HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-08-08 EEC Meeting PacketAgenda
Energy and Environment Commission
City Of Edina, Minnesota
Braemar Golf Course - 6364 John Harris Drive
**(Note Updated Meeting Location)**
Thursday, August 8, 2019
7:00 PM
I.Call To Order
II.Roll Call
III.Approval Of Meeting Agenda
IV.Approval Of Meeting Minutes
A.Minutes: Energy and Environment Commission July 11, 2019
V.Community Comment
During "Community Comment," the Board/Commission will invite residents to share relevant
issues or concerns. Individuals must limit their comments to three minutes. The Chair may limit
the number of speakers on the same issue in the interest of time and topic. Generally speaking,
items that are elsewhere on tonight's agenda may not be addressed during Community Comment.
Individuals should not expect the Chair or Board/Commission Members to respond to their
comments tonight. Instead, the Board/Commission might refer the matter to sta% for
consideration at a future meeting.
VI.Reports/Recommendations
A.Initiative 5: Climate Action Plan
B.2020 Work Plan Discussion
C.Cross Commission Discussion
VII.Correspondence And Petitions
A.Working Group Minutes
B.Correspondence
VIII.Chair And Member Comments
IX.Sta1 Comments
A.Flood Risk Strategy Taskforce Update
B.City Hall Space Needs Study
C.Organics Recycling Coordinator Job is Posted
X.Calendar Of Events
A.2019 EEC Schedule and Roster List
B.2019 Initiative Calendar
XI.Adjournment
The City of Edina wants all residents to be comfortable being part of the
public process. If you need assistance in the way of hearing ampli9cation, an
interpreter, large-print documents or something else, please call 952-927-8861
72 hours in advance of the meeting.
Date: August 8, 2019 Agenda Item #: IV.A.
To:Energy and Environment Commission Item Type:
Minutes
From:Casey Casella, City Management Fellow
Item Activity:
Subject:Minutes: Energy and Environment Commission July
11, 2019
Information
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
www.edinamn.gov
ACTION REQUESTED:
Motion to approve the July 11, 2019 Minutes for the Energy and Environment Commission.
INTRODUCTION:
Receive the Energy and Environment Commission Minutes of July, 2019.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Minutes: July 11, 2019
Draft Minutes☒
Approved Minutes☐
Approved Date:
Minutes
City Of Edina, Minnesota
Energy and Environment Commission
Edina City Hall Community Room
Thursday, July 11, 2019, 7:00 PM
I. Call To Order
Chair Jackson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
II. Roll Call
Answering Roll Call were Chair Jackson, Commissioners Horan, Seeley, Lanzas, Satterlee, and Glahn.
Late:
Absent: Hoffman, Hussian, Manser, Fernands and Maynor
Staff Present: Casey Casella
III. Approval Of Meeting Agenda
Commissioner Lanzas made a motion to approve the July 11, 2019 meeting agenda. Seeley seconded.
All voted aye. Motion carried.
IV. Approval Of Meeting Minutes
Commissioner Horan made a motion to approve the June 13, 2019 minutes. Motion seconded by Satterlee.
All voted aye. Motion carried.
V. Special Recognitions and Presentations
A. Sustainability Intern Updates
Sustainability Intern Emily Worman gave an update on the following projects for the city:
• Purchasing policy updates
• Equipment resource library
• Conflict free minerals policy
• Break room coffee setup
• Safer cleaning products
VI. Community Comment
None.
VII. Reports/Recommendation
A. Resolution of Support for a Climate Inheritance Resolution
This item was tabled from the June 13, 2019 meeting. Commissioner Satterlee introduced an updated
advisory communication and resolution. No discussion.
Commissioner Horan made a motion to approve the advisory communication and attached
resolution. Lanzas seconded. Motion carries.
Draft Minutes☒
Approved Minutes☐
Approved Date:
Aye: Lanzas, Seeley, Horan, Satterlee, Chair Jackson
Nay: Glahn
VIII. Correspondence And Petitions
A. Resident Correspondence
• Correspondence received from resident
IX. Chair And Member Comments
A. Edina Neighbors for Affordable Housing Event Invite
a. Chair Jackson stated Sam Rockwell from the Minneapolis Planning Commission is
speaking Aug 15th 6:30pm at Edina Community Lutheran Church
B. Nobel Conference: Gustavus Adolphus College
a. Chair Jackson gave details about a conference Sept 24 and 25
C. August Work Plan Strategy Sheet
a. In preparation for the August EEC meeting, Chair Jackson asked the commission to think
about what they want to champion and work plan ideas
D. 4th of July Parade
a. Chaired Jackson read Commissioner Hoffman’s key take report outs from an email:
i. Slowing down with handing things out
ii. More people walking
E. Green Business Recognition
a. Commissioner Horan updated the commission about efforts to talk in-person to
businesses
X. Staff Comments
A. August Meeting Location Change
a. Casey provided a reminder of the location change for the August meeting
B. Building Security Updates
a. Casey updated the commission on access changes to the east door to City Hall
XII. Adjournment
Motion made by Glahn to adjourn the July 11, 2019 meeting at 7:22 p.m. Motion seconded by Lanzas. Motion
carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Casey Casella
City Management Fellow
Draft Minutes☒
Approved Minutes☐
Approved Date:
Date: August 8, 2019 Agenda Item #: VI.A.
To:Energy and Environment Commission Item Type:
Report and Recommendation
From:Casey Casella, City Management Fellow
Item Activity:
Subject:Initiative 5: Climate Action Plan Discussion
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
www.edinamn.gov
ACTION REQUESTED:
None.
INTRODUCTION:
Commissioner Satterlee will report out on Initiative 5: Study and report about timeline and parameters
recommendation for a Climate Action Plan including the city’s leadership role.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Climate Action Plan
Study and Report:
Parameters for a Climate Action Plan
for the City of Edina
August 2019
Compiled by Lauren Satterlee
Vice Chair, Edina Energy & Environment Commission
With input and guidance from City of Edina sustainability manager Tara Brown, Great Plains
Institute’s Abby Finis, City of Minneapolis staff Kelly Muellman and Luke Hollenkamp, and Ted
Redmond of paleBLUEdot LLC. Appreciation to EEC Student Commissioner Chloe Maynor for
assistance reviewing and documenting climate action plans adopted by comparable cities.
1. Why a Climate Action Plan?3
What’s at Stake?: Impacts on Residents, Businesses, Built Infrastructure 3
Warning from U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 6
Vision Edina 7
Features that Define Edina: ‘Sustainable Environment’ and ‘Future-Oriented’7
Emerging Priorities: ‘Environmental Stewardship’ and ‘Balancing Edina’s Redevelopment’8
Enhancing Our Community Fabric and Character 8
Balancing Edina’s Redevelopment 9
2019 Edina Quality of Life Community Survey 9
Edina’s Opportunity: A Call to Action 10
2. Key Components/Approaches 12
Climate Change Mitigation Strategies: Achieving GHG Emission Reductions 14
Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Strategies 16
Equity, Inclusion, and Community Input 18
3. Leadership of Other Cities 20
4. Measuring Progress 20
Aligning GHG Emissions Goals and Tracking with State, National, or Global Goals 20
Other Indicators of Success 21
Lessons Learned from Other Cities 22
5. Considerations 23
Recommendations 23
Prioritization 24
Timeline 24
Appendices 26
Appendix A: Leadership from the State, County, and Other Cities 26
Minnesota State Energy, GHG Reduction, and Utility Goals 26
Hennepin County Solid Waste Requirements 28
Appendix B: City Leadership Across the U.S. - Comparing Climate Action Plan Focus Areas 29
Appendix C: Edina’s GHG Reduction Goals and Related Programs & Initiatives 41
Current Programs & Initiatives 42
1. Why a Climate Action Plan?
What’s at Stake?: Impacts on Residents, Businesses, Built Infrastructure
A 2017 report by the State of Minnesota’s Interagency Climate Adaptation Team reported that, “Climate
change is already occurring in Minnesota and its impacts are affecting our state’s environment,
economy, and communities. Minnesota state government is concerned about the impacts of a changing
climate on our natural resources, economy, health, and quality of life, and is taking action to address
these emerging challenges.” The report, “Adapting to Climate Change in Minnesota,” stated that “Both
the science summarized in the National Climate Assessment and high-quality climatic data show that in
Minnesota and the Midwest, rising temperatures have been driven by a dramatic warming of winter and
also nights, with both the frequency and the severity of extreme cold conditions declining rapidly.
