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Minnesota GreenStep Cities <br />Home I About I The 28 best practices I Become a GreenStep City I Model Ordinances I City log -in I Contact/Feedback <br />The Minnesota GreenStep Cities Program <br />History and development <br />During fall 2007, Minnesota's Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) held regional listening sessions around the <br />state to discuss community-based energy opportunities and the state's Next Generation Energy Act of 2007. The idea <br />was raised of creating a sustainable cities program, free to cities, that would challenge, assist and recognize cities <br />that were "green stars." This idea was taken up by the 2008 Legislature, which directed the MPGA, the Division of <br />Energy Resources at the Minnesota Department of Commerce, and CERTs to recommend actions cities could take <br />on a voluntary basis. <br />Those recommendations are contained in the report Minnesota GreenStep Cities. Representatives from dozens of <br />cities, non-profit organizations, businesses and state government agencies provided the outline for what has been <br />developed as the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program, which began in June 2010. <br />Fs ­e—_h <br />Stay Connected ®�t:j <br />Minnesota GreenStep Cities <br />MCAi <br />771 <br />In May 2012 the GreenStep Cities program received awards in the categories of Sustainable Communities and 2012 Partnership of the Year from the <br />Minnesota organization Environmental Initiative. The awards honor partnerships, inspire other organizations to create similar projects, and encourage <br />collaborative approaches to environmental problem solving. Over 340 attendees at the awards dinner voted among the 15 finalists nominated for the <br />2012 Partnership of the Year. <br />Resources: Background and promotion <br />A variety of resources has been created to help explain the program. <br />• GreenStep Notables: Activities by cities through GreenStep', second year <br />• Fact sheet <br />• PowerPoint presentation (Oct. 2011 - 3Mb) <br />• A had introductory video created by the Great Plains Institute <br />• Green Cities: Leading the Way is a 27 -minute documentary highlighting sustainability measures <br />being taken by four trailblazing Minnesota cities: Barnesville, Elk River, Minneapolis, and New Ulm. <br />• Related: Case studies of sustainable action by cities compiled by the League of Minnesota Cities <br />and the stale Auditor. <br />Partner organizations <br />Participating cities earn stylish <br />awards in the form of "recognition <br />blocks" made from reclaimed urban <br />woad. When a city completes step <br />three, it will have a set which <br />recreates the logo of GreenStep <br />Cities and reflects the commmunity's <br />sustained commitment and <br />continuous Improvement. <br />Of the organizations that created the 2009 report to the Legislature, this group below meets bi-monthly as the GreenStep Cities working committee, <br />contributing time and funding to implement GreenStep Cities program. Each spring the committee organizes a review of the GreenStep program, <br />which includes recommendations from the public, participating cities, state agencies, topic experts, and the League of Minnesota Cities. The <br />committee also works with the League, which recognizes GreenStep cities each June. <br />r.3 Minnesota Pollution <br />AgancY <br />Minnesota Pollution Control Agency <br />Philipp Muessi GreenSle Cities Coordinator <br />pP g. <br />i <31 at F lain, <br />Great Plains Institute <br />Lola Schoenrich, Senior Program Manager, <br />Control <br />. <br />Philipp.muessig@state.mn.us <br />gisNc �.c <br />Energy Efficiency <br />651!157-2594- <br />Ischoenrich@gpisd.nel <br />612/278-7154 <br />eNE <br />Clean Energy Resource Teams <br />.iftu <br />Urban Land Institute Minnesota <br />p,N <br />v �-h�C <br />14 <br />Lissa Pawlisch, Statewide Coordinator <br />I iCt '_B§R$¢d: <br />Kristina Smitten, GreenStep Cities Project <br />Manager <br />Paw10048@umn.edu <br />• <br />612/6242293 <br />f�llnaesola <br />ksmitten@smittengroup.com <br />pF sb6 <br />651/246-9443 <br />P <br />SOURCE le <br />League of Minnesota Cities <br />Izaak Walton League- Minnesota Division <br />Don Reeder, Public Relations Manager <br />Michelle Schroeder, Director at Large <br />dreeder@lmc.org <br />sustainableike@holmaii.com <br />1/31/2013 <br />