Cities and other local governments are actively participating in the renewable electricity market. Whether they’re participating for environmental or economic purposes (or both), communities continue to see the benefits of clean electricity and seek opportunities to add more for government operations and more broadly for residents and businesses. Navigating renewable energy procurement can be complex, especially as additional purchasing options become available. Continue reading »
Cities have a greater ability than they realize to bend the emissions curve toward a low-carbon future. From zoning, to line-items in the city budget, to projects included in a capital improvement program; there are touchpoints in the regulatory, policy, and planning authority of local governments that can be leveraged to influence carbon emissions within their jurisdictions. Continue reading »
Tracking greenhouse gas emissions, understanding where emissions come from, and determining strategies to reduce them are all relatively new concepts for cities. Continue reading »
GreenStep Cities hosted a workshop on Climate Smart Municipalities with presenters from both Minnesota and Germany. For the past three years, five Minnesota GreenStep Cities communities have partnered with five communities from the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia to advance climate action. At this October workshop, presenters discussed this partnership and innovative electric vehicle practices in both states. Continue reading »
Communities can forge their own path to achieve a broad range of benefits from renewable electricity and efficiency by setting clear goals at the outset. Across the country cities are setting 100 percent renewable electricity goals. Is that the right goal for every community? It depends. For some communities, setting such a renewable electricity goal may be at odds with what a community actually wants to achieve. Continue reading »
With the adoption of the St. Louis Park Climate Action Plan in early February, the Minnesota city became a leading example of a community moving from setting ambitious energy and carbon emission goals to laying out a roadmap for implementation. Continue reading »
The February 2018 GreenStep Cities workshop focused on water quality improvements, with discussions on how Minnesota can reach its goal of a 25-percent improvement in water quality by 2025, in part by reducing water contamination through improving the way salt is used to remove ice. Continue reading »
*This is part two of a two-part series. See part one here.*
Cities in the U.S. and around the world are increasingly tracking their energy performance and associated emissions to meet commitments to reduce their climate impact. Continue reading »
The January GreenStep Cities workshop focused on electric vehicle (EV) readiness, with discussions on the benefits and adoption of EVs, electric vehicle fleets, and success stories. Continue reading »
The December GreenStep Cities workshop focused on benchmarking for wastewater treatment. After an introduction by GPI’s Abby Finis, the discussion covered the value of benchmarking wastewater treatment, Jon Vanyo, C.E.M., Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (23:50),and Benchmarking Wastewater Treatment Plants, Cheri Schneider (40:19). The workshop concluded with case studies on Energy Reduction Analysis at New Prague Wastewater Treatment Facility, Scott Werner, MNtap (1:11:08), and The Value of Using Benchmarking for Wastewater and City Operations, Tracy Holdel, City of St. Cloud. Continue reading »