Annual precipitation increases have been punctuated by more frequent and more intense heavy rainfall
events. The heaviest snowstorms have also become larger, even as winter has warmed.” Edina and
other cities across the Twin Cities metro area have already begun experiencing these impacts. Fewer
extremely cold winter days may mean fewer icy roads and lower heating bills, but perhaps lower
revenue from winter sports activities. Increased heavy rain events will affect public and private property,
and increases in the number and duration of hot days will mean higher air conditioning bills and stress
on our electrical infrastructure.
“Current trends and projections show that as the climate continues to change, Minnesotans should
expect more difficult summers, with intense heat waves increasingly common, more prevalent water-
and insect-borne diseases, and a greater number of days with low air quality. Floods and droughts alike
may be more severe as precipitation events become stronger and summertime evaporation increases.
Agriculture and forestry will both face new challenges from changing patterns in weather and ecological
systems. Native species will face new pressures and threats as well.” [Source, 2013] The Minnesota
Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) 2014 Minnesota Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment details
environmental vulnerabilities facing the state, and the Minnesota Department of Health’s 2015
Minnesota Climate and Health Profile outlines climate related impacts on human health in the state.
“These hazards will affect all Minnesotans, but carry unique risks for the most vulnerable populations,
including the elderly, the very young, those with existing health concerns, and lower-income and
historically marginalized communities who may not have good access to key services or resources.”
[Source, 2013]
[Source, 2014]
[Source, 2014]
[Source]
The City of Edina participated in a workshop series to identify opportunities to build resilience related to
local climate change, sponsored by the MPCA and Metropolitan Council, among others. The workshop
recommendations for adaptation to climate change for Edina’s Built Infrastructure included:
●Continue plans to increase durability of roadways and reduce road stress
●Continue and increase efforts to repair sanitary sewers
●Plan for and educate about drinking water conservation
●Continue to improve energy and water efficiency and safety a city-owned buildings
[Source: “Making Adaptation Plans for Minnesota’s Changing Climate” Edina Workshop]
Warning from U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
In 2018, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued an urgent Special
report and summary for policy makers on the current climate crisis and “the impacts of global warming
of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context
of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and
efforts to eradicate poverty.” The IPCC reported that “global warming is likely to reach 1.5°C between
2030 and 2052 if it continues to increase at the current rate” and detailed the impacts expected as
warming reaches 1.5°C and potentially rises to 2°C, projecting “robust differences in regional climate
characteristics between present-day and global warming of 1.5°C, and between 1.5°C and 2°C. These
differences include increases in: mean temperature in most land and ocean regions (high confidence),
hot extremes in most inhabited regions (high confidence), heavy precipitation in several regions
(medium confidence), and the probability of drought and precipitation deficits in some regions
(medium confidence). ”
Many global ecological systems will be impacted, and in turn impact humans. “Climate-related risks to
health, livelihoods, food security, water supply, human security, and economic growth are projected
to increase with global warming of 1.5°C and increase further with 2°C.” However, limiting warming to
1.5°C would be desirable as it would “reduce risks to marine biodiversity, fisheries, and ecosystems,
and their functions and services to humans” and “lower the impacts on terrestrial, freshwater and
coastal ecosystems and to retain more of their services to humans.” In regards to sea level rise alone,
“by 2100, global mean sea level rise is projected to be around 0.1 metre lower with global warming of
1.5°C compared to 2°C (medium confidence). Sea level will continue to rise well beyond 2100 (high
confidence), and the magnitude and rate of this rise depend on future emission pathways.”
However, in regards to the projected outcomes of current mitigation actions, the IPCC concluded that
current national mitigation goals “would not limit global warming to 1.5°C, even if supplemented by
very challenging increases in the scale and ambition of emissions reductions after 2030.” The IPCC
reports that limiting global warming to 1.5°C “would require rapid and far-reaching transitions in
energy, land, urban and infrastructure,... and industrial systems... These systems transitions are
unprecedented in terms of scale,... imply deep emissions reductions in all sectors, a wide portfolio of
mitigation options and a significant upscaling of investments in those options.”
In summary, the report warns that avoiding “reliance on future large-scale deployment of carbon
dioxide removal (CDR) can only be achieved if global CO2 emissions start to decline well before 2030.”
On a positive note, the IPCC highlights ways in which the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals can
compliment emissions reductions efforts to ensure equitable distribution of benefits of this work.
“Sustainable development supports, and often enables, the fundamental societal and systems
transitions and transformations that help limit global warming to 1.5°C. Such changes facilitate the
pursuit of climate-resilient development pathways that achieve ambitious mitigation and adaptation in
conjunction with poverty eradication and efforts to reduce inequalities.” [Source]
Vision Edina
“The future we face is one filled with greater uncertainty, more rapid pace of change and emerging new
opportunities. Vision Edina allows us to step back and look again at the big picture, and decide how we
continue to evolve to remain a relevant, competitive and progressive city.” [Source]
Features that Define Edina: ‘Sustainable Environment’ and ‘Future-Oriented’
Edina is proud to build its infrastructure using leading principles of environmental sustainability and
treasure and protect our public spaces and parks. A Climate Action Plan would continue to ensure we
are following leading principles of environmental sustainability and protecting our shared spaces from
the impacts of climate change. Additionally, Edina is proud to continually look forward and always be
working to remain competitive, relevant and innovative and not to be afraid to adapt and change as the
city evolves. This value would be strongly supported by climate action planning, which would aim to
mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change on the City of Edina.
Emerging Priorities: ‘Environmental Stewardship’ and ‘Balancing Edina’s Redevelopment’
Vision Edina Identifies ‘Enhancing Our Community Fabric and Character’ and ‘Balancing Edina’s
Redevelopment’ as two key emerging priorities that reflect the core drivers of our future. Strategic
focus areas representing these priorities were identified as follows.
Enhancing Our Community Fabric and Character
iii. ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP - “Participants in the Vision Edina process were more
supportive of environmentally responsible policies and practices than any other issue area.
There is a growing awareness of the impact that the built environment has on the natural
environment, and the individual and collective responsibility we all have toward good
environmental stewardship. Community residents and stakeholders believe that Edina can take
an active and ambitious internal and regional leadership role in embedding environmental
stewardship principles through actions such as promoting more comprehensive recycling,
smart building and energy efficiency practices. These themes couple well with the parallel
benefits in smarter urban planning, increased transportation options and application of
technology.”
Suggested Strategic Actions:
1.“Develop a comprehensive city-wide environmental management plan that
explores and includes best practices in water management, biodiversity, green
space management, streetscape enhancement and waste management.”
○[Note: A Climate Action Plan could supplement Edina’s environmental
management plan, or serve as the plan if there is not one in place
currently.]
