Best Practice Action Detail

Hastings is a designated Bike City and the addition of the Zagster bike rentals helps to promote green tourism in our city.

River Keepers work with Moorhead Parks and Recreation to offer canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. They also offer many educational events like the Red River Paddling Excursion to teach users how to appreciate and be a steward of the Red River. They also have many volunteering offerings like On-The Water-Clean up and Adopt the Red. A list of their many activities is on their website. These activities promote sustainable use of the river and provide a green tourism offering for the city. Their Board of Directors is made up of many members from organizations and businesses in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Each Year the Detroit Lakes Tourism Bureau hosts and annual Bird Festival in May. The focus is birds, wildlife and the environment.

The City of Elk River is known as "Energy City," a designation given by the state of Minnesota in 1996 to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy and act as a demonstration site for the state. As a part of this, city and Elk River Municipal Utilities staff host on average 20 tours a year to students, organizations, businesses, politicians, and even international participants. The tours include area businesses, power plants, etc.

The City promotes outdoor based tourism. The City promotes itself as the "Gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area."

Grand Marais has a variety of low-impact and green tourism businesses, including eco-tourism. Examples include canoe outfitters, fishing and backwoods guides, other quiet sports. Cook County Visitor Bureau promotes tourism generally, including the green tourism businesses.
Grand Marais has a wide variety of businesses that sell locally produced goods and promote local entrepreneurs. Artisan goods, local food, tourism economy is heavily locally focused.

A new tourism organization was started in Granite Falls called Authentic Excursions. This group brings people from outside the region (special focus on metro area) to visit Granite Falls. They intend to tour businesses, kayak on the river, eating local, and more. As part of this, the city expressed willingness to allow tours of the hydro electric plant. The hydro plant is a green resource.

There is a "Green Routes" brochure that promotes resources to green tourism and hospitality businesses from Star Island to Deer River.

Morris's Tourism website promotes the various green attractions in the city of Morris, including the Morris Wetland Management District, the US Department of Agriculture Research Center, the University of Minnesota-Morris Campus, Pomme De Terre Park, and the Horticulture Display Garden.

Morris's Tourism Board is currently soliciting proposals for agricultural and green tourism advertising campaigns.

Mounds View is one of nine partner cities that comprise Twin Cities Gateway, a Convention/Tourist/Sports Marketing consortium that promotes various attractions, activities and venues in our nine communities via a web page, tourism pamphlets, and substantive digital marketing campaigns.
Mounds View specifically promotes green tourism highlighting/spotlighting our Tree City designation and being part of and access to Rice Creek North-West Trail. We also promote our recently constructed eco-friendly splash pad and Silver View Park which features numerous outdoor recreation venues (baseball, soccer, playground, picnic area, disc golf, basketball, and pavilion with restroom) including a paved path around the Lake and the only North Metro Disc Golf Course.
The TC Gateway site provides tourist looking to adventure in hiking, biking, fishing, in-line skating, athletic recreation, or cross country skiing – the opportunities to do so by providing support for the visitor by sharing area restaurants and hotels along with our unique Filipino Village Market.
Additionally, the City; working in cooperation with Ramsey County this past year, connected our city trail system to their county system at the northeast portion of Mounds View. With the scheduled completion of a trail connection in the South West quadrant of the city occurring in 2022, the bike/trail system throughout the entire city will be complete and connected to both Ramsey County (NE and SE corners of City) and Anoka County on the NW and SW corners. This information is/will also be included in the TC Gateway promotion program.

The City of Victoria has an intense trail system that bring the user to the CBD where there is limited parking space for vehicles but many spots for bicycles to be parked. The Victoria Business Association donates a portion of its event proceeds to the City of Victoria’s Park and Recreation Scholarship fund. This is a great way to get people to come to the CBD, while promoting a healthy lifestyle.

GoCarverGo is a green initiative to promote the use of trails and parks in Carver County. You can plan a trip via bike or walking, rollerblading, etc, on the website. It is a useful tool.

The Victoria Recreation Center offers health discounts through Blue Cross Blue Shield Minnesota and ND / Ucare and Health Partners, Preferred One and Silver & Fit.

The biking/running trails connect Downtown Victoria all the way to Minneapolis. This way, people who live a greener lifestyle have the option to travel via trails to the city.

The Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau has a website that promotes a number of outdoor activities and attractions within Bloomington. Additionally, the Mall of America includes outdoor activities and attractions surrounding the mall in their visitors guide.

http://www.bloomingtonmoavisitorsguide.com/bloomingtonmoavisitorsguide/2018?pg=1#pg1

Explore Minnesota has a search function that offers multiple categories so tourists can find a variety of activities, and the website includes an option for attractions that are accessible to visitors with special considerations.

http://www.exploreminnesota.com/index.aspx

All sites promote public transportation such as light rail, buses, and shared rides as methods of getting around town.

