The Breezy Point City Council has adopted a resolution in support of the Minnesota Green Step Program to be a GreenStep City. This effort is really one of a sustainability. It purports we work in an environmental and responsible manner to curb energy costs, provide for efficiencies and conduct business in an environmental manner.
GreenStep Cities is a public-private partnership administered by Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Prevention and Assistance Division. Other partners are the Clean Energy Resource Teams, the League of Mn Cities, the MN Dept. of Commerce, Office of Energy Security, Center for Energy and the Environment, Great Plains Institute, Green Institute, The Minnesota Project, Urban Land Institute MN, Izaak Walton League-MN Division, and the University of MN Regional Sustainable Development Partnership.
This effort is not intended to be only a city initiative but rather one that encourages the public to think about sustainability and act accordingly. There are 5 general categories we’ll be working from. These include: Building Facilities, Transportation, Land Use, Environmental Management, and Economic and Community Development. The city is required to achieve 8 Best Practice Goals. Three of these are required. We have already accomplished one of these with the adoption of the Comprehensive Plan. The other two include environmentally preferable products and community engagement. Community engagement is important as the more people who make a conscious effort towards change, the more beneficial the ultimate outcome.
Another outcome that we’re working on includes a modification to two of our diesel public works vehicles with emission reduction technologies. These modifications are provided to the city at no cost. We only have to provide for assembly and periodic upkeep.
In meeting these 8 best practice goals there are a great number of activities that we can participate in. As we move forward with this effort we’ll establish a posting on the web site to identify those goals we have obtained and those we are working on.