2.“Partner with energy and utility service providers to educate residents on the
importance of energy efficiency in their daily living and promote energy
efficiency and smart building practices at all City-owned properties. This could
include well-established practices such as publishing data on the carbon
emission, waste levels and recycling levels.”
○[Note: Publishing Climate Action Plan related data could dovetail with
these suggested education initiatives. ]
3.“Identify a series of environmental flagship pilot projects to bring stakeholders
together and begin exploring creative solutions. Examples could include: waste
collection and management across the city; recycling and green waste
management; environmental overlays on development projects such as
Pentagon Park; and utilization of available areas such as Fred Richards Park as
community gardens and biodiversity spaces.”
○[Note: Climate action plan steps could dovetail with these pilot projects.]
4.“Develop incentives for individual households to take an active role in the
overall city responsibility for environmental management, including reducing
nutrient loads in run-off, local recycling and efficient resource usage.”
○[Note: Climate action planning could help develop ideas for incentives for
individual households to take an active role in the overall city responsibility
for environmental management.]
iv. REGIONAL LEADERSHIP – [Note: Climate action planning would help develop suggested
new best practices in environmental sustainability for city leaders and residents to apply, to help
ensure that the City of Edina builds the future intelligence capacity to retain a future-focused
worldview, and act as an example and role model to other cities in North America.]
Balancing Edina’s Redevelopment
v. RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT MIX - [Note: Climate-forward policies could help attract
younger residents who tend to uphold their value, also supporting the need for additional
multi-family options to create more diversity in housing affordability and attract younger
residents. Climate-forward policies could also help develop frameworks and guidance for new
residential construction, also helping to address increasing concern about the trend and impact
of so-called ‘teardowns’ on the community.”]
vi. TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS - [Note: Transportation strategies of climate action
planning could also help respond to the community’s interest in reducing dependency on
automobiles by increasing walking, biking, and transit options that help residents feel connected
to their community, and improve the overall quality of life. Climate action planning could help
attract younger residents, since a diversity of transportation options is also highly preferred
among younger residents.]
vii. COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT MIX and LIVE AND WORK - [Note: Climate action planning
could help increase the diversity of neighborhood node commercial development locations by
appealing to start-up businesses that are likely more forward thinking on climate issues. More
commercial neighborhood nodes can reduce energy use by reducing the length of travel required
by automobile by residents, and mirror the unique and appealing experience of the 50th &
France district at an appropriate scale in other locations across the city.
2019 Edina Quality of Life Community Survey
The Quality of Life Survey issued by the City of Edina in 2019 reflected that 75 percent of residents agree
that the City should invest in programs and create policies to address climate change. 86 percent of
residents also identified adapting to climate change as important, with 63 percent rating it as either
essential or very important. [Source]
[Source]
[Source]
Edina’s Opportunity: A Call to Action
The City of Edina missed our 2015 goal to reduce GHG emissions by 15%, as stated in the 2008 Edina
Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan 10.2.3.), despite making progress on emission reductions. Considering
this urgent report from the ICCP, and considering the state is progressing on its own clean energy goals
(see Appendix A) the City needs to go beyond the low hanging fruit to achieve its GHG emissions
reduction goals.
[Source- B3 Benchmarking]
As the EEC presented to Edina City Council in their work session on April 8, 2015, B3 Benchmarking
estimated at that time that Edina had the fourth highest annual savings potential with building energy
use of all Minnesota cities at $526,000. Some improvements have been made, but B3 still estimates in
2019 that Edina has $465,000 in potential annual savings. [Source] Additional initiatives aimed at
achieving CAP goals will undoubtedly reveal more cost saving opportunities, even if that payback comes
after a certain period of time after an initial investment in infrastructure improvements.
In Edina’s 2016 Electricity Action Plan, City Environmental Engineer Ross Bintner “prepared a series of
data to inform strategies for reducing City [municipal] greenhouse gas emissions. The results estimate
how electricity use in municipal facilities compares to other sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and
against budget expenditures, though the results were issued with a data quality caveat.1 A wedge
diagram showing the impact of proposed strategies on City greenhouse gas emissions is shown in Figure
17… This information informed decisions about how to prioritize strategies targeting municipal
greenhouse gas emissions. Mr. Bintner used a 2015 budget spreadsheet provided by the City finance
department and analyzed it to group expenses and convert them to total dollar values, which were
converted into units of material or energy, or directly translated to GHG using sources including the
International Local Government Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analysis Protocol.”
1 Mr. Bintner explained to the planning team: “The “concept” level of detail is important to note, as I have not been
trained to perform GHG analysis. In performing this analysis I worked with planning team member Kyle Sawyer, and
Michael Orange with Orange Environmental to translate 2015 City of Edina expenses data into approximate GHG
emissions. Mr. Orange has conducted GHG assessments and politely emphasizes my lack of training when asked! In
addition to GHG, I also attempted to summarize other notable environmental footprint not directly related to
energy, such as water and land to demonstrate the concept of tradeoffs in City operations.”
[Source]
2. Key Components/Approaches
NASA explains the common two-pronged approach to responding to climate change:
1.“Reducing emissions of and stabilizing the levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere (‘mitigation’);”
2.“Adapting to the climate change already in the pipeline (‘adaptation’).” [Source]
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency points out that mitigation and adaptation strategies are often
complementary. “Without serious climate mitigation, humans and natural systems will find it
increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to adapt. More often than one might think, there is an overlap
between climate adaptation and mitigation, meaning that the same action can achieve both goals.
[Figure 11] helps to illustrate that climate adaptation and mitigation can overlap in some cases. The
chart below (see Figure 12) provides several examples of those overlapping climate adaptation
responses that also can reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.” The additional graphic from the
Minnesota Environmental Quality Board (EQB) outlines further areas of overlap between mitigation and
adaptation strategies.
[Source]
[Source, 2014]
Climate Change Mitigation Strategies: Achieving GHG Emission Reductions
120 cities in the U.S. are adopting 70-100 percent renewable or clean energy standards as part of their
climate change mitigation strategies. As of 2019, this includes 10 cities in Minnesota, whose goals are
displayed in the adjacent table. Four of these Minnesota cities - St. Louis Park, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and
Rochester - have commitments for 100 percent renewable or clean energy by 2030. (Source, IonE 2019)
(Source, IonE 2019)
It is recommended that a climate action plan for Edina focus primarily on mitigation strategies, which
will be the actions taken to allow the city to achieve its own goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in
the city by 30% by 2025 and 80% by 2050. It may even be considered that these goals be revised and
increased in order to meet the urgency of the climate crisis reported by the United Nations
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and reflecting the leadership of the Governor’s office
in introducing the One Minnesota Path to Clean Energy, a set of policies for Minnesota to source 100
percent of its electric energy from clean sources. [Source] Edina may even have the opportunity to
exceed the goals of neighboring cities and continue to be a leader regionally, inspiring a healthy
competition on this front!
Specific Goals and Inventories
Since the applications of climate change mitigation strategies will be very diverse – from transportation,
to waste, to industrial, commercial, and residential energy use – it will be important to lay out specific
goals in each of these areas to serve as a clear pathway for city staff directing, measuring, and tracking
overall progress on the CAP.
As a useful tool the City in categorizing emission mitigation strategies, “The GHG Protocol Corporate
Standard classifies a company’s GHG emissions into three ‘scopes’:
●Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from owned or controlled sources.
●Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy.
●Scope 3 emissions are all indirect emissions (not included in scope 2) that occur in the value
chain of the reporting company, including both upstream and downstream emissions.” [Source]
Scope 1 emissions may be the lowest hanging fruit and easiest to tackle, but Scope 2 emissions will likely
be the area in which the City has the largest opportunity for emissions reductions. The size of
opportunity for emissions reductions should be considered carefully when prioritizing strategies in order
to meet the GHG reduction goals.
