GreenStep Cities

Waltonian Winter 2009

• Shirley Loegering of the Grand Rapids Wes Libbey Chapter is excited to report that in late October, the Grand Rapids City Council approved a resolution to explore participation in the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program.

  To view the Grand Rapids Resolution go to: Grand Rapids Resolution passed October 2009.pdf

  Philipp Muessig, Sustainability Communities Coordinator at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, was very pleased, “Grand Rapids is the first grassroots Minnesota city to sign on to explore the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program.” 

  Minnesota GreenStep Cities continues in the development phase. Urban Land Institute and the Regional Council of Mayors are collaborating with five to six cities to vet the draft Best Practices and to provide input. Your feedback is also welcome, as this is a work in progress. We want cities to succeed.

  For further information or to provide feedback, feel free to contact Michelle Schroeder, Izaak Walton League, Minnesota Division, Director At Large:   or 612-388-5623.

Waltonian Fall 2009

• Encourage your cities to participate in the MN GreenStep Cities program.

  1) Write a letter to the editor:

  Try this draft "Letter to the Editor":

  Minnesota communities now have a better way to start 6a4466ucing their greenhouse-gas emissions and saving money: MN GreenStep Cities. MN GreenStep Cities is a state-wide, voluntary sustainability initiative that will provide information, technical support, and recognition to participating communities. MN GreenStep Cities has the support of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Office of Energy Security, and a number of dedicated environmental groups. MN GreenStep Cities will go live September 2009 and many communities have already signed up. If you want your community to be part of this new, innovative program, please tell your city officials. www.nextstep.state.mn.us

  2) Set up a speaker event:

  Speakers forum:

  Want someone to speak to your city officials about this program? Contact Philipp Muessig, Sustainable Communities Coordinator, at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Prevention and Assistance Division: or 651-757-1594.

  You can also contact Michelle Schroeder, Director at Large, Izaak Walton League - Minnesota Division - or 612-388-5623.

  3) Submit a sample resolution to your city:

  In September 2009, check the MN GreenStep Cities web site www.mngreensteps.org.  A sample city resolution will be posted. Please feel free to print it and submit it to your city.

  4) Attend events in support of sustainability:

  Alliance for Sustainability promotes MN GreenStep Cities

  Alliance for Sustainability will hold four Metro Sustainability Roundtables in second-tier Twin Cities suburbs where Philipp Muessig (MN PCA) will introduce the MN GreenStep Cities program. Two Roundtables will be held in September, and two in October.

  The Metro Sustainability Roundtables are FREE and gea6a4466 toward neighboring communities around the Twin Cities with the intent to learn about their own city's sustainability efforts, share green ideas with adjacent cities, and meet staff, elected officials and citizen commissioners from other surrounding communities. For more information, visit Alliance for Sustainability www.afs.nonprofitoffice.com.

  5) Funding Assistance Available NOW!

  American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

  Funded for the First Time: Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants. The Department of Energy and Minnesota Office of Energy Security (OES) will offer more than $5 million worth of competitive grants to small cities and counties. Cities submitting a proposal will compete based on projected energy savings, jobs created, GHG emission 6a4466uctions and other criteria to be developed. The planned launch date for this grant program is September 1, 2009 and communities should typically expect a 30-day window to submit an RFP. Further details will be provided by OES when available. Visit the OES website for updates, details of the application process, restrictions, application guides, etc.,
  www.state.mn.us/portal/mn/jsp/home.do?agency=Energy.
  The application package will be available at http://grants.gov.

  Public Building Enhanced Energy Efficiency Program.

  PBEEP is a new program where local government units can target cost-effective energy efficiency building improvements through primarily tax-exempt municipal lease-purchase agreements. RFPs will be accepted in September 2009 by the Minnesota Office of Energy Security (OES).

  Final details for this program were not available when this edition went to press. For further information, please visit the OES website or see the PBEEP flyer.

  Technical Assistance

  MN GreenCorps AmeriCorps Program

  The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MN PCA) launched a MN GreenCorps Program, providing Minnesota cities an opportunity to host teams of 2 or 3 GreenCorps college graduates to work on projects in the areas of: climate/energy change; waste 6a4466uction, reuse and recycling; and water quality improvement.

  College graduates will be trained by the MN PCA Sept. 9-11, and then start working in their host communities September 14th. Stipends of GreenCorps members will be paid through federal funding, but GreenCorps members will be provided with day-to-day supervision by their host communities. Projects will extend for 10 months from September 2009 through June 2010.

  The RFP deadline was August 3rd. Out of the fifty-six communities that met the deadline, 10-15 will be selected at the end of August to host the GreenCorps members. To see if your community received or sought assistance to become more sustainable, visit MN GreenStep Cities www.nextsteps.state.mn.us.

  6) Let's do something Ike-originated!

  MN GreenStep Cities Outreach:

  MN PCA is providing grants for creative ways to promote MN GreenStep Cities. There is a lot of funding becoming available for sustainability from other sources as well. It's not too late for the Ikes. Contact me with any ideas. Your grant application ideas wanted!!! Please see the example below.

  Urban Land Institute & Regional Council of Mayors

  The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency granted $30,000 to the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to refine the MN GreenStep Cities best practices. ULI will work with the Regional Council of Mayors (RCM), a group of 34 cities. ULI will choose 5 or 6 cities most suited to acquire MN GreenStep Cities status by favoring cities that have already accomplished some of the best practices. ULI will also seek feedback from those cities about the program's best practices, gauging what cities want to focus on most. Funding will also help those 5 or 6 cities gear up internally. For the 29 cities not selected, those mayors still have the benefit of speaking with and learning from the mayors chosen to participate.

  If you have any ideas or comments on how your chapter can assist with outreach or to create a more comprehensive plan for Ikes involvement, please feel free to contact Michelle Schroeder, Director at Large, Izaak Walton League - Minnesota Division - or 612-388-5623.

  or 612-388-5623.