Inclusive and Coordinated Decision-Making: Use a city commission or committee to lead, coordinate, report to and engage community members on the identification and equitable implementation of sustainability best practices.

Forming a Green Team:

• The GreenStep BPA 24.1 Resource Guide provides information on committee structures & membership, roles & tasks, and tips for creating & maintaining successful committees.  
• Find examples of green teams and commissions across Minnesota on the Minnesota Sustainability Index. 
• Tim Sandry, first chair of the City of Bloomington Sustainability Commission shares a PowerPoint on commission formation and lessons learned. 
• The Sustainability Planning Toolkit (ICLEI, 2009) provides information on “Forming a Team” (starting on pg. 17) for developing a Sustainability Plan but it is also useful for a GreenStep Green Team. 
• The University of Minnesota Morris and the surrounding community created the “MN Morris Model” to work on sustainability, resilience, and climate change.

Green Team Work Plans & Activities: 

• The GreenStep Green Team Work Plans cover tips for creating and maintaining successful green teams and much more: case studies, testimonials, and step-by-step guidance on how Green Teams might move forward on: 
  • 2021 Edition: Benchmarks & Community Engagement (BP 24)
  • 2020 Edition: Benchmarking Public Buildings (BP 1.1) and Comprehensive and Related Plans (BP 6)
• Empower you environmental/sustainability committees to be more effective at making your city more sustainable, resilient, and equitable by advocating for an environmental focus throughout the city’s development review process by using the Addressing the Sustainability Gap in the Development Review Process (GSC and Michael Orange, 2021). The guide has 8 main sections: climate change future - a call to action; the third “E” in Sustainability - equity, and climate refugees; environmental advocacy and the development review process; Minnesota programs for local governments; municipal development code; 2 case studies; and resources.  
• The City of Bloomington’s Sustainability Commission - meets annually with their City Council to review progress achieved over the last year and to receive feedback and suggestions from Council Members for their proposed annual work plan for the year to come.

Sustainability Coordinators: 

• Cities interested in using a college student intern to assist with one or more tasks - joining the GreenStep program, creating a green team, reporting on GreenStep actions completed, and working on new actions - should approach their local educational institution and use the GreenStep Intern Manual. Cities that need help in connecting with a local post-secondary school should contact their regional CERTs director. Some cities have worked with a local high school, whose students often can assist a city under a school-required service learning agreement.
• The MN Association for Volunteer Administration has trainings and other resources to help a city engage citizens through the use of volunteers.
• The Blandin Community Leadership Program trains leaders from rural Minnesota communities. 

Diversity & Equity: 

• The Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) is a national network of government working to achieve racial equity and advance opportunities for all.
• See the International City and County Managers Association (ICMA) Sustainability Through an Equity Lens, an Introduction (2021), and Governing for Equity: implementing an equity lens in local governments (2020). 
• Join the Intercultural Cities Programme - an entry point for assessing diversity and awareness on human rights in your community. You can start with the Intercultural Citizenship Test. 
• See the University of Minnesota Extension Creating a Welcoming Community: A Toolkit to Support Immigrants, Refugees, and BIPOC.