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 October Workshop: Climate Smart Municipalities
October 10, 2018 in Communities Author: Abby Finis
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 »
Cities Making Progress on Electric Vehicle Readiness Across Minnesota
September 25, 2018 in Communities Author: Diana McKeown
Twenty-eight cities across Minnesota are looking to the future and getting ready for broad adoption of electric vehicles.
Cities Charging Ahead! is a peer cohort of 28 cities working together across Minnesota to explore electric vehicle readiness. Participants receive technical assistance focused on actions and best practices, based on the GreenStep Cities program, that cities can implement to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles such as: Continue reading »
The power of partnerships: Minnesota communities look to collaborate to achieve mutual energy goals
August 29, 2018 in Communities Author: Jessi Wyatt
Communities across the country can benefit from identifying and prioritizing synergies between energy goals outlined at multiple levels of government — across cities, counties, and the state level. Continue reading »
Abby Finis Named Top 40 Under 40 By Midwest Energy News
August 27, 2018 in Communities, News & Press Author: Gail Nosek
Abby Finis, senior energy planner at the Great Plains Institute (GPI), was named a Top 40 Under 40 by Midwest Energy News for 2018. The honor highlights emerging leaders throughout the region and their work in America’s transition to a clean energy economy. Continue reading »
Tribal Nations Leading on Sustainability Join Unique Pilot Program
July 19, 2018 in Communities Author: Kristin Mroz
A solar air heating system located at the Leech Lake Department of Natural Resources
This is a guest blog post by Kristin Mroz, local government coordinator with the Environmental Quality Board which is an official partner of the GreenStep Cities and Tribal Nations program. Kristin’s role supports the needs of local and tribal governments and assists with coordinating efforts by state agencies to support communities in climate and sustainability actions. Continue reading »
The Great Plains Institute is working with cities, counties, and regional governments to routinely incorporate energy planning into local policies, plans, and regulations. To address local energy issues, local governments must first understand community energy use and anticipate how energy resources, markets, and technologies evolve over time. Continue reading »
Inaugural Metro Environmental Commission Conference Draws Nearly 50 Commissioners to Connect and Learn From Each Other
May 25, 2018 in Communities Author: Diana McKeown
How can city environmental commissions connect with and learn more from each other? Commissioners from the Minneapolis, MN metro area and other stakeholders recently gathered to foster such connections and explore how they could increase learning opportunities with one another. Continue reading »
Power Couple: Combining Solar and Electric Vehicle Charging to Solve Dual Challenges
May 18, 2018 in Communities, Transportation & Fuels Author: Brian Ross
The modern electric grid often seems like a miracle. Thousands of generating sources, from residential solar power systems to huge power plants, kept in almost instantaneous sync with millions of electricity consumers. All with a reliability rate of better than 99 percent. Continue reading »
The May GreenStep Cities workshop focused on walkable cities and pedestrian planning. After Philipp Muessig (MPCA) introduced the topic and facilitated a round of introductions (00:00:20), Emily Smoak (MDH) discussed Pedestrian Plans, including sidewalk repair and snow clearing practices (00:17:43). Next, Max Musicant (Musicant Group) gave a presentation about Placemaking Successes (00:48:40), and Fay Simer (City of St. Paul) discussed her work as a full-time pedestrian coordinator (01:22:00). The workshop closed after some time for discussion and questions from the audience (01:50:28). Continue reading »
