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I Introduction and Vision of Sustainability <br />1 Introduction and purpose of the report <br />In the fall of 2012, St. Anthony Village residents and public officials collaborated with Sustainability <br />Studies minor students from the University of Minnesota to undertake a project to foster the growth <br />of sustainable initiatives in the community. The project was the focus of the Sustainability Studies <br />capstone class for the fall semester. The instructors of the class arranged two public meetings at <br />which residents and officials from the community came together with students and discussed a <br />vision of sustainability for St. Anthony Village. <br />The community's passion for and dedication to sustainability were already evident, demonstrated <br />publicly in June, 2012 when the city achieved the highest certification from Minnesota's GreenStep <br />Cities program, which recognizes cities for their sustainable achievements and assists them in future <br />efforts. This student -city partnership project was designed to further galvanize an interest in <br />sustainability by focusing on more comprehensive sustainability planning, encouraging a broader <br />level of resident participation, and encouraging collaboration with the nearby cities of Falcon <br />Heights and Lauderdale. <br />In the meetings, attendees were informed about what sustainability means, and students led <br />discussions about how concerned residents can successfully employ these concepts of sustainability <br />in their communities and educate others. Students moderated conversations about what a <br />sustainable society looks like and what can specifically be improved in the community regarding <br />sustainability. <br />Students gathered input from the community members during the two meetings and developed this <br />report from the acquired information. After the community meetings, students spent time <br />organizing the input from the residents, and combined those thoughts with knowledge gained <br />during their sustainability education at the U of M. This report is the result of that process, <br />providing a vision of what a sustainable St. Anthony Village would look like in 2030, and proposing <br />specific goals, objectives, and strategies to achieve that vision. <br />We hope this document will encourage residents and city officials to continue the conversations that <br />were begun during our two meeting, and that St. Anthony Village's commitment to sustainability will <br />continue long into the future. <br />.ain tho 1 <br />i la eCl <br />