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Enter/update government-owned building information and monthly usage data into the MN B3 Benchmarking database, and utilize building/energy audits to identify potential improvements.

Make no/low cost indoor lighting and operational changes in city-owned/school buildings to reduce energy costs.

Invest in larger energy efficiency projects through performance contracting or other funding or through smaller retro-commissioning/retrofit projects in city-owned/school buildings.

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

Document that the new construction or major remodeling of a public building has met the SB 2030 energy standard or has met or qualified under a green building or energy framework.

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:

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

Require energy efficient, Dark-Sky compliant new or replacement outdoor lighting fixtures on city-owned/private buildings and facilities.

Purchase LEDs for all future street lighting and traffic signals.

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

Coordinate traffic signals and/or optimize signal timing to minimize car idling at intersections yet maintain safe and publicly acceptable vehicle speeds.

Use LED/solar-powered lighting for a flashing sign or in a street, parking lot or park project.

Relamp/improve exterior building lighting for city-owned buildings/facilities with energy efficient, Dark-Sky compliant lighting.

Replace city-owned parking lot/ramp lighting with Dark-Sky compliant, energy efficient, automatic dimming lighting technologies.

Replace the city's existing traffic signal indications with LEDs.

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.

Locate or lease a property for use as a school, city building or other government facility that has at least two of these attributes:

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.

For cities outside or on the fringe of metropolitan areas, conduct a build-out analysis, fiscal impact study, or adopt an urban growth boundary and a consistent capital improvement plan that provides long-term protection of natural resources and natural systems, and agricultural practices outside the boundary.

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

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

Identify, prioritize and remedy complete streets gaps and lack of connectivity/safety within your road network by, for example, bike/pedestrian plan, adding a bike route/lane, truck route, sidewalk or mid-block alley.

Identify and remedy street-trail gaps between city streets and off-road trails/bike trails to better facilitate walking and biking.

Implement traffic calming policy/measures, including lane conversions (road diets), roundabouts, low-speed streets, shared space and depaving, in at least one street redevelopment project.

Increase walking, biking and transit use by one or more of the following means:

Promote carpooling, ridesharing, carsharing, and bikesharing. 

Implement workplace multi-modal transportation best management practices - including telework/flexwork - in city government, businesses or at a local health care provider.

Add/expand public transit service.

Efficiently use your existing fleet of city vehicles by encouraging trip bundling, video conferencing, carpooling, vehicle sharing and incentives/technology.

Right-size/down-size the city fleet with the most fuel-efficient vehicles that are of an optimal size and capacity for their intended functions.

Phase-in operational changes, equipment changes including electric vehicles, and no-idling practices for city or local transit fleets.

Phase in bike, e-bike, foot or horseback modes for police, inspectors and other city staff.

Retrofit city diesel engines or install auxiliary power units and/or electrified parking spaces, utilizing Project GreenFleet or the like.

Reduce or eliminate parking minimums; add parking maximums; develop district parking; install meters and charge for parking at curb and city-owned lots/ramps. 

Require new developments or redevelopments to prepare a travel demand management plan or transit-oriented development standards or LEED for Neighborhood Development certification.

Adopt a sustainable purchasing policy or administrative guidelines/practices directing that the city purchase at least:

Purchase energy used by city government - via the municipal utility, green tags, community solar garden, 3rd party - with a higher renewable percentage than required by Minnesota law.

Establish purchasing preferences that support local, Minority, Disability, and Women-Owned businesses and, working with a local business association, develop a list of locally-produced products and suppliers for common purchases.

Require purchase of U.S. EPA WaterSense-certified products.

Set minimum sustainability standards to reduce the impact of your concrete use, asphalt, roadbed aggregate, or other construction materials.

Require printing services to be purchased from companies participating in Printing Industry Midwest’s Great Green Printer initiative, or certified by the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership.

Lower the environmental footprint of meetings and events in the city.

Use national green standards/guidelines for purchasing/investments such as cleaning products, furniture, flooring/coatings.

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.

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

Conduct a tree inventory or canopy study for public and private trees.

Complete the GreenStep Municipal Stormwater Management Assessment.

Improve smart-salting by reducing chloride use in winter maintenance and dust suppressants to prevent permanent surfacewater and groundwater pollution.

Make improvements within your city's system of parks, offroad trails and open spaces.

Plan and budget for a network of parks, green spaces, water features and trails for areas where new development is planned.

Achieve minimum levels of city green space and maximize the percent within a ten-minute walk of community members.

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:

Document that the operation and maintenance, or construction / remodeling, of at least one park building used an asset management tool, the SB 2030 energy standard, or a green building framework.

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

Compare the energy use and financial performance of your facilities with other peer facilities using standardized, free tools.

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.

Optimize energy and chemical use at drinking water/wastewater facilities and decrease chloride in wastewater discharges.

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).

Create a demand-side pricing program to reduce demands on water and wastewater systems.

Improve city operations and procurement to prevent and reuse, recycle and compost waste from all public facilities (including libraries, parks, schools, municipal health care facilities), and minimize use of toxics and generation of hazardous waste.

Address concerns over consumer products and packaging through encouragement/implementation of one or more of:

Improve profitability, legal compliance and conserve resources through adoption of ordinance language, licensing and resource management contracts.

Improve recycling services and expand to multi-unit housing and commercial businesses.

Improve/organize residential trash, recycling and organics collection by private and/or public operations and offer significant volume-based pricing on residential garbage and/or incentives for recycling.

Communicating Progress on Goals: Organize goals/outcome measures from all city plans (social, environmental, economic) and report to community members data that show progress toward meeting these goals.

Measuring Outcomes: Engage community members and partners in identifying, measuring, and reporting progress on key sustainability and social indicators/ including energy use/greenhouse gas emissions, social vitality/social inclusion outcome measures.

Engaging the Next Generation: Engage wide representation of community youth and college students by creating opportunities to participate in city government (including commissions).

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

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.

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.