Minnesota Schools Cutting Carbon

http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/greensteps

Interested in taking steps to make your city greener, save energy, and help address global warming? Take a look at GreenStep Cities http://greenstep.pca.state.mn.us/

GreenStep Cities is an action-oriented voluntary program offering a cost-effective, simple pathway leading to implementation of sustainable best practices that focus on greenhouse gas reduction. Technical assistance will be available from state agencies, utilities, nonprofit organizations, and others. Cities will be recognized for past steps and new actions.

GreenStep Cities will:

Achieve meaningful reductions in greenhouse gases and other positive environmental outcomes
Provide assistance and peer learning for local governments to achieve best practices in energy use reduction and sustainable development
Provide a “Pathway to Sustainability” that is cost-effective, pragmatic, and achievable for all cities
Identify specific existing state agency staff and others who are committed to and technically able to help cities implement each specific best practice
Promote innovation
Inspire and assist residents, businesses, and community institutions to take action
Recognize local governments for their past accomplishments and their new efforts spurred by the program

Best Practices are straightforward, selected using simple criteria, and focus on cost-effective options. Now in development, a full suite of 27 best practices in five categories will be available in Spring 2010.

Technical assistance to take action: Multiple technical assistance options are planned and will include agency staff, Clean Energy Resource Teams, other nonprofit groups, Americorps, utilities, businesses, and student interns. Will be finalized summer 2010.

Recognition for past actions and new successes: Cities that accomplish an initial set of best practices—a few required and a few from a list of best practice options—will be recognized as a Minnesota GreenStep City by the State of Minnesota. As a continuous improvement program, GreenStep also offers more challenging best practices, and those cities implementing a suite of these will be recognized for an additional period. Specific recognition tools will be developed summer 2010.