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Implement IT efforts and city employee engagement to reduce plug loads, building energy use and workflow efficiency.

Improve the operations & maintenance of city-owned/school buildings and leased buildings by using a customized online energy efficiency tool, asset management tool, green building framework or green lease.

Install for one or more city-owned/school buildings one of the following efficiency measures:

Create or participate in a marketing/outreach/incentive program to promote/achieve residential energy/water use reduction and energy efficiency.

Integrate green building and EV charging best practices information and assistance into the building permit process.

Conserve/protect drinking/groundwater resources by creating a water-wise landscaping ordinance/guidance, WaterSense purchasing program, or guidance on rainwater harvesting and home water softener use.

Provide a financial or other incentive to private parties who add energy/sustainability improvements, meet the SB 2030 energy standard, or renovate using a green building or energy framework.

Customize a model sustainable building renovation policy that includes the SB 2030 energy standard and adopt the language to govern private renovation projects that:

Require by city policy that new city-owned buildings be built using the SB 2030 energy standard and/or a green building framework.

Work with the local school district to ensure that future new schools are built using the SB 2030 energy standard and/or a green building framework.

Adopt a sustainable building policy for private buildings; include the SB 2030 energy standard; adopt language governing new development projects that:

Provide a financial or other incentive to private parties who build new buildings that utilize the SB 2030 energy standard and/or a green building framework.

Adopt environmentally preferable covenant guidelines for new common interest communities addressing issues such as stormwater, greywater, native vegetation, growing food, clothes lines, electric vehicle charging, and renewable energy.

Replace the city's existing street lighting with Dark Sky-compliant LEDs, modifying any city franchise/utility agreement and adding smart grid attributes.

Create/modify a green residential remodeling assistance/financing program to assist homeowners in adding space or features such as EV charging, renewables to their existing homes.

Adopt development/design standards and programs that facilitate infill, redevelopment, and adaptable buildings.

Adopt a comprehensive plan or (for Category B & C cities) adopt a future land use plan that was adopted by the county or a regional entity.

Include requirements in comprehensive and/or other plans for intergovernmental coordination addressing regional land use and watershed / wellhead impacts, infrastructure, transportation, economic development and city/regional services.

Include ecological provisions in the comprehensive plan that explicitly aim to minimize open space fragmentation and/or establish a growth area with expansion criteria.

Adopt climate mitigation and/or energy independence goals and objectives in the comprehensive plan or in a separate policy document, and include transportation recommendations such as becoming an EV-ready city.

Organize or participate in a community planning/placemaking/design process for the city/a mixed-use district, including specific community engagement practices that engage cultural and income diverse community members.

Modify a planned unit development (PUD) ordinance to emphasize or require mixed-use development or affordable housing, to limit residential PUDs to areas adjacent to commercial development, and/or to add sustainability features.

Participate in regional economic development planning with representatives from surrounding townships, cities, the county and business interests to:

Adopt infrastructure design standards that protect the economic and ecologic functions of the highway corridor through clustering of development, native plantings and incorporating access management standards.

Conduct a Natural Resource Inventory or Assessment (NRI or NRA); incorporate protection of priority natural systems or resources such as groundwater through the subdivision or development process.

For cities within metropolitan areas, incorporate woodland best management practices addressing protection of wooded areas into zoning or development review.

Adopt a conservation design policy; use a conservation design tool for pre-design meetings with developers and for negotiating development agreements in cities with undeveloped natural resource areas.

Conserve natural, cultural, historic resources by adopting or amending city codes and ordinances to support sustainable sites, including roadsides, and environmentally protective land use development.

Adopt a complete streets policy, or a living streets policy, which addresses landscaping and stormwater.

Adopt zoning language or approve a skinny street/development project that follows green street and/or walkable streets principles.

Modify a street in compliance with the city's complete streets policy.

Certify as a Tree City USA.

Adopt best practices for urban tree planting/quality; require them in private developments and/or use them in at least one development project.

Budget for and achieve resilient urban canopy/tree planting goals.

Maximize tree planting along your main downtown street or throughout the city.

Adopt a tree preservation or native landscaping ordinance.