In addition to prioritizing within specific emission scopes, in order to facilitate measuring and tracking of
overall progress on CAP goals, it is essential to establish a system to inventory emissions and ensure that
the inventory is taken and tracked at regular increments. Before Iowa City adopted their CAP, they
conducted a full emissions inventory and climate risk assessment. [Source] More on this topic can be
found in the section of this report on Measuring Progress.
Providing a Toolkit for businesses, residents, schools, and community-based organizations with tangible
action steps will be important in setting expectations for community members within the CAP. More on
this topic can be found in the subsection of this report on Equity, Inclusion, and Community
Engagement.
Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Strategies
While it is recommended that the City of Edina focus its CAP on climate mitigation strategies, it must
also ensure it is planning and adapting to the environmental changes that are occurring and will occur as
a result of climate change, even as mitigation work is ongoing locally, nationally, and globally.
Additionally, value for maintaining aspects of Edina’s environment that fall outside of greenhouse gas
emissions reduction goals or energy reduction goals must remain a top priority.
The City of Edina engineering department and water resources team published the 2018 Comprehensive
Water Resources Management Plan and developed an interactive water resources map that includes
local 1 percent annual chance flood inundation mapping. This is an example of how the city is
responding and adapting to increasingly frequent flooding events caused by climate change. The
following is an excerpt about the Flood Risk Reduction Strategy, which will be developed as part of the
overall plan:
“As part of this 10-year plan, the City of Edina will develop a Flood Risk Reduction Strategy that
outlines a plan for working toward reducing flood risk.... The strategy will include preparation of
planning-level cost estimates to help understand the potential financial investment required to
meet the City’s flood protection goals and the anticipated timeframe for implementation.
“The Flood Risk Reduction Strategy will focus on identification and prioritization of flood
reduction efforts. The City will seek to maximize cost effectiveness and capitalize on coinciding
opportunities, such as planned street reconstruction, redevelopment, availability of land, and
other planned infrastructure improvement projects. Consideration will also be given to
achieving additional ‘co-benefits’, such as water quality improvements, open space expansion,
and wildlife habitat improvement.
When completed, the Flood Risk Reduction Strategy will be included as an amendment to this
CWRMP.
The City recognizes that addressing regional and local flood issues throughout the community
will require multiple strategies and many actions implemented over a generational time frame.
The City will employ the strategies and associated actions summarized in the adjacent table for
addressing flood issues.” [Source]
[Source]
Climate resilient strategies will include a focus on leveraging the knowledge of the community and
fostering their buy-in and collaboration towards reaching the CAP goals, and equitable distribution of
the benefits of the CAP implementation work. More on this topic can be found in the following section
on Equity, Inclusion, and Community Input.
Edina’s CAP must include strategies to mitigate GHG emissions, adapt to current and future
environmental changes due to climate change, while also continuing to hold high other values not
directly tied to its GHG emissions reduction work. These values include maintaining water quality, tree
cover, and equitably accessible green space, encouraging robust community input on development
projects, and increasing equitable access to resources. As the taskforce develops the CAP and plans for
how the city will function in the future, they should consider and integrate best practices for mitigation
and adaptation, how the community functions today, and guiding values and frameworks such as Vision
Edina.
Equity, Inclusion, and Community Input
Community development initiatives are most sustainable when they involve the community members in
the planning and implementation process, considering social factors and impacts in addition to
economic and environmental factors and impacts. This way, the plan and initiatives account for and
leverage the knowledge within the community and the community members feel a sense of ownership
in the plan’s success. Involving a diverse range of representatives from community also increase the
likelihood that the plan’s outcomes will be equitably distributed throughout the community and reduce
the risk of causing unintended harm.
For example, the MPCA notes that because of
social and economic inequities, individuals and
“communities of color, indigenous
communities, and lower-income communities
tend to be more vulnerable to the effects of
air pollution” and other environmental risk
factors that are aggravated by climate change.
[Source] In a planning or community
development process, “meaningfully involving
individuals most impacted by structural racial
inequity in the creation and implementation
of the institutional policies and practices that
impact their lives” is also known as employing
a Race and Equity Lens. [Source] Cities like
Fort Collins, Colorado place the value for the
‘triple bottom line’ - social, economic, and environmental considerations - as the foundation of their
strategic planning processes. [Source]
[Graphic Source]
By incorporating inclusive and equitable approaches, the CAP also has the opportunity to help meet
some of the recommendations of Edina’s Race & Equity Task Force (RETF) from their 2018 report.
[Source] These approaches can be reported within the annual reports to City Council and the public on
progress toward established racial equity and CAP goals, and can help carry out the city’s community
engagement plan.
One way the CAP can also meet RETF recommendations is for the CAP itself be written in plain language
using Obama’s Plain Language Initiative Hemingway Application as a guide. Using plain language and
incorporating input and voices from a diverse range of community members would help meet the
recommendations of the RETF around records management and inclusive communications and
technology services.
Providing training to staff and perhaps taskforce members in the areas of implicit bias and cultural
diversity could also help fulfill the RETF training recommendations.
As an example, the City of Minneapolis’ climate action plan development process was centered around a
taskforce or steering committee whose members included technical experts, community
representatives, City and other government agency representatives, environmental commission
members, as well as two members of four appointed working groups. Three technical working groups
focused on key emissions areas (buildings & energy, transportation & land use, and waste & recycling)
and the equity group focused on ensuring that the “strategies developed in the planning process did not
exacerbate existing inequities or environmental and health burdens faced by Minneapolis
communities.” [Source, 2013] Although not formed from the outset, Minneapolis city staff recommend
that other cities establish equity working groups from the outset of the planning process to ensure this
method and perspective is embedding into the CAP. [Source: Interview with City of Minneapolis, June
2019] Equitably represented task forces or working groups, town halls, and surveys are all established
ways to invite community input into the planning process. As mentioned, community input will
strengthen the sustainability of the CAP and its implementation initiatives.
The CAP should require ongoing robust community input not only in the planning process, but
indefinitely build input avenues into all planning and development projects, all of which have equity and
sustainability considerations. Sustainability must include equitable lenses for environmental and
economic development initiatives, increasing equitable access to resources in the city, including energy
efficient affordable housing options within new housing developments in the city, to allow for
development without displacement. For example, exploring other community’s successes around
cooperative housing and co-ownership could be a valuable model for increasing green affordable
housing opportunities in Edina.
In addition ensuring inclusive input in the planning process, the City of Minneapolis recommends laying
out expectations of individual citizens or households and their role in helping reach the CAP goals, in
building that into the community outreach strategy. Providing a Toolkit for businesses, residents,
schools, and community-based organizations with a pathway of tangible action steps and resources will
help these entities engage and contribute towards the city wide goals. For this purpose, Iowa City
released a Toolkit with their CAP and invites community members to take the Iowa City Climate Action
pledge. [Source]
In the Measuring Impact section of this report, there are some recommendations around creating
indicators that accurately measure equity in line with the other indicators of the CAP. Building this into
the CAP from the beginning will inform prioritization neighborhoods of the city that need interventions
the most and where resources should flow when they are available.
