Home   |   About   |   Best Practices   |   Steps 1-5   |   Recognition   |   All Cities   |   Ordinances   |  City log-in   |   Contact           Stay Connected

    City of Pine River  


Background Information

County:   Cass
Population:   928
GreenStep City category:   B

Full-time equivalent city staff (approx.):   7

Participating township, county, school:


GreenStep City resolution:   Click here to view the file.
GreenStep City status and date:   STEP 2 (06/20/2014)

GreenStep Coordinator

Quinn Swanson
Community volunteer
quinn@hugllc.com
218-587-5001

City web page relating to sustainability/GreenStep activities:
http://www.pinerivergreensteps.org


Best Practice Actions Underway and Completed

Completed actions are denoted by stars. Mouse over a star for its definition.
Total completed actions: 14     1-star actions: 8     2-star actions: 5     3-star actions: 1    

[ Open all action reports ]

[ View/print full city report ]







Buildings and Lighting   Buildings and Lighting

Efficient Existing Public Buildings
{ BP no. 1 }

pending pending Star rating not yet assigned to city Action 1: Enter building information into the Minnesota B3 Benchmarking database and routinely enter monthly energy, water use data for all city-owned buildings.     [Click here for self-reported city details ]  

Implement changes in one poorer-performing building and summarize the actions taken: switch to LED lights; updating temperature, ventilation and lighting schedules and setbacks; occupancy sensors on lights/automated light dimmers; installing building-wide computer and office equipment power management software; assigning responsibility for turning off manual lights and other shared equipment; assuring that routine HVAC maintenance schedules are thorough and implemented at appropriate intervals; revising janitorial schedules to day-time hours; adjusting janitorial responsibilities to include regular cleaning of sensors, lamps and HVAC vents; installing lower-flow faucet aerators, dish sprayers, and showerheads to reduce hot water use.
Complete 1 Star criterion for two buildings. Post the Print Screen of the Baseline tab for one of the buildings with the Energy gauge showing at least a 5% decrease in energy use compared to the baseline period [12 months immediately prior to implementing changes]. Continue fine-tuning operations and maintenance procedures and monitoring energy usage to identify opportunities for additional savings.
Complete 1 and 2 Star criteria for two buildings. Use B3 to report at least a 10% decrease in energy use compared to the baseline period.
 Action 2: Make no/low cost indoor lighting and operational changes in city-owned/school buildings to reduce energy costs.     [Click here for self-reported city details ]  
Efficient Outdoor Lighting and Signals
{ BP no. 4 }

Replace 1/3 of city's existing traffic signals.
Replace 2/3 of city's existing traffic signals; replace half and document savings.
Replace 100% of city's existing traffic signals.
 Action 8: Replace the city's existing traffic signals with LEDs.     [Click here for self-reported city details ]  
Land Use   Land Use

Comprehensive, Climate and Energy Plans
{ BP no. 6 }

Adopt a comp plan/amended comp plan that is less than ten years old or adopt a land use plan that was adopted by the county or a regional entity less than 15 years ago, or Category B & C cities may adopt a city vision that looks at least 20 years into the future.
Include in your plan a sustainability section/chapter, an active living/placemaking/bike-ped section, or integrate sustainability goals and strategies into all chapters of your comprehensive plan, or articulate land development principles for creating a complete, compact and connected community. Report climate protection or energy independence goals and objectives under action 6.5
Adopt a development goal that new/infill projects generate enough tax revenue to pay for the related public infrastructure maintenance/replacement over multiple life cycles; reference a capital improvement plan that catalogues public system maintenance obligations by date and cost; create 'green zones' that focus environmental improvements in under-served areas of the city; adopt the Precautionary Principle.
 Action 1: Adopt a comprehensive plan or (for Category B & C cities) adopt a land use plan that was adopted by the county or a regional entity.     [Click here for self-reported city details ]  

pending pending Star rating not yet assigned to city Action 2: 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.     [Click here for self-reported city details ]  
Efficient Highway- and Auto-Oriented Development
{ BP no. 9 }

Establish regular or as-needed meetings to include local chambers of commerce and local governmental units.
Adopt a joint powers agreement or the like that formalizes regional economic development/land use planning.
Document regional estimated needs and staging criteria. Report adopted adequate public facilities ordinances under action 9.4
 Action 2: Participate in regional economic development planning with representatives from surrounding townships, cities, the county and business interests to:     [Click here for self-reported city details ] a. Estimate commercial/industrial needs among all jurisdictions.