Build community capacity to protect existing trees by one or more of:

Adopt and use Minnesota's Minimal Impact Design Standards (MIDS).

Complete the GreenStep Municipal Stormwater Management Assessment.

Adopt by ordinance one or more of the following stormwater infiltration/management strategies to reduce impervious surface:

Adopt and implement guidelines or design standards/incentives for at least one of the following stormwater infiltration/reuse practices:

Adopt low-impact design standards in parks and trails that infiltrate or retain all 2 inch, 24-hour stormwater events on site.

Create park/city land management standards/practices that maximize at least one of the following:

Develop a program to involve community members in hands-on land restoration, invasive species management and stewardship projects.

Conduct or support multi-party community conversations, assessments, plans and actions around improving local water quality and quantity.

Adopt and publicly report on measurable surface water improvement targets for lake, river, wetland and ditches.

Adopt a shoreland ordinance for all river and lake shoreland areas.

Adopt goals to revegetate shoreland and create a local program or outreach effort to help property owners with revegetation.

Reduce flooding damage and costs through the National Flood Insurance Programs and the NFIP’s Community Rating System.

Plan and budget for motor maintenance and upgrades to assure the most energy efficient, durable and appropriate equipment is available when upgrades or breakdowns occur.

Establish an on-going budget and program for decreasing inflow and infiltration into sewer lines and losses in drinking water systems.

Implement a wastewater plant efficiency project (co-generation, water reuse) or a program for local private business operations (water conservation, water reuse, business co-location).

Work with homeowners and businesses in environmentally sensitive areas and areas where standard septic systems are not the least-cost option to promote innovative waste water systems, including central sewer extensions.

Arrange for assistance to commercial, retail and industrial businesses with water use reduction, pollution prevention and pretreatment prior to discharge to septics.

Public Education for Action: Conduct or support a broad sustainability education and action campaign, building on existing community relationships, networks & events involving:

Conduct or participate in a buy local campaign for community members and local businesses.

Adopt wind energy and/or biomass ordinances that allow, enable, or encourage appropriate renewable energy installations.

Promote resident/business purchases and/or generation of clean energy by:

Promote financing and incentive programs, such as PACE, for clean energy:

Support a community solar garden or help community members participate in a community solar project by:

Install a public sector/municipally-owned renewable energy technology, such as solar electric (PV), wind, biomass, solar hot water/air, or micro-hydro.

Report installed private sector-owned renewable energy/energy efficient generation capacity with at least one of the following attributes:

Protect working landscapes - agriculture and forestry - by adopting an ordinance or incentivizing one or more of the following:

Facilitate creation of home/community gardens, chicken & bee keeping, and incorporation of food growing areas/access in multifamily and residential developments.

Create, assist with and promote local food production/distribution within the city:

Measurably increase institutional buying and sales of foods and fibers that are local, Minnesota-grown, organic, healthy, humanely raised, and grown by fairly compensated growers.

Assess, plan for, and enhance the community’s local food system.

Require, build or facilitate at least four sustainability attributes in a business/industrial park project:

Use 21st century ecodistrict tools to structure, guide and link multiple green and sustainable projects together in a mixed-use neighborhood/development, or innovation district, aiming to deliver superior social, environmental and economic outcomes.

Prepare to maintain public health and safety during extreme weather and climate-change-related events, while also taking a preventive approach to reduce risk for community members.

Integrate climate resilience into city or tribal planning, policy, operations, and budgeting processes.

Increase social connectedness through engagement, capacity building, public investment, and opportunities for economically vulnerable residents to improve their economic prosperity and resilience to climate change.

Encourage private sector action and incentivize investment in preventive approaches that reduce risk and minimize impacts of extreme weather and the changing climate for human health and the built environment.

Protect public buildings and natural/constructed infrastructure to reduce physical damage and sustain their function during extreme weather events.

Reduce the urban heat impacts of public buildings, sites, and infrastructure and provide resiliency co-benefits.

Protect water supply and wastewater treatment facilities to reduce physical damage and sustain their function during extreme weather events.

Improve local energy resilience by minimizing fuel poverty, installing distributed renewable energy systems, and developing microgrids that can improve energy system resiliency.