There are funding resources and other resources available for incorporating an equity lens and inclusion
strategy into planning processes such as Edina’s CAP. For example, the Minneapolis Climate Action &
Racial Equity Fund offers “grants for place-based, community-driven initiatives and projects that result in
a demonstrable reduction in local greenhouse gas emissions, align with the goals of the Minneapolis
Climate Action Plan, and further the goals of the Minneapolis Strategic Racial Equity Plan. This fund is a
partnership between the City of Minneapolis, The Minneapolis Foundation, and the McKnight
Foundation.” [ADD Source] Health care companies also have a history of funding green space projects in
municipal areas because they view them as community health projects, one example benign the Green
Fourth Street project by the Towerside Innovation District by Blue Cross Blue Shield. The CREATE
Initiative at the University of Minnesota is also developing a toolkit expected to launch in January 2020
to help communities build tools to prevent “green gentrification” and displacement.
3. Leadership of Other Cities
Cities in Minnesota have established Climate Action Plans (including the cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul,
and St. Louis Park), and more are currently drafting plans (including the City of Eden Prairie). For
example, the City of Minneapolis has commuted to 100 percent renewable electricity within city
facilities and infrastructure by 2022 and citywide by 2030. Additional cities nationally that are
comparable to Edina in characteristics such as population size and weather/climate have also
established CAPs. Additionally, as of April 2019, more than 100 cities across the U.S. have committed to
transition 100 percent renewable energy, and most of them plan to meet that goal by 2035. [Source]
Appendix B contains a comparison of elements included in established CAPs in comparable cities, as well
as indicators or measurement tools used by various cities to measure their success in meeting the CAP
goals. Also included in Appendix B are notes on Edina’s progress on current related initiatives, and
Edina’s opportunity for future initiatives under the umbrella of a CAP.
The subsection of this report on Advice and Lessons Learned from Other Cities (within the Measuring
Progress section) provides more insights from neighboring cities on their CAP and implementation
processes from which Edina can learn.
4. Measuring Progress
As mentioned previously, the CAP must include an inventory emissions system and schedule to track
progress on GHG emission reduction goals at regular increments. Iowa City conducted a full emissions
inventory and climate risk assessment before adopting their CAP against which to measure the progress
on their CAP goals. [Source] There are various tools available to the taskforce and staff, such as the
calculation tools and guide provided by the GHG Protocol. [Source]
The CAP goals and system of measuring progress towards those goals can be aligned to a variety of
state, national, and global goals and methodologies. The selected system of measurement must also
include indicators beyond pure emissions sources and include indicators of community health and
equitable distribution of benefits of these emissions reductions in order to align with the goals of Vision
Edina.
Aligning GHG Emissions Goals and Tracking with State, National, or Global Goals
The CAP taskforce will need to decide on the system of tracking and goals upon which the CAP will
measure success and progress. This could be based upon Minnesota state goals, or goals of international
systems such as Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) or the Paris Climate Accord.
Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) is a global network of more than 1,750 local and regional
governments committed to sustainable urban development. Their “activities, guided by five
interconnected pathways, are designed to facilitate integrated sustainable urban development.” These
five pathways include the “Low emission development pathway; Nature-based development pathway;
Circular development pathway; Resilient development pathway; and Equitable and people-centered
development pathway.” [Source]
Other Indicators of Success
Other indicators for success outside of the key emissions-reductions focus areas of the CAP should be
established to help meet Vision Edina’s wider environmental stewardship and quality of life priorities. In
addition to equity considerations, perhaps the plan can set forth specific indicators to measure success
based on Vision Edina strategies, community input and participation, and collaborative initiatives with
neighboring cities to help bolster mutual success. These indicators should be established in line with the
key focus areas aimed at reducing GHG emissions, and regular measuring and tracking systems set in
place.
It is recommended that measurement and tracking systems be established from the start to match
division areas the City already uses, which in Edina’s case would be neighborhoods. This way, as
measurements are made and funds are budgeted, decisions can be made about which neighborhoods
should receive priority action during implementation phase.
Systems like the STAR Community Rating System (Sustainability Tools for Assessing and Rating
Communities) provide a framework and certification program for evaluating local sustainability
encompassing social, economic, and environmental performance measures. (See adjacent STAR
framework chart.) Cities like San Diego, Fort Collins, and Iowa City produce annual reports reflecting
progress on key indicators within their CAPs.
Valuable tools and resources in establishing indicators for Edina’s CAP and conducting an initial
emissions inventory could include:
●The Regional Indicators Initiative and their wedge diagram tool (see sample adjacent figure) and
other resources from the Minnesota’s Local Government Project for Energy Planning (LoGoPEP)
●Metro Climate Stats by the Metropolitan Council
●The Climate Adaptation Framework Menu of Community Resilience Strategies
●The EPA’s Climate Change Adaptation Resource Center (ARC-X) which walks through the MN
Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment process and provides applicable tools.
[Source]
Advice and Lessons Learned from Other Cities
The City of Minneapolis adopted their CAP in June 2013. Reflecting on their work to implement the plan
in the initial few years, city staff recommended setting specific and aggressive goals within the CAP
(perhaps sparking a friendly competition with neighboring cities) including considering including a 100
percent renewable electricity goal from the outset, and stating clearly why the aggressive goals are
needed in meeting the GHG reduction and CAP goals. They also recommended ensuring that one staff
person is in charge of tracking the high-level progress on the CAP cumulatively and against the CAP
goals, and reporting this progress regularly to City Council. They also advised stipulating within the CAP
to keep reporting methods consistent across changes in City leadership, and develop expectations or a
pledge for individual citizens/households in contributing their part to achieving the city’s CAP goals.
[Source: Interview with City of Minneapolis, June 2019]
5. Considerations
Edina is already working on initiatives that could be built upon in a Climate Action Plan, including:
●Creating an energy benchmarking policy,
●Curbside organics recycling,
●Green building policy, including plans for optimal reuse/recycling of demolition/deconstruction
waste,
●Green business recognition program,
●Green City vehicle fleet goals,
●Integrating bicycle lanes and pedestrian paths into area development planning,
●Mapping floodplains to inform residents and businesses of risk,
●Infrastructure planning around stormwater capture, and
●Support for lower-income residents for Ash tree removal and replacement.
However, as mentioned previously, the city must move beyond low-hanging fruit to address the current
climate crisis and establish a Climate Action Plan in order to achieve its GHG emissions goals.
Recommendations & Prioritization
The Edina Energy and Environment Commission recommends that a taskforce be developed to lead the
development of a Climate Action Plan. The taskforce should be composed of City staff, experts from
neighboring cities, and local consultants who have assisted other local cities in developing Climate
Action Plans such as the Great Plains Institute, which also supports the Hennepin County Building Energy
Benchmarking Collaborative pilot program, in which Edina has participated.
The taskforce structure could be modeled after the City of Minneapolis’ climate action plan
development process, whose taskforce included two members of four technical and equity-focused
working groups. [Source, 2013]
The taskforce should prioritize Climate Action Plan initiatives based on a materiality matrix considering:
●Vision-based planning: Vision Edina, the 2018 Edina Comprehensive Plan, and 2018 ICCP Report.
●Mitigation, Adaptation, Resilience, Equity, and Inclusion:
○Prioritize strategies to mitigate GHG emissions and incorporate strategies to adapt to
current and future environmental changes due to climate change.
○Prioritize strategies to foster resilience by holding high other values not directly tied to
emissions reduction with focuses on: leveraging knowledge within the community,
laying a foundation in the ‘triple bottom line,’ establishing shared expectations of
community members to help achieve CAP goals, and ensuring equitable distribution of
the benefits of the CAP implementation work.
●Hazard and disaster prevention: Observed impacts of climate change driven extreme weather
on City infrastructure.
●Low-hanging fruit vs. quantity of reductions in emission scopes 1, 2, and 3: The quantity of
GHG reduction obtainable through initiatives with a specific focus area or scope.
●Stakeholder input:
○Results from the 2019 Quality of Life Survey indicating from 75 percent of residents
agree that the City should invest in programs and create policies to address climate
change.
