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STAFF REPORT DATE: February 8, 2011 TO: Mayor, Councilmember and City Manager FROM: Jay Hartman RE: Approve Participation in GreenStep Cities Program Background: GreenStep Cities is a new assistance program for all Minnesota cities that supports and recognizes implementation of 28 sustainable development best practices. This program grew out of a report to the 2009 Legislature, and has been developed by the MN Pollution Control Agency, MN Office of Energy Security, the League of MN Cities, the Clean Energy Resource Teams, the Great Plains Institute, the Izzak Walton League -MN and the Urban Land Institute -MN. The best practices focus on cost savings and energy use reductions that lead cities beyond compliance and encourage a culture of innovation. A city that has implemented or that implements — depending roughly on city size — 8, 12 or 16 best practices organized into the five categories (see attachments) will be recognized as a GreenStep City. Implementation of additional best practices over time will garner additional recognition. For each best practice cities will complete one or two actions from among 4 to 8 options and will briefly post how they accomplished each action. The GreenStep Cities Program aims to provide Minnesota cities a clear pathway to greater sustainability based upon implementing best practices specific to Minnesota cities of differing sizes and capabilities. Due to the multiple environmental, economic and social dimensions of the best practices, leadership from a city's council is needed to oversee their implementation and coordination/integration with other city and community activities and with other governmental jurisdictions. Process: The Minnesota GreenStep Cities Program provides cost-effective sustainable development best practices in the following five categories: (1) Buildings and Lighting; (2) Transportation; (3) Land Use; (4) Environmental Management; and (5) Economic and Community Development;