Agenda Packets - 2013/02/04 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Program Design Recommendations Elk River's new LEED Gold certified library, which opened its doors in the fall of 2007, features natural daylighting, geothermal heating and cooling, and adjacent rain gardens. conservation, GreenStep may offer utilities an opportunity to work with cities to reduce their energy usage. Program should be called "GreenStep Cities" The program was originally named "Green Star Cities" and was intended to complement four other Minnesota programs with similar names. The "Green Star Award Expansion" legislation specifically mentions expanding the "Green Star" name. The existing Green Star Environmental Audit Program is run by the MPCA to encourage businesses such as gas stations that may be in noncompliance with environmental laws, to achieve compliance. Minnesota GreenStar Certified Homes and Remodeling, an existing green home certification program was initially supported by the MPCA and is now its own organization. GreenStar Homes has submitted a trademark application for the "Minnesota GreenStar" name, and intends to use this trademark status to protect its brand. Already, there has been some confusion between the various programs even in the conceptual stage of what was originally referred to as Green Star Cities. In addition to serving different markets, Minnesota GreenStar Homes and Green Star Cities have distinct philosophies; the Homes program focuses on rigorous standards to ensure market differentiation, while the Cities program emphasizes ease of entry in order to maximize participation. In contrast to both of these efforts that emphasize voluntary solutions, the MPCA Green Star Environmental Audit Program focuses specifically on compliance issues. The two other programs with similar names are the Star Lakes program created by the Legislature in 2008, and the now -defunct Star Cities program. Additionally, the STAR Community Index is expected to become a national standard in a few years. In order to avoid confusion and possible legal issues, the workgroup concluded that a new name would be best for the program. After much deliberation, research, and consideration of multiple options, the name "GreenStep Cities" was chosen as the best alternative. Should the program be expanded to other jurisdictions (counties, townships), the name could be expanded as well (GreenStep Counties, GreenStep Communities). As an alternate, the old Star City name could be used and a new Minnesota Star City program could be created. Minnesota GreenStep Cities Program Proposal 13