○Leadership of private businesses within Edina, highlighted by business recognition
program.
○Input from diverse community representatives, whether serving on taskforce or on
separate equity working group reporting to the taskforce.
●Expert Assessment and Taskforce:
○Consultants: Input of consultants based on Edina’s unique assets and
challenges/opportunities. Potential local consultants to assist with parts of the planning
process could include the Great Plains Institute and PaleBlueDot, LLC, as well as other
resources previously utilized like the Regional Indicators. MnTAP offers Minnesota
businesses workshops and other resources on greening your business.
○Resources listed in the Measuring Impact section of this report.
○Neighboring cities who have adopted Climate Action Plans. City of Minneapolis staff
were already interviewed for this report, but it is recommended that the taskforce
interview Sommerville, MA and Fort Collins, CO as two leading cities that are
comparable to Edina. Interview questions could include 1) their strategy/focus areas in
a) mitigation and b) adaptation; 2) progress measurement methods and which
indicators are used on what timeline; 3) community engagement methods for input; 4)
their expected vs observed costs; 5) funding sources; 6) successes and general lessons
learned.
●Measurement & Reporting: Outcomes should be tracked and reported to Council annually in a
cumulative/trend-based reporting style, and planning should be reassessed at a regular
increment balancing need and capacity, perhaps every five years. At the time of reassessment,
planning can be adjusted to reflect new climate science or policies, and a new set of priority
actions should be selected.
●Starting now: As the CAP is being developed, other groundwork can be laid, such as conducting
a GHG emissions inventory and climate risk assessment.
Timeline
The taskforce should develop a timeline based on the outcomes of the materiality matrix assessment
and related priority actions. The timeline should show when each priority action should start and how
long it will take to accomplish. As mentioned in the Recommendations section, outcomes should be
tracked and reported to Council annually in a cumulative/trend-based reporting style, and planning
should be reassessed at a regular increment balancing need and capacity, perhaps every five years. At
the time of reassessment, planning can be adjusted to reflect new climate science or policies, and a new
set of priority actions should be selected.
The adjacent figure shows an example priority action timeline used by Sommerville, MA, where each
timeline bar represents an initiative under the focus area listed on the left side of the chart.
[Source]
Appendices
Appendix A: Leadership from the State, County, and Other Cities
Minnesota State Energy, GHG Reduction, and Utility Goals
“Minnesota is committed by statute to do its part for the climate by meeting its Next Generation Energy
Act [NGEA] goals. This 2007 law sets a goal for the state to cut its annual emissions of greenhouse gases
by 80% between 2005 and 2050. While much progress has been made, the 2050 goal will require
policies well beyond what is already in place at the federal or state level.” [Source]
[Source]
Between 2005 and 2016, emissions in some sectors fell (electricity generation, transportation, and
agriculture/forestry, and waste), but emissions from other sectors grew (industrial, residential, and
commercial). [Source]
Changes in emissions in Minnesota by sector 2005-2016
[Source]
To address the need for policy to achieve our state’s GHG goals and build upon the success of NGEA, on
March 4, 2019, Minnesota’s Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan announced
the One Minnesota Path to Clean Energy, which is a set of policy proposals for Minnesota to reach 100
percent clean electricity generation sector by 2050. “Climate change is an existential threat,” Governor
Tim Walz said. “We must take immediate action… These proposals would put us at the forefront of
addressing climate change. Minnesota will pioneer the green energy economy—creating jobs while
protecting our planet for generations to come.” [Source]
The new policies target the energy generation sector in three ways:
1.100 Percent Clean Energy by 2050. This standard would require all electric utilities in Minnesota
to use only carbon-free energy resources by 2050, while allowing each utility the flexibility to
choose how and at what pace they meet the standard. The proposal includes provisions to assist
workers and communities affected by the transition, while prioritizing local jobs and prevailing
wages for large new clean energy projects.
2.Clean Energy First. This regulatory policy would require that, whenever a utility proposes to
replace or add new power generation, it must prioritize energy efficiency and clean energy
resources over fossil fuels. This policy would strengthen an existing renewable energy
preference in Minnesota law, and it would allow for fossil fuel-based power only if needed to
ensure reliable, affordable electricity.
3.Energy Optimization. This proposal would raise Minnesota’s Energy Efficiency Resource
Standard for investor-owned electric utilities and expand the Conservation Improvement
Program that helps Minnesota households and businesses save on their utility bills by using
energy more efficiently. It would also encourage utilities to develop innovative new programs to
help consumers and businesses switch to more efficient, cleaner energy. In addition, it would
target more energy-saving assistance for low-income households. [Source]
These statewide policies follow Xcel Energy’s announcement in December 2018 of their public
commitment “to generate 100 percent of its electricity from clean energy by 2050. Two states –
California and Hawaii – have adopted mandates for 100 percent clean energy.”[Source] Ben Fowke, Xcel
Energy’s Chairman, President and CEO stated, “Xcel Energy is committed to serving customers, and that
includes responding to the concerns of many customers around the risk of climate change. National and
international studies paint a sobering picture about this risk and call for nothing less than a
transformation of our industry to help address it. While that transformation will be challenging, we see
an opportunity for our company and those we serve to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions
reliably, safely and at a low cost.” [Source]
In addition to utilities, Minnesota’s private sector is taking a lead. “More than 100 major global
companies have also pledged to meet their energy needs with 100 percent clean energy by 2050 or
sooner, with Minnesota’s own 3M being the latest to make this commitment.” [Source]
Additionally, many major Minnesota businesses, including General Mills, Best Buy, Aveda, Cargill,
Tennant Company, Target, Uponor, Clif Bar, and Ben & Jerry’s have expressed their support for a
transition to a low carbon economy, including reducing their own greenhouse gas emissions because
they understand the importance of climate change to their profitability and supply chains. [Source]
In the transportation sector, in 2018, Metro Transit cancelled an order for diesel buses and announced a
goal to transition to 100% electric vehicle bus fleet by 2040. [Source] As of April 2019, there are bills in
play in Minnesota’s legislature proposing support for this, and other support for other parts of emerging
electric vehicle (EV) industry such as rebates for new and used EV car purchases and investments in
charging stations. [Source] Minnespolis and Saint Paul are on track to join the list of cities across the
world with zero-emission bus fleets. [Source]
Hennepin County Solid Waste Requirements
“The Hennepin County Solid Waste Management Master Plan for 2018 - 2023 identifies strategies the
county will pursue to reach the goals of recycling 75 percent of waste and sending zero waste to landfills
by 2030. State statute requires metro counties to prepare master plans every six years that identify
strategies to meet the recycling goals and objectives in the state’s Metropolitan Area Solid Waste
Management Policy Plan.
The plan was adopted by the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners on November 28, 2017. See the
Hennepin County Solid Waste Management Master Plan for 2018 - 2023 (PDF) to learn about the
proposed strategies and next steps.” [Source]
Appendix B: City Leadership Across the U.S. - Comparing Climate Action Plan Focus Areas
[Via Tara - What we collected on other cities in 2017:]
Edina - 51,958
Eden Prairie, MN - 64,400, climate inheritance resolution building on their energy action plan + net-zero
GHG by 2040
Iowa City, IA - 75,798
Somerville, MA - 81,360
Minneapolis, MN - 422,331
St. Paul, MN - 306,621
Fort Collins, CO - 165,080
Bellevue, Washington - 144,444
Bethesda, MD - 63,374
Carmel, IN - 92,198
Highland Park, IL - 29,767, 2009 Sustainability Strategic Plan
Lee’s Summit, MO - 97,290
Littleton, CO - 47,734
Manhattan Beach, CA - 35,924
Newton, MA - 88,994
Menlo Park, CA - 34,357
Shaker Heights, OH - 27,440
University Park, TX - 25,201
The following table provides a snapshot of cities comparable to Edina that have already established
Climate Action Plans – including Minneapolis, St. Paul, and St. Louis Park as well as other cities outside of
Minnesota – and an overview of the features of those plans.