b. Jointly implement recommendations to stage highway/auto-oriented commercial development in order to avoid overbuilding and expensive low-density development.
Transportation   Transportation

Mobility Options
{ BP no. 12 }

Describe elements of a SRTS program in which the city is involved; note how many schools are affected, how the program addresses evaluation, encouragement, education, engineering, and enforcement, and whether the city worked in concert with the local community health board. Report shared use agreements between cities and school parks under action 18.1
Describe key elements of your non-SRTS efforts, such as which actions you are challenging which number of people/organizations to take, and how long the campaign is/will run; report collaboration/funding from your local Community Health Board (SHIP funding); host an Open Streets or Ciclovias event to temporarily make a street a pedestrian-only zone.
Report outcome measures, such as increased walking/biking in the community, improved health outcomes, percent student body covered by SRTS programming, and school bus fuel savings.
 Action 2: Conduct an Active Living campaign such as a Safe Routes to School program.     [Click here for self-reported city details ]  

Page on chamber of commerce site includes links to one or more services.
Page on city web site includes links to one or more services; note discounts for different populations (children, students, elderly, low-income).
Information includes or has easy links to costs, routes, operation hours, etc.; promote interconnections among different services.
 Action 3: Prominently identify mobility options: transit; paratransit/Dial-A-Ride; ridesharing/cab services; rental cars; bikes.     [Click here for self-reported city details ]  
Environmental Management   Environmental Management

Sustainable Purchasing
{ BP no. 15 }

Have a written policy/guidelines/practices specifying at minimum the purchase of Energy Star equipment/appliances and recycled-content paper (at least 30% post-consumer). Report street lighting/traffic signal policy/purchases under action 4.2; vehicle policy/purchases under 13.2 and 13.3
Have a formal policy adopted by the city council; note if this includes centralized purchasing into one office/person.
For the city’s top 10 categories of spend, track the purchases of sustainable products/services purchased annually compared to non-sustainable products/services purchased; join with other cities in joint purchasing of environmentally preferable products and summarize EPP purchases.
 Action 1: Adopt a sustainable purchasing policy or administrative guidelines/practices directing that the city purchase at least:     [Click here for self-reported city details ] a. EnergyStar certified equipment and appliances and

b. Paper containing at least 30% post-consumer recycled content.
Urban Forests and Soils
{ BP no. 16 }

pending pending Star rating not yet assigned to city Action 4: Maximize tree planting along your main downtown street or throughout the city.     [Click here for self-reported city details ]  
Surface Water
{ BP no. 19 }

A high-level elected city official or city staff person participates in at least 1 community event that includes a variety of stakeholders (farmers, other business people, environmentalists, recreation users, and other government staff, one of whom has scientific expertise). The conversation should be outside the TMDL process and include more than just impaired waters. Report an adopted wellhead protection plan under action 6.3
The city cosponsors at least 4 water quality conversations that explicitly focus on significant water quality improvement.
The conversations are intentionally facilitated/mediated to influence changes in public/private actions that are likely to improve local water quality, quantity and surface-groundwater interactions; residents work with city to determine specific projects within a city-established Storm Sewer Improvement Taxing District.
 Action 2: Conduct or support multi-party community conversations around improving local water quality and quantity.     [Click here for self-reported city details ]  
Resilient Economic & Community Development   Resilient Economic & Community Development

Benchmarks and Community Engagement
{ BP no. 24 }

A staff green team, or small working group (e.g., city manager, council member, citizen commission chair) exists; city participation in a multi-city/regional green team; annual news article/media to community members referencing GreenStep (& other programs as relevant); city web has a link to city's GreenStep web page.
A citizens group, city task force/commission or committee of city staff/officials exists to lead and coordinate sustainability/GreenStep implementation; a report available online with details on city's sustainability accomplishments.
A committee of city staff/officials and community members (business, education, religious) exists; annual report includes some metrics, such as dollars spent/saved, energy saved, and any sustainability indicators measured, and energy/carbon inventory data or ecological footprint data if gathered; participation in a county/multi-city green team.
 Action 1: Use a city commission, or committee to lead, coordinate, and report to and engage community members on implementation of sustainability best practices.     [Click here for self-reported city details ]  

Host a community meeting/event that explictly uses a sustainability framework.
Create or support an on-going local effort around one of these sustainability frameworks.
Achieve 2-star rating and adopt a sustainability plan or other implementation plan and/or goals and document concrete actions taken toward achieving them; work with LMC on race equity training & planning. Report adopted energy or climate plans under action 6.5
 Action 5: Conduct or support a community education, visioning and planning initiative using a sustainability framework such as:     [Click here for self-reported city details ] a. Strong Towns, resiliency, transition.

b. Eco-municipalities, Smart Cities.

c. Healthy communities, environmental justice, race equity.
Green Business Development
{ BP no. 25 }

pending pending Star rating not yet assigned to city Action 7: Conduct or participate in a buy local campaign for community members and local businesses.     [Click here for self-reported city details ]  
Renewable Energy
{ BP no. 26 }

Partner with a local utility or with firms that lease and finance energy systems to offer a renewable energy/energy efficiency product.
Partner with a financial institution (local bank, investment firm) to create a renewable energy/energy efficiency loan product, or leverage heating-assistance funds for renewables installation.
Join a PACE program available to Minnesota cities. Report number of participants, funding sources, dollars lent and installed capacity in kW.
 Action 3: Promote financing and incentive programs such as PACE for clean energy:     [Click here for self-reported city details ] a. PACE for commercial property owners to install renewable energy systems, energy efficiency measures and EV charging infrastructure.

b. Local, state and federal financial incentives for property owners to install renewable energy systems.

c. Local/municipal utility renewable energy production incentives and rebates.

Describe any public sector project and report installed capacity in kW. Report city purchase of green tags, community solar garden subscriptions, and 3rd party solar under action 15.2; report wastewater biogas projects under 20.6; solid waste anaerobic digestion under 22.5; geothermal under 1.7; brightfield projects under 25.5
Install at least two different RE technologies and report installed capacity in kW; report municipal utility ownership; report city council direction to its muni (via board appointments, annual goals/reports/funding) to accelerate work on city clean energy goals; show that a RE installation has shaved off peak energy demand and allowed the monthly utility demand charge to be decreased; report installed battery storage.
Install RE capacity in excess of 100 kW; report combined heat and power generation, parking lot PV canopies, pollinator habitat under a PV array.
 Action 5: Install a public sector/municipally-owned renewable energy technology, such as solar electric (PV), wind, biomass, solar hot water/air, or micro-hydro.     [Click here for self-reported city details ]  

Describe existing installations. Though some "Who's doing it" report are for solar garden subscriptions, please report city government community solar garden subscriptions, green tag purchases and 3rd party solar purchases under action 15.2; municipal wastewater biogas projects under 20.6; solid waste anaerobic digestion under 22.5; municipal geothermal under 1.7; brightfield projects under 25.5
Report installed kW capacity.
Report utility-scale projects - for example, a 1+ MW community solar garden. Also report city government energy purchases from this garden under action 15.2
 Action 6: Report installed private sector-owned renewable energy/energy efficient generation capacity with at least one of the following attributes:     [Click here for self-reported city details ] a. Fueled by flowing water, sun, wind, or biogas.

b. Fueled in part or whole by manure or woody biomass, optimized for minimal air and other environmental impacts and for energy efficiency and water conservation.

c. Distributing heating/cooling services in a district energy system.

d. Producing combined heat and power; using a microgrid.

e. Energy storage integrated into a renewable energy installation.
Local Food
{ BP no. 27 }

Summarize what exists in the city: a farmer's market, urban ag businesses, etc.
Report on supportive actions taken by the city such as use of city land for a farmer's market, garden plots in city parks, hiring a garden/market coordinator, supporting season extension techniques such as hoop houses or greenhouses; a winter farmer's market; donations from markets/gardens to food shelves.
Report a permanent conservation easement on a school forest, orchard, garden; report on percent of housing units within a 1 mile of a healthy food source (farmer's market, community garden, CSA drop point, and stores with an NAICS code of 445110 or 445230); convert top level of a parking ramp for a local food growing business.
 Action 3: Create, assist with and promote local food production/distribution within the city:     [Click here for self-reported city details ] a. A farmer's market or co-op buying club.

b. An urban agriculture business or a community-supported agriculture (CSA) arrangement between farmers and community members/employees.

c. A community or school garden, orchard or forest.