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Welcome to the Winter 2017 Minneapolis Sustainability
Update. This quarterly newsletter contains resources, initiatives, and
opportunities to get involved.
As we transition into the new year, it's important to celebrate the sustainability initiatives City staff and residents successfully led in 2016.
We hope you'll resolve to advance sustainability at home and work in 2017. Shovel and use salt wisely this winter, commit to reducing your waste, and apply for a community garden site. Apply for a grant to develop a recycling program or an energy efficiency program. Thank you for your help and support of Minneapolis
sustainability!
On Wednesday, January 11, Minneapolis City Council Member Blong
Yang and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency are hosting a Community
Listening Session on a possible Northern Metals settlement. Input is needed
from Ward 5 residents on how best to use the settlement (for example, pollution
reduction or community health projects, etc.). The event is open to everyone.
Wednesday, Jan. 11
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Fairview Park, 621 N 29th Avenue
Event details are available on the MPCA's
website.
A second listening session for Ward 1 and Ward 3 to discuss the potential Northern Metals settlement has been scheduled for:
Wednesday, Jan. 18
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Eastside Neighborhood Services, 1700 Second St. NE
Event details are available on the MPCA's website.
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If you plan on biking this winter, the City of Minneapolis' website has some helpful pointers to help you bike safely:
- Travel slowly on ice and bike defensively around motor vehicles
- Take off-street trails
- Dress in layers to stay warm and wear equipment that makes you visible at night
- If you see a bicycle-related problem which involves plowing, shoveling, signing, or another traffic concern, don't hesitate to call 311.
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 Save energy and money this winter by following these simple tips:
- Change your filters on your HVAC system at least once a month. Old filters are less efficient!
- Adjust your thermostat when no one's home
- Insulate your water heater and turn its temperature down
- Install a draft guard under leaky doors
For more energy saving and weatherizing tips, check out Xcel Energy, CenterPoint Energy, and the Department of Commerce's energy guide.
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 Keeping our sidewalks clear of ice and snow is the neighborly thing to do and it’s the law. Learn more about shoveling snow rules to keep your neighborhood walkable this winter.
As you clear your sidewalks, be sure to use salt sparingly to protect our lakes and streams. Any salt that enters a storm drain goes directly to a lake or river, rather than a water treatment plant. Rock salt contains chloride, which can pollute surface and groundwater and be harmful to fish and other freshwater wildlife.
Follow these tips to use less salt and prevent storm water pollution:
1. Before the storm: Apply a liquid de-icer before snow storms to prevent snow and ice from building up. This is not a substitute for shoveling; it just makes it more effective. Make your own de-icer by mixing 2 cups of hot water and one cup of salt.
2. Shovel: Shovel, snow blow, plow, and/or sweep. These are all effective measures that will remove snow and minimize ice build-up.
3. Less salt is better: When applying salt, if leftover crystals are still visible, the salt has been over applied. Sweep up the left-over salt for reuse or dispose of it in the trash.
4. Temperature Matters: At low temperatures, salt is less effective. When the temperature falls below 15°F consider using sand as an alternative to salt. The City offers several sites where residents can pick up sand for residential sidewalks.
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The average person generates 4.4 pounds of waste each day (USEPA). Make it your 2017 New Year’s
resolution to reduce the amount of waste you generate and pledge to
reduce, reuse, repair, recycle and compost as many materials as you can before
throwing them away. Here are a few ways to make this resolution
achievable in Minneapolis:
REDUCE: Join the NE Minneapolis Tool Library to reduce
waste and save money by gaining access to tools you can check out like library
books; over 2,500 tools are available from circular saws to extension
ladders, floor sanders to hot glue guns, and deep carpet cleaners to air
compressors. Check out Minneapolis Toy Library too while you
are at it.
REUSE: Shop at reuse stores to prevent waste and save
money. The electronics resale store Tech Dump sells refurbished laptops for
a fraction of their original price, and look for used building materials at stores
like Habitat for Humanity Restore and Better Futures Minnesota. The
new ReUSE Minnesota online directory
can help you find where to donate, rent, repair, or sell items for reuse and
where you can purchase items secondhand.
REPAIR: Don’t give up on your
toaster that went kaput before bringing it to a Hennepin County Fix-It Clinic. There’s
a Fix-It Clinic scheduled every month where you can seek assistance in fixing
and even be taught how to troubleshoot and fix your favorite household items.
RECYCLE: Don’t forget to recycle
beyond your curbside recycling cart. Although some items can’t be
recycled curbside, things like plastic bags, small appliances and CFL
lightbulbs can be recycled at Hennepin County’s Drop-Off Facilities. Try
keeping a box in your basement for these drop-off type recyclables and bring
them to one of Hennepin’s Facilities once or twice a year.
COMPOST: Participate in
Minneapolis’ organics recycling program. Organic
materials, which include food and compostable paper, make up about
one-quarter of our trash and represent the biggest opportunity to reduce our
trash. Large apartment dwellers that don’t have access to curbside
composting can bring organics to one of seven drop-off sites in Minneapolis.
For more tips on wasting less in 2017, visit our website. If you aren’t sure what to do
with an item, check our What to do List for disposal options.
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The
City's Green Business Cost Share program is
providing funding for Minneapolis businesses to make energy and water
efficiency improvements in their buildings. Funds cover 20% of a project's cost
up to $2,500 for non-benchmarking buildings and up to $20,000 for buildings
that are benchmarking in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. |
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To help businesses, nonprofit
organizations, and institutions start or improve recycling programs, Hennepin
County provides funding, technical assistance, and guidance on best practices.
The
following grant options are available for 2017:
1) Receive up to $10,000. Applications are accepted
and reviewed beginning January 1 on an ongoing basis.
2) Receive $10,000 to $50,000. Applications
are accepted and reviewed three times per year on February 15, June 15 and October
15.
Learn more and apply. For more information,
contact Andre Xiong at andre.x.xiong@hennepin.us or 612-543-1316.
 The 2017 Minneapolis Garden Lease Program is now open for applications for new garden leases. The City of Minneapolis is inviting requests to lease vacant City ownedlots for community gardens and market gardens during 2017. The City is accepting garden request forms for new leases through February 10, 2017.
Visit the Minneapolis Garden Lease Program webpage to view the map of available parcels, find information about the application process and complete the Garden Request Form.
Garden groups planning to renew their lease in 2017 or existing garden groups with questions should contact Karuna Mahajan at Karuna.Mahajan@minneapolismn.gov or 612-673-5051.
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 Minneapolis was selected to participate in a program with 100 Resilient Cities – pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation. The program supports 100 cities from around the world to better address the increasing shocks and stresses cities are facing in the 21st century. As part of the 100 Resilient Cities Network, Minneapolis will receive technical support and resources from 100 Resilient Cities to develop and implement a City Resilience Strategy over the next two years, to be led by a Chief Resilience Officer. On December 19th, Minneapolis hosted an agenda-setting workshop to bring together stakeholders from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors to discuss Minneapolis' present resilience status and establish a vision to guide the City's resilience strategy.
The City’s next step is to hire the Chief Resilience Officer. This position will be posted in January on the City’s Jobs Website.
The image featured above is a graphic capture of a multi-sector panel on engaging community in resilience work at the Minneapolis 100 Resilient Cities Agenda Setting Workshop.
Minneapolis was selected to participate in a program with 100 Resilient Cities – pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation. The program supports 100 cities from around the world to better address the increasing shocks and stresses cities are facing in the 21st century. As part of the 100 Resilient Cities Network, Minneapolis will receive technical support and resources from 100 Resilient Cities to develop and implement a City Resilience Strategy over the next two years, to be led by a Chief Resilience Officer. On December 19th, Minneapolis hosted an agenda-setting workshop to bring together stakeholders from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors to discuss Minneapolis' present resilience status and establish a vision to guide the City's resilience strategy.
The City’s next step is to hire the Chief Resilience Officer. This position will be posted in January on the City’s Jobs Website.
The image featured above is a graphic capture of a multi-sector panel on engaging community in resilience work at the Minneapolis 100 Resilient Cities Agenda Setting Workshop.
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On Nov. 2nd,
we celebrated the energy efficiency of five innovative and determined buildings
and highlighted the extraordinary work of building operators:
Are you working on
efficiency projects in your building? Could your building reduce greenhouse
gases 15% by 2020? Join these highly efficient buildings; learn more about
the Building Energy Challenge!
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The Green Zones Workgroup continues to make steady progress towards recommendations to City Council. In the next couple months, the Workgroup will host a series of focus groups in North, Northeast and South Minneapolis to get feedback on draft recommendations. If you would like to participant in a focus group or provide feedback via a survey, please contact Kelly Muellman at kelly.muellman@minneapolismn.gov or 612-673-3014. For monthly meeting information, see the Green Zones webpage.
The Energy Vision Advisory Committee (EVAC) provides feedback
to the Clean Energy Partnership Board to assist in pursuing the goals of the Clean
Energy Partnership and Minneapolis Climate Action Plan. The advisory committee includes representatives from critical communities within the City, such as businesses, neighborhoods, environmental justice organizations, and technical experts. Congratulations to returning and new members of the 2017-2018 EVAC:
Returning members: Louis Alemayehu, Cameran Bailey, Trevor Drake, John Farrell, Timothy Gaetz, Matt Kazinka, Kevin Lewis, Julia Silvis, Jamez Staples, and Billy Weber
New members: Timothy Denherder-Thomas, Abby Finis, Patty O'Keefe, Rebecca Olson, and Shane Stennes
The Community Environmental Advisory Commission provides assistance and advice to the city's efforts with its principal focus on sustainable development. The committee has up to 18 members including community members, representatives from environmental advocacy groups, technical environmental experts and representatives from industries or companies having a major impact on the environment.
Congratulations to returning and new members of the 2017-2018 CEAC: Ricardo McCurley, Lisa Daniels, Allan Campbell, Dylan Bradford Kesti, Jenna Grove, Thomas Olsen, Andrew Murray, Erin Niehoff, Isaac Russel-Hart, Jennifer Kruse, James Nash, Darrell Gerber, Mohamed Yakub, Michelle Stockness, John Stenseth, Adam Arvidson and Tony Hainault.
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variety of topics, including:
- City Council ward updates and
meeting information
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and meeting updates
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projects, equity initiatives, environmental health, and more
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