City Detail

Enter/update building information into the MN B3 Benchmarking database, and routinely enter monthly usage data for all city-owned buildings/infrastructure that consume energy/water.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Establish design goals for at least one highway/auto-oriented corridor/cluster.

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.

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

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.

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:

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Consistently monitor surface water quality/clarity and report findings to community members.

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.

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

Adopt a subsurface sewage treatment system ordinance based on the Association of Minnesota Counties' model ordinance.

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:

Publicize, promote and use the varied businesses/services collecting and marketing used, repaired and rental consumer goods, especially electronics, in the city/county.

Arrange for a residential and/or business/institutional source-separated organics collection/management program.

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

Reduce residential burning of wood and yard waste and eliminate ‘backyard’ trash burning.

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.

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

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:

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.

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