The GreenStep Cities program begins 2013 by announcing the 50th city to join the program.
At the end of December, the Maple Grove City Council approved a resolution for the city to take part in this voluntary program of the League of Minnesota Cities and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), among others.
“Since the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program was officially launched in June 2010, cities from all over the state and of varying sizes have decided to take advantage of the free assistance program,” said Philipp Muessig, GreenStep Cities Coordinator, MPCA.
Minnesota GreenStep Cities is a voluntary challenge, assistance and recognition program to help cities achieve their sustainability and quality-of-life goals. This free continuous improvement program, managed by a public-private partnership, is based upon 28 best practices. Each best practice can be implemented by completing one or more actions at a 1, 2 or 3-star level, from a list of four to eight actions. These actions are tailored to all Minnesota cities, focus on cost savings and energy use reduction, and encourage civic innovation.
Diana McKeown, Metro CERT Director shared, “There are several more metro area city councils that are planning to vote on resolutions to join the program later this month.”
The Minnesota GreenStep Cities program partners are currently looking at next steps, including rolling out higher steps of recognition. They are also exploring more ways to provide technical assistance to cities, including additional workshops. There will be a workshop focused on energy-efficient lighting on March 7th.
Is your city a GreenStep City? Here are all of the participating cities:
| Apple Valley | Arlington | Austin | Bemidji |
| Blackduck | Breezy Point | Burnsville | Cottage Grove |
| Delano | Eagan | Eden Prairie | Edina |
| Elk River | Falcon Heights | Farmington | Grand Rapids |
| Hanover | Hoffman | Hopkins | Kasson |
| La Prairie | Lake Elmo | Luverne | Mahtomedi |
| Mankato | Maple Grove | Maplewood | Marshall |
| Milan | Mountain Iron | Newport | North Saint Paul |
| Northfield | Oakdale | Pine River | Red Wing |
| Richfield | Rochester | Rogers | Rosemount |
| Royalton | Saint Anthony | Cloud | Saint Louis Park |
| Sauk Rapids | Shorewood | Victoria | Warren |
| White Bear Lake | Willmar |
Learn more & get involved: Learn more about the program and its participants at http://www.mngreenstep.org, and join us at the CERTs 2013 Conference where we will dig into successful renewable energy and energy efficiency projects taken on by cities across Minnesota, many of them GreenStep Cities!
