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Attend December 7 Workshop on Creating Living Streets with Best Practice 11
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Living streets create a network of complete streets that improve the city quality of life and add value to surrounding properties. Learn more about what can help make your streets come to life. Speakers include Emily Goellner of ULI MN, and Hannah Pritchard of Toole Design Group. This promises to be a lively discussion of making our streets better for all.
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Clean Energy Community Awards recognize five GreenStep Cities
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The first annual Clean Energy Community Awards recognize communities for their work to plan and implement energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. At the awards conference on November 10, the Minnesota Department of Commerce recognized clean energy achievements by GreenStep participants Fergus Falls, Hutchinson, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Morris, and St. Cloud.
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Ready for solar energy in your community? Get customized assistance through SolSmart.
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Through January 15th, 2017, CERTs and the Great Plains Institute are teaming up to help Minnesota’s cities and counties join SolSmart, a national program that provides free technical assistance with addressing local barriers to solar energy. All local governments that join SolSmart automatically qualify for up to 100 hours of free technical assistance from national solar experts. In addition, local governments that join SolSmart by January 15th, 2017 will be included in a proposal from CERTs and the Great Plains Institute to host a solar advisor that will provide focused technical assistance to Minnesota communities.
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Comprehensive Plans and Local Government Project for Energy Planning (LoGoPEP)
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Minnesota’s Local Government Project for Energy Planning (LoGoPEP) builds upon existing efforts to engage local governments in committing actionable strategies for energy and greenhouse gas emissions. LoGoPEP has developed draft Energy Planning Guide Book and a draft Energy Planning Workbook that, when completed, will be available to all Minnesota cities wishing to include energy in their planning documents. We are currently seeking feedback on the Energy Planning Guide Book and Workbook, which may be directed to afinis@gpisd.net. The Met Council also has many resources related to energy comprehensive planning.
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Minnesota GreenCorps offers assistance with Energy Efficient Operations Manual
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The Center for Sustainable Building Research has partnered with the Minnesota GreenCorps Energy Members to increase assistance and enrollment with the SB 2030 Energy Efficient Operations Manual. One aspect of the manual walks through the process to optimize the schedules of large pieces of energy consuming equipment such as air handling units, but the manual can also help detect other system malfunctions. Get support! If your city wants help in customizing an on-line manual for your city buildings, please contact Katie Hosch at khosch@gpisd.net or 612-767-7293.
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Take survey to inform Green Schools programming in Minnesota
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A research team at the University of Minnesota, partially funded by the GreenStep Cities program, is conducting a survey about Green Schools, or schools that advance their building and grounds sustainability, health and well-being of students and staff, and student environmental education achievement. The team is interested in a wide variety of input about green school awareness, and what people, including GreenStep Cities participants, think is needed to help increase green school activity. This information will be used to refine the design of a statewide program to encourage, assist and recognize green schools. Please complete or share the survey with those involved in your K-12 schools!
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Timely Sustainability Updates & Resources
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