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STAFF REPORT <br />DATE: March 3, 2026 <br />PRESENTATION <br /> <br />TO: Mayor and Councilmembers <br />FROM: Ashley Monterusso, City Planner <br />Presentation: Kristin Moroz, MPCA & Ashley Monterusso, City Planner <br />AGENDA ITEM: Sustainability/Green Team Update <br />REVIEWED BY: Miranda Moulis, Assistant City Planner; Ryan Ness, Finance; Kathie Smith, <br />Communications Coordinator <br /> <br /> <br />CORE STRATEGIES: ☒ Vibrant, inclusive, connected community ☐ Efficient, reliable, innovative services ☐ Responsive, transparent, adaptive governance ☐ Balanced Finances now and future ☐ Managed Growth ☐ Resilient Infrastructure <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: <br />The City of Lake Elmo has received a Gold Leaf Award for participating in the Gold Leaf Program in 2025. <br />Kristin Moroz, Director of the Green Steps Cities/Gold Leaf Programs with the MPCA will give a <br />presentation to refresh Council and residents about each of the programs. The City has received Step 5 <br />recognition in the Green Steps program the previous two years. The Gold Leaf program was developed <br />to try to re-engage cities at level 5 to work toward new items. <br /> <br />PURPOSE: <br />This memo provides a sustainability update to inform the Council of the ongoing work being advanced <br />across City departments. Over the past year, staff have been in the early stages of aligning efforts, <br />coordinating across teams, sharing updates, and establishing baseline metrics to better track progress. <br />Many sustainability-related achievements are occurring organically through existing programs and <br />activiities. As tracking and reporting processes become more refined, staff will be able to present a more <br />comprehensive and data-driven picture of the City’s sustainability performance in the years ahead. This <br />update will encompass recent efforts and awards, grant tracking, and updates on ongoing initiatives. <br />This is for information only; no action is needed. <br /> <br />UPDATES: <br />2025/2026: GreenStep Cities Step 4&5 <br />GreenStep Cities is a voluntary program by the MPCA that helps cities track sustainability measures. The <br />City of Lake Elmo has maintained its Step 5 recognition status in the GreenSteps Cities Program. To <br />maintain this designation, the City must report on all required metrics and improve in three or more <br />Step 5-eligible metrics. This step recognition is celebrated at the League of Minnesota Cities conference, <br />along with receiving an award block to commemorate the City’s achievement. <br /> <br />2025/2026: Gold Leaf Challenge <br />The Gold Leaf Challenge focuses on pathways for communities to take local climate action. Using the <br />GreenStep program resources, this new program aims to challenge, assist, and recognize efforts for <br />completing any new actions from 44 high-priority, high-impact climate actions under the categories of <br />climate mitigation, climate planning, climate adaptation, and community connectedness for Minnesota's