Volunteer Day
You are invited to join us at the Community Farm from 5 -7 pm for an evening of volunteering! Many hands make light work, we will be doing seasonal farm maintenance tasks such as, planting, watering, weeding, harvesting, and more!
***BONUS***
Dinner provided by LEC!
No experience necessary! Everyone is Welcome!
Registration is not required but appreciated for meal planning.
July BEC Community Farm Volunteer Day
You are invited to join us at the Community Farm from 5 -7 pm for an evening of volunteering! Many hands make light work, we will be doing seasonal farm maintenance tasks such as, planting, watering, weeding, harvesting, and more!
***BONUS***
Dinner provided by LEC!
No experience necessary! Everyone is Welcome!
Registration is not required but appreciated for meal planning.
August BEC Community Farm Volunteer Day
You are invited to join us at the Community Farm from 5 -7 pm for an evening of volunteering! Many hands make light work, we will be doing seasonal farm maintenance tasks such as, planting, watering, weeding, harvesting, and more!
***BONUS***
Dinner provided by LEC!
No experience necessary! Everyone is Welcome!
Registration is not required but appreciated for meal planning.
September BEC Community Farm Volunteer Day
You are invited to join us at the Community Farm from 5 -7 pm for an evening of volunteering! Many hands make light work, we will be doing seasonal farm maintenance tasks such as, planting, watering, weeding, harvesting, and more!
***BONUS***
Dinner provided by LEC!
No experience necessary! Everyone is Welcome!
Registration is not required but appreciated for meal planning.
LEC News and Updates
The third season of LEC's Seed to Sauce Program has begun! We have been meeting with student groups starting seeds and talking about growing healthy foods and being good stewards of the land.
Already we have met with groups from Head Start and Jefferson Elementary (pictured here), with more groups scheduled throughout the spring. We are on par to match last year's total of over 1,000 individual student participants again this year!
On April 2nd, each and every student at Jefferson took part in a Seed to Sauce workshop where they started two seeds...
Come and work with us at Living Earth Center!!
Our beloved current Program Manager Cora is moving on to new adventures and so we find ourselves in need of a new Youth Education and Program Manager!If you, or someone you know, have experience working with youth education programming, planning and coordinating events, or both - we invite you to apply!
Want to garden but don't have the space?
Join us at the Living Earth Center Community Garden at Good Counsel - registration for the 2026 season is now open!
Both Returning and New Gardeners Register NOW!!
Plots are 10'x10' and include access to tools, water, and compost. Fee is $40 for one plot, and $10 for each additional plot. Scholarships are available - no one is ever turned away for the inability to pay!