The Recycling Center in the City of Coon Rapids draws visitors from around the region as it is a premier facility. Our Recycling Coordinator gives tours to local schools. People from the surrounding area come to the Recycling Center to use our services and programs.

The City of Duluth promotes the St. Louis River Corridor which is the world’s largest freshwater estuary. Efforts include enhancing trails connectivity, walkability. The Duluth Mayor has successfully sought reinactment of the 1/2% tourism tax to fund future development and enhancements to the the St. Louis River corridor. Businesses in the western district have rallied around the initiative to make the west area a destination for recreational activiities and commerce.

Fit City running trails are mapped per mile.

The City of Inver Grove Heights has many sustainable indoor and outdoor recreational opportunities available to residents and visitors. The City and Conventions and Visitors’ Bureau frequently promote green outdoor recreational opportunities within City Parks, trails and scenic natural areas. Outdoor recreation opportunities throughout the City include walking/biking trails, mountain bike trails, dog park, fishing, ice rinks, skateboard park, disc golf, foot golf, tennis and pickleball courts and more. The City continues to expand the 30+ mile trail network available to the community and visitors. The Veterans Memorial Community Center also provides non-residents and community members to indoor recreation programs and activities year-round. The fitness center offers health insurance discounts as well.

A partner organization, Explore Jordan, has maps of all parks the City’s multi-use trails for visitors to find and enjoy.

Explore Jordan has designed an historic walking tour, which gives tourists a detailed tour, building-by-building, of Jordan’s History.

The city has continually invested in park space, specifically in Veteran's Park and Lagoon Park, abutting the downtown area. This includes winning a MN DNR grant to install a Fishing Pier in Lagoon Park - offering plentiful recreation opportunities and green-space proximate to Jordan’s downtown businesses and attractions

The city redesigned and reconstructed its downtown infrastructure in 2014/15 by widening sidewalks, adding curb bump-outs, adding bike lanes, and installing street trees - calming traffic and providing friendlier space for Jordan’s visitors and residents.

Within one of Lake Elmo's largest public parks there is a private interpretive nature center that operates and hosts numerous sustainability and environmental educational events. The Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center is an attraction for our residents and neighboring communities. The activities and events they host promote sustainable use of our natural resources and provide a green tourism offering for the city. The city aids in advertising and promoting the nature center and its events through our weekly FRESH newsletters.

In 2012 many improvements were made to the parking lot at the Maplewood Mall with the goal of better stormwater filtration and pollutant management. The construction was completed last summer and the Mall now offers tours of their facility to spotlight the new sustainable upgrades to the location. The city of Maplewood, in partner with the Maplewood Mall management team, believe that the mall can be used as a training tool for sustainability in large business development areas.

During summer months, the Maplewood Nature Center promotes and organizes tours of the many local community gardens in the city as well as providing tours and other activities for all visitors to the center.

Nisswa prides itself on being an "outdoors" type city where trees, lakes, and fun are never far from view. We have several great businesses in town that help our citizens and visitors enjoy the outdoors. These businesses include but are not limited to Lake Fun Rentals, Boats and Beyond Rentals, Dave's Sportland Rentals, Your Boat Club, Bertha Boatworks, Life Cycle, and Martin's Sport Shop. These businesses offer rentals from boats to jet skis to bicycles and everything in between. They help us to offer the recreational and environmentally responsible equipment rentals people have come to expect from our outdoorsy community.

City collaborate and support the efforts of The North Branch Beautification Association,

The Beautification Association, through its members, volunteers and other community organizations and businesses share the common purpose of beautifying as well as preserving the physical surroundings of North Branch. The value of beautification is clearly recognized as a major factor in attracting new residents, elevating tourism and sustaining the economy. Enhancing the "curb appeal" in our area by strategic plantings, banners, hanging baskets, memorial benches & trees as well as many other projects and enhancements will benefit us all!

Cascade Meadows is a new wetland demonstration and environmental awareness complex with LEED Platinum certification. RPU is a sponsor and collaborated in several elements of the facility, including water management, solar and wind power generation, and energy efficiency improvements. RPU promotes and encourages visitors, businesses, and citizens to tour this facility to become educated on emerging green technologies that can be applied to new and renovated homes and other buildings. Rochester also promotes the Minnesota Bio Business center as a green education building.

On June 15, 2021 Stillwater became a Bird City. We will continue to promote this to drive environmental tourism

The Willmar Lakes Area Convention and Visitors Bureau actively promotes green tourism. At the what to do menu: there is summary of the regional trail systems. Kandiyohi County Trails Map, PWELC Trails Map, and Sibley State Park Trails Maps. Under the Tour Operators menu: The experience the Willmar Lakes Area 2 day self Tour. Provides links to local restaurants: 21 Fast Food, 13 Coffee shops, 10 pizza parlors, 32 Bar/Restaurants, 10 international Restaurants. Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center, and Sibley State Park are listed as Destinations. Where to stay menu list and number of overnight options.