City Detail

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Demonstrate that regulatory ordinances comply with the comprehensive plan including but not limited to having the zoning ordinance explicitly reference the comprehensive plan as the foundational document for decision making.

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.

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

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

Conduct an Active Living campaign such as a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program.

Prominently promote mobility options: public transit; paratransit/Dial-A-Ride; cab services; rental cars; bike lanes; trails; airports.

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

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:

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

Certify as a Tree City USA.

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:

Create a stormwater utility that uses variable fees to incentivize stormwater infiltration, minimize the volume of and pollutants in runoff, and educate property owners and renters on the importance of managing stormwater runoff.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Install, assist with and promote publicly available EV charging stations or public fueling stations for alternative fuel vehicles. 

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.

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.

Create or participate in a marketing/outreach program to connect businesses with assistance providers, including utilities, who provide personalized energy, waste or sustainability audits and assistance.

Lower the environmental and health risk footprint of a brownfield remediation/redevelopment project beyond regulatory requirements; report brightfield projects.

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

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.

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.