How Carbon Disclosure Platforms Can Help Cities Translate Commitments into Action

November 28, 2017 in Communities Author: Abby Finis

Note: This blog is the first installment of a two-part series on carbon disclosure.

Carbon disclosure is the practice of reporting and managing emissions through credible reporting platforms, consistent with global standards and protocols. Cities around the globe have committed to reducing their impact on climate change and are using these entities to monitor and demonstrate their progress. Established disclosure platforms are available to cities to measure their impact while providing insights into their energy use that can be used to identify opportunities for more effective practices and policies. Continue reading »

Measuring the Impact of GreenStep Cities

November 27, 2017 in Communities Author: Abby Finis

Minnesota GreenStep Cities is a voluntary challenge, assistance and recognition program to help cities achieve their sustainability and quality-of-life goals. For the past seven years, cities have been recognized at three step levels for taking and reporting action. In 2016, the program introduced Steps 4 and 5, which allow cities to measure and track the impact of their actions. The following includes highlights of what we have learned so far. Continue reading »

GreenStep Cities: November Workshop

November 5, 2017 in Communities Author: Abby Finis

The November GreenStep Cities workshop focused on energy and climate data and action planning. After introductions by Great Plains Institute’s Abby Finis, Brian Ross, and Becky Alexander of LHB, covered Tools and Best Practices for Local Energy Planning (11:04).Then Alexis Troschinetz of Clean Energy Resource Team shared insights on community led bulk buys and opportunities in her presentation, Saving Watts and Drops Bulk Buys (1:14:15).  The workshop concluded with a discussion of solar financing, by Peter Lindstrom (1:36:00). Continue reading »

Klimaschutz Part II: Doing Is Believing

September 27, 2016 in Communities Author: Abby Finis

Part II of our Klimaschutz series will summarize and highlight key achievements in each of the cities and major takeaways from the trip. 

I want to point out an added value gained from this effort beyond learning from our German partners, and that is how much was learned from each other. For the Minnesota participants, the time we had together to talk through issues and think about how we can solve them within our own political reality was an incredibly important aspect of this partnership, and will be extremely valuable as these cities work together to lead Minnesota in its effort to minimize our impact on a changing climate. Continue reading »

Woodbury Business Leaders Join ENERGY STAR for Kick-Off

April 20, 2016 in Energy Systems Author: Abby Finis

Nearly 20 leaders from the Woodbury business community attended ENERGY STAR® Community Partner Challenge Kick-Off event held at City Hall in early April.  The group included a mix of business representatives, including retail, multi-family housing, office spaces, realtor groups and more. The event demonstrated growing interest among building owners in pursuing energy efficiency goals.  Continue reading »

Trevor and Abby Chat Solar Gardens

March 16, 2016 in Communities, Energy Systems Authors: Abby Finis, Trevor Drake

Solar Garden

In 2013, the State of Minnesota enacted 216B.1641 Community Solar Garden, which established the Xcel Energy Community Solar Garden Program. This program brought a lot of excitement to the Minnesota solar industry, leading to an influx of solar developers and long queue of solar garden applications. Because the program is new and has generated a lot of interest, there have been a few bumps along the way. Continue reading »