Gold Leaf Pilot

What is it? 

The GreenStep Cities program is excited to launch a pilot the proposed Gold Leaf program, which focuses on pathways for communities to take local climate action through the GreenStep program. Read more about the background, process, and program goals in the Gold Leaf Program Proposal document.

Participants of the pilot Gold Leaf program will be recognized as they achieve 'gold leaves' for completing any NEW actions from: 

• 44 high-priority, high-impact climate actions (page 17) under the categories of: 
  • Climate mitigation 
  • Climate planning 
  • Climate adaptation
  • Community connectedness for Minnesota's changing climate

What are the benefits to participating in the pilot? 

Communities are already seeing impacts locally - warming temperatures (especially during winter), drier summers, more severe precipitation events, and more. The proposed Gold Leaf program has narrowed down the 181 GreenStep Cities actions to create a climate action 'road map' that your community can focus down even further based on local needs and priorities. In addition, each awarded Gold Leaf will provide updated action reports for peer communities to learn from your successes while also giving you the recognition you deserve for your hard work. Finally, pilot participants will help us build a program that works for Minnesota communities by providing feedback and recommending new resources that will support any and all communities in Minnesota to take climate actions now. 

We are also working on supporting pilot participants each with a summer 2023 intern that can assist in climate action planning and implementation! 

What are the expectations for participating in the pilot? 

• Participate in the nine-month pilot (Dec. 1, 2022 - Sept. 1, 2023)
• Commit to completing and reporting at least 2 NEW actions (see Appendix A in the Proposal) during the pilot period. They can include actions that are already underway and planned to be completed during the pilot period. 
• Provide feedback on the program structure and support during and following the pilot period. See the questions listed in the Proposal (Page 11). 
• Serve as ambassadors of the official program launch (tentatively Dec. 2023). 

Pilot Participants:  

Questions? Contact us at 651-757-2793 or greenstep@state.mn.us.