Key:
MS = Minneapolis, MN (Lauren, +more info including equity recommendations)
SP = St. Paul, MN (Chloe +more info; background)
SLP = St. Louis Park, MN (Chloe +more info)
FC = Fort Collins, CO (Lauren)
SM = Sommerville, MA (Lauren)
IA = Iowa City, IA (Chloe +more info including on community input methods)
Focus
Area
Elements Included
in Specific City
CAPs
Indicators/
Measuring
Success
Funding
Sources
Edina’s
Progress/
Initiatives
Edina’s
Opportunity
Energy
Greening
the
Energy
Supply
(including
renewabl
es)
SD-
IA- Initiate an
education
campaign
surrounding
decarbonization;
study city
properties for
electrification
opportunities;
expand this study
to residences;
initiate community
solar projects.
MS- Green Zone
Initiatives for areas
MS- 5%
efficiency in
residential
buildings and
20% efficiency in
commercial/ind
ustrial buildings
from growth
baseline;
Increase
electricity from
renewables to
10% of the total;
1.5% annual
reduction in
GHG from City
SLP -
Consultant
from Great
Plains
Institute,
fee paid by
City
SP- Grant
money
from
winning the
Bloomberg
Philanthrop
ies
American
Cities
Installed 1
community
solar garden;
Encourages
individual
solar PV;
Established
PACE
program;
Incentivize
individual solar
PV; Develop
carbon offsets;
Establish
Renewable
Energy Taskforce
facing multiple
vulnerabilities;
Public-private
efficiency
campaign; City
facilities and
infrastructure lead
efficiency model;
Help 75% of
homeowners,
renters, and rental
property owners
participate in
efficiency retrofit
programs.
SP- Adopt stricter
building energy
codes for new
development; Deep
energy retrofits
program for 1-4
unit households,
high and low
income; Provide
education about
electrification of
gas appliances;
Host a city wide
solar resource map
on city website;
Provide solar
education for
builders
SM- Explore
net-zero energy or
net-zero
emissions-based
performance
standards
FC- Build in
efficiency from
start; Make existing
homes more
efficient; Shift
heating loads to
biofuel,
geothermal, and
facilities.
SLP- Large
commercial
building energy
efficiency team
measures
progress toward
established
goals.
SP- Reach 5%
annual
participation in
energy
conservation by
2040; 100%
Large,
multifamily, and
municipal
building
participation in
building
benchmarking
(50k sq ft) by
2030; 150 MW
commercial
solar rooftop
capacity by
2040; 100%
Green new
development of
large or
multifamily
buildings by
2040.
Climate
Challenge.
electrification
SLP: Encourage
residents and
businesses to
switch to
renewable sources;
Add solar to public
buildings
Codes,
Finance, &
Incentive
Programs
MS- Support the
adoption of the
latest IECC and
IGCC and adopt the
latter locally;
Develop tools to
finance retrofits to
commercial and
residential
buildings that have
low barriers to
entry and limit risk;
Incentivize energy
& water efficiency
in private buildings
at all touchpoints
with the City
including
restructuring
permit and other
fee schedules and
incentivizing high
energy
performance;
City-financed
projects meet an
efficiency standard;
Explore
conservation based
pricing and
renewables when
updating franchise
agreements with
utilities; Time of
sale and rental labl
disclosure.
IA- Implement a
green business
recognition
program
SP- Offer a
one-year
production
incentive for
residential and
multifamily solar
installation;
explore an energy
benchmark
requirement for
commercial and
multifamily
buildings;
implement an
energy challenge
program for
partners; provide
lower cost EV
charging at city
owned parking lots.
Rental
and
Time-of-S
ale
Building
Energy
Use
Disclosure
SM- Enable rental
energy disclosure
requirement
SLP - Adopt a
building energy
disclosure
ordinance for all
public and
commercial
buildings
greater than
20,000 square feet;
SP- Adopt a point
of sale and point of
rent energy
disclosure
ordinance.
MS- Create
time-of-sale and
time-of-rent energy
labeldisclosure.
Green
Jobs
MS- Expand efforts
to promote green
jobs that support
GHG emission
reduction goals.
IA- Expand current
rideshare program
Transportation
EV Ready
and
hybrid
vehicles in
City fleet -
SM- Develop
electric vehicle
charging
infrastructure
strategy; Parking
policy to meet
low-carbon
mobility needs.
FC- Accelerate
adoption of fuel
efficient and EVs
IA- add two EV
charging stations to
visible public
parking facility
locations.
SLP- Add EV
charging to City lots
SP- Expand public
charging
infrastructure;
require new
developments to
have wiring
capacity to charge
electric vehicles
and reserve a
percentage of new
parking spots for
exclusive EV use.
Resource: Drive
Electric MN will
soon have more
resources for cities,
including a
checklist, sample
presentations, etc.
AU- At Least
95% of the
vehicles
purchased
annually by the
city are
alternative-fuel
capable.
SP- 600 Level 2
EV chargers by
2040; reach 80%
of on road
vehicles as EVs
by 2040; 100
mobility hubs by
2040.
[confirm w
Tara] Owns
[#] hybrids
and [#] EVs in
city fleet.
[Partial
Source]
+Purchasing
policy, comp
planning
See also Cities
Charging Ahead
Related
Street &
Land Use
Planning
FC- Shift land use
patterns to shorten
trips and reduce
need to drive
IA- change land use
to more compact
and mixed-use
developments,
encourage compact
and contiguous
design, and infill
development
across the City
SP-Set parking
maximums for
most land-use
types and require
developers and
landlords to
“unbundle” parking
from rent; Mitigate
the impact of
inner-city highways
(via capping,
converting into
boulevards, or
removal);
Increase mixed use
communities;
Ensure that
mobility hubs are
within a quarter
mile from public
transportation.
SP- Increase
public transit
ridership 25% by
2040; Reduce
Single
Occupancy
Vehicle
commuters by
40% of 2015
levels by 2040.
Waste & Carbon Sequestration
FC- Road to zero
waste/ carbon
sequestration
IA- Expand waste
diversion
SP- Reach 80%
total waste
diverted from
landfill by 2040,
with 10% or
In progress:
Curbside
organics
recycling
program; Ash
Mandate
business
recycling
including
organics for
programs; reduce
Waste at city
facilities; develop a
waste management
plan; expand tree
canopy; study
waste generation
from landfill
SP- Implement a
waste prevention
plan; Place a fee on
disposable
shopping bags;
Implement a
curbside organics
program; Require
reuse/recycling of
construction and
demolition
materials; Require
"to-go" packaging
to be compostable;
Capture and utilize
methane leaking
from Pig's Eye
landfill.
SLP- Adopt a waste
reduction plan to
achieve a 50%
reduction in
garbage by 2050
from BAU;
Continue to
improve and
enforce the city’s
Zero Waste
Packaging
ordinance
Suggested-
Incentives to plant
more and larger
tree, management
training (residential
and professionals)
Suggested-
waste
composted, 55%
recycled and a
5% reduction in
annual tons of
waste.
tree
replacement
policy
food-related
businesses;
Require
recycling/organic
s at public
events; Consider
organized solid
waste hauling;
Track trees felled
and diameter,
growth, and
sequestration of
replacements
Continuous training
and improvement
on appropriate
recycling and
organics practices;
Business/commerci
al recycling
incentives; Single
use plastics ban
Water
Water
Managem
ent &
Quality
Control
IA- Study on
extracting and
reusing methane
from wastewater
SLP- Include water
efficiency
educational
materials in
building permit
process; encourage
improvements to a
building’s water
efficiency during
renovation.
SM - Implement a
modern urban
forestry
management plan;
Investigate
enterprise fund to
improve
stormwater
management;
Flood resilience
standard for new
construction
SP- Distribute
water conservation
educational
materials; Support
opportunities for
residents to
electrify water
heaters; Identify
opportunities for
SLP - Tracking
residential,
municipal, and
industrial water
use.
SP- Reduce per
person annual
water
consumption by
2% by 2040, and
annual per job
usage by 5% by
2040.
large business with
significant hot
water leads to use
solar thermal
technology.
Suggested-
interesting article:
https://ensia.com/featu
res/flooding-increase-ci
ties-live-with-water-gre
en-stormwater-infrastr
ucture/
SLP - Improve the
efficiency of water
delivery, encourage
conservation,
Community Input / Outreach
IA- Public forums
and input meetings
held during plan
formation; steering
committee
comprising of
community
representatives
formed to oversee
implementation of
plan; community
climate action
grant created,
SM- Consumption
based GHG
inventory and
community
outreach on
impacts of
consumption;
Preparedness
education program
and emergency
alert system for
flooding and
extreme heat;
Organize
community
leadership
program; Create
regional coalition
for neighboring
municipalities
develop strategy to
push action
SLP - Youth Lead
initiatives to
reduce school
emissions, and
business outreach;
creation of the
Climate Action Plan
Advisory
Committee
SP- Three
community
engagement
sessions were held
for residents to
learn and provide
feedback about the
plan.
City Leadership
SM - Set net-zero
building and
renewable
electricity
standards for new
municipal buildings
and major
renovations
SP- Have all
municipal buildings
carbon neutral by
2025; Benchmark
municipal energy
and gas; Instal LED
streetlights; Deploy
renewable thermal
SP- Reach and
maintain a 9%
annual GHG
reduction.
technologies on
city property;
Increase municipal
purchasing of
renewable energy;
Work with schools
to participate in
Xcell's low-income
solar opportunities.
Equity
IA- Conduct a
vulnerable
populations asset
mapping exercise;
Develop
communications
and outreach plan
for vulnerable
populations;
Analyze
climate-related
public health
impacts in Iowa
City
SM- Improve bus
reliability and trip
times; Expand
bicycle
infrastructure
SP- Target small
businesses in
low-income
communities with
energy efficiency
opportunities;
Reduce resident
energy burden to
4% of income per
month; Incorporate
accessibility
options for mobility
devices in
protected lanes;
Established
Fair Housing
Policy in
2018 and
revised
Multi-Family
Housing
Policy in
2019,
pledging to
ensure fair
and equal
housing
opportunities
are available
to all persons
in all housing
opportunities
and
development
activities
funded by
the City.
Ensure educational
information for
small business
efficiency programs
are available in
multiple languages
Suggested- Plan for
anticipated growth
in population/
density while
considering
affordability/
access and existing
single family
housing stock.
Appendix C: Edina’s Current GHG Reduction Goals, Programs & Initiatives
The City of Edina has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by the year 2025 and
then 80% reduction by 2050. [Source]
Solid Waste: Edina has a curbside recycling program and is rolling out an organics waste curbside
program in 2020. [Source]
Water: “Edina’s Water Resources Coordinator… supports pollution prevention, the quality of
groundwater, lakes, ponds, creeks, and wetlands as well as reviewing flooding and drainage.” Edina also
encourages businesses to become Smart Salting certified. [Source] The city provides resources to
residents on reducing water use and protecting our water bodies. [Source]
Carbon Sequestration: “The Forestry team… [is] tasked with many duties including replanting trees in
city parks and identifying, marking, and removing disease trees.” [Source] The City received a grant for
assisting low-income households in replacing Ash trees. The EEC is also tasked with a Study and Report
on potential pollinator resolution in 2019.
Energy: Edina worked with Xcel Energy’s Partners in Energy program to create an Electricity Action Plan.
[Source] The Edina Energy and Environment Commission (EEC) hosted a Home Energy Fair in 2018 to
educate residents and provide resources for residential energy saving opportunities. [Source] The City
was awarded by CERTs and the Minnesota Department of Commerce with a Clean Energy Community
Award for successful outreach work to residents. Residents took 1,275 energy-saving actions in 2017;
Windsource had 976 new Edina subscribers in 2017; 224 actions were taken by businesses, saving 10
GWh of electricity; and more than 15 actions were taken by the city to lower the city’s greenhouse gas
emissions by 7.5%, including lighting retrofits, recommissioning the Braemar Ice Arena, and increasing
the Conservation and Sustainability Fund from $250,000 to $1 million annually to invest in future energy
efficiency upgrades. [Source]
The EEC is also tasked in 2019 to review and recommend a building energy benchmarking policy. Edina’s
Emerald Energy Program (EEEP) provides business property owners with financing options for renewable
energy or energy efficient building improvements through partnership with the St. Paul Port Authority
(SPPA) Program called Pace of MN. [Source] The city also opened its first Community Solar Garden in
2018 with 68 households subscribed. [Source] Edina also has a solar panel array on the roof of City Hall
since 2012. [Source]
Transportation: [confirm w Tara + purchasing policy, comp planning:] The City also owns [#] hybrids and
[#] electric vehicles (EVs), which make up [%] of its vehicle fleet. [Partial Source]
Community Engagement: The EEC is tasked in 2019 to review and establish an annual Business
Recognition Program Award for leadership in energy and the environment in consultation with members
of the Human Rights Commission.
Date: August 8, 2019 Agenda Item #: VI.B.
To:Energy and Environment Commission Item Type:
Report and Recommendation
From:Casey Casella, City Management Fellow
Item Activity:
Subject:2020 Work Plan Discussion Discussion
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
www.edinamn.gov
ACTION REQUESTED:
Discuss the Commission's 2020 Work Plan.
INTRODUCTION:
Chair Jackson will host a discussion on the Commission's 2020 Work Plan.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
2020 EEC Work Plan Discussion
2020 Work Plan Template
2020 Work Plan Discussion
2019 Work Plan
Workplan Initiatives Lead
WP1 Promote residential curbside organics recycling by attending local events.
Charge #4.
Seeley
WP2 Review and establish an annual Business Recognition Program Award and
consult with members of the Human Rights Commission who coordinate the
Tom Oye Award. Charge #4.
Horan
WP3 Review and recommend a building energy benchmarking policy. Charge # 3 Jackson
WP4 Study and report on pollinator resolution. Charge #1. Horan
WP5 Study and report about timeline and parameters recommendation for a
Climate Action Plan including the city’s leadership role. Charge #1.
Satterlee
Matrix submitted for Comp Plan
Bike Rack ideas:
• Climate Adaptation – MetCouncil and MPCA can present work they are doing in Q4 2019 or in
2020
• Help pass an enhanced tree ordinance (must replace mature trees with relatively large trees or
face serious fine)
• Assist Transportation Commission with EV charging station map
2020 Commission Work Plan Instructions
Commission work plans are developed by the commission. Not the staff liaison.
Schedule
September Meetings: Commission Approves proposed work plan. Plans due to MJ by September 25
October 1 Work Session: Chairs present proposecd work plan to Council. Chair must be present.
November 19 Work Session: City Manager and staff liaison present proposed revisions.
December 3 Council Meeting: Council feedback incorporated and City Council approