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.
- Action 1:City Detail
Background Information
City Assessment Files and City Performance Metrics
City councils pass a resolution to join the GreenStep program and are recognized at Step 1. Step 2 and Step 3 recognition levels reflect completed city actions, reported and rated below with stars (1 star = good, 2 stars = better, 3 stars = best). The Assessment File below summarizes completed city actions in a short Word file. Step 4 recognition is awarded to cities who report a minimum number of core metrics for the previous calendar year. These metrics aim to show the aggregate, quantitative results of taking multiple GreenStep actions. Step 5 cities show improvement in the Step 4 metrics. See yearly data for Steps 4&5. Additional city data can be found by reviewing information on B3 Benchmarking and Regional Indicators Initiative.
Assessment File
Metrics Files
Best Practice Actions Underway and Completed
Completed actions are denoted by stars.
Total completed actions: 63Buildings and Lighting
Efficient Existing Public Buildings {BP no.1}
Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Make no/low cost indoor lighting and operational changes in city-owned/school buildings to reduce energy costs.
- Action 2:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Invest in larger energy efficiency projects through performance contracting or other funding or through smaller retro-commissioning/retrofit projects in city-owned/school buildings.
- Action 3:Reservation and implementing a large 22 building Guaranteed Energy Savings Project that could save LLBO over $800,000 in energy savings and 9,839 metric tons of GHG emissions per year.
Brandy Toft (Community volunteer) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Implement IT efforts and city employee engagement to reduce plug loads, building energy use and workflow efficiency.
- Action 4:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
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.
- Action 5:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Install for one or more city-owned/school buildings one of the following efficiency measures:
- Action 7:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Efficient Existing Private Buildings {BP no.2}
Create or participate in a marketing/outreach/incentive program to promote/achieve residential energy/water use reduction and energy efficiency.
- Action 1:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Integrate green building and EV charging best practices information and assistance into the building permit process.
- Action 2:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Describe energy/water efficiency outcomes and other green building practices at businesses and not-for-profit organizations located within/nearby the city.
- Action 4:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
New Green Buildings {BP no.3}
Require by city policy that new city-owned buildings be built using the SB 2030 energy standard and/or a green building framework.
- Action 1:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Adopt environmentally preferable covenant guidelines for new common interest communities addressing issues such as stormwater, greywater, native vegetation, growing food, clothes lines, electric vehicle charging, and renewable energy.
- Action 5:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Efficient Outdoor Lighting and Signals {BP no.4}
Require energy efficient, Dark-Sky compliant new or replacement outdoor lighting fixtures on city-owned/private buildings and facilities.
- Action 1:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Use LED/solar-powered lighting for a flashing sign or in a street, parking lot or park project.
- Action 5:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Land Use
Comprehensive, Climate and Energy Plans {BP no.6}
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.
- Action 1:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
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.
- Action 2:Brandy Toft (Community volunteer) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Include requirements in comprehensive and/or other plans for intergovernmental coordination addressing regional land use and watershed / wellhead impacts, infrastructure, transportation, economic development and city/regional services.
- Action 3:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Mixed Uses {BP no.8}
Locate or lease a property for use as a school, city building or other government facility that has at least two of these attributes:
- Action 2:Shared parking and childcare facilities have been completed for multiple locations on the reservation. Tribal college construction trades practices and implementation into program. There are multiple facilities within the 11 communities on Leech Lake that are located within walking distance of transit and residential zoning. We have a continuous effort to renovate buildings on the reservation.
Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Efficient Highway- and Auto-Oriented Development {BP no.9}
Participate in regional economic development planning with representatives from surrounding townships, cities, the county and business interests to:
- Action 2:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Design for Natural Resource Conservation {BP no.10}
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.
- Action 1:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Adopt a conservation design policy; use a conservation design tool for pre-design meetings with developers and for negotiating development agreements in cities with undeveloped natural resource areas.
- Action 4:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Transportation
Mobility Options {BP no.12}
Conduct an Active Living campaign such as a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program.
- Action 2:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Implement workplace multi-modal transportation best management practices - including telework/flexwork - in city government, businesses or at a local health care provider.
- Action 5:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Add/expand public transit service.
- Action 6:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Efficient City Fleets {BP no.13}
Efficiently use your existing fleet of city vehicles by encouraging trip bundling, video conferencing, carpooling, vehicle sharing and incentives/technology.
- Action 1:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Document that the local school bus fleet has optimized routes, start times, boundaries, vehicle efficiency and fuels, driver actions to cut costs including idling reduction, and shifting students from the bus to walking, biking and city transit.
- Action 5:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Retrofit city diesel engines or install auxiliary power units and/or electrified parking spaces, utilizing Project GreenFleet or the like.
- Action 6:Brandy Toft (Community volunteer) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Environmental Management
Sustainable Purchasing {BP no.15}
Adopt a sustainable purchasing policy or administrative guidelines/practices directing that the city purchase at least:
- Action 1:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Require purchase of U.S. EPA WaterSense-certified products.
- Action 4:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Community Forests and Soils {BP no.16}
Maximize tree planting along your main downtown street or throughout the city.
- Action 4:Adopt a tree preservation or native landscaping ordinance.
- Action 5:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Stormwater Management {BP no.17}
Adopt and implement guidelines or design standards/incentives for at least one of the following stormwater infiltration/reuse practices:
- Action 5:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Parks and Trails {BP no.18}
Make improvements within your city's system of parks, offroad trails and open spaces.
- Action 1:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Plan and budget for a network of parks, green spaces, water features and trails for areas where new development is planned.
- Action 2:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Create park/city land management standards/practices that maximize at least one of the following:
- Action 5:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Develop a program to involve community members in hands-on land restoration, invasive species management and stewardship projects.
- Action 8:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Surface Water {BP no.19}
Conduct or support multi-party community conversations, assessments, plans and actions around improving local water quality and quantity.
- Action 2:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Adopt and publicly report on measurable surface water improvement targets for lake, river, wetland and ditches.
- Action 3:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Adopt a shoreland ordinance for all river and lake shoreland areas.
- Action 4:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Efficient Water and Wastewater Systems {BP no.20}
Compare the energy use and financial performance of your facilities with other peer facilities using standardized, free tools.
- Action 1:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Septic Systems {BP no.21}
Report to landowners suspected noncompliant or failing septic systems as part of an educational, informational and financial assistance and outreach program designed to trigger voluntary landowner action to improve septic systems.
- Action 1:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Create a program to finance septic system upgrades.
- Action 5:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Work with homeowners and businesses in environmentally sensitive areas and areas where standard septic systems are not the least-cost option to promote innovative waste water systems, including central sewer extensions.
- Action 6:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Sustainable Consumption and Waste {BP no.22}
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.
- Action 1:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Improve profitability, legal compliance and conserve resources through adoption of ordinance language, licensing and resource management contracts.
- Action 3:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Arrange for a residential and/or business/institutional source-separated organics collection/management program.
- Action 5:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Local Air Quality {BP no.23}
Replace small internal combustion engine lawn and garden equipment (e.g. lawnmowers, weed whips, etc.) with lower polluting equipment.
- Action 1:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Reduce residential burning of wood and yard waste and eliminate ‘backyard’ trash burning.
- Action 2:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Decrease air emissions from vehicle idling, gasoline filling stations, business trucking, and pollutants/noise from stationary engines/back-up generators.
- Action 3:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Resilient Economic and Community Development
Benchmarks and Community Engagement {BP no.24}
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.
- Action 1:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
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.
- Action 2:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
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.
- Action 3:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Public Education for Action: Conduct or support a broad sustainability education and action campaign, building on existing community relationships, networks & events involving:
- Action 4:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Planning with a Purpose: Conduct a community visioning and planning initiative that engages a diverse set of community members & stakeholders and uses a sustainability, resilience, or environmental justice framework such as:
- Action 5:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Green Business Development {BP no.25}
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.
- Action 2:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Promote sustainable tourism in your city, and green tourism resources to tourism and hospitality businesses in/around the city.
- Action 3:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Lower the environmental and health risk footprint of a brownfield remediation/redevelopment project beyond regulatory requirements; report brightfield projects.
- Action 5:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Conduct or participate in a buy local campaign for community members and local businesses.
- Action 7:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Renewable Energy {BP no.26}
Install a public sector/municipally-owned renewable energy technology, such as solar electric (PV), wind, biomass, solar hot water/air, or micro-hydro.
- Action 5:The LLAP continues our sustainability efforts by working to install 200Kw solar PV on the
Reservation.
Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Local Food {BP no.27}
Protect working landscapes - agriculture and forestry - by adopting an ordinance or incentivizing one or more of the following:
- Action 1:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Facilitate creation of home/community gardens, chicken & bee keeping, and incorporation of food growing areas/access in multifamily and residential developments.
- Action 2:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Create, assist with and promote local food production/distribution within the city:
- Action 3:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429
Climate Adaptation and Community Resilience {BP no.29}
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.
- Action 1:We have 14 Weather Warn Sirens that send out voice and tones. Not bi-lingual.
We have 12 shelter sites identified with the American Red Cross, some have power back up and food and some do not. We usually rely on the Casinos to cater food in and they all have back up. We also have a store of bottled water kept on hand with a local bottle company- 2 pallets on hand donated at all times, plus the casino stores more water than it needs to keep on hand in case of emergency, another 2 pallets.
Duane Oothoudt (City staff) | Duane.Oothoudt@llpolice.org | 2187660280
Improve local energy resilience by minimizing fuel poverty, installing distributed renewable energy systems, and developing microgrids that can improve energy system resiliency.
- Action 8:Brandy Toft (City staff) | air@lldrm.org | 218-335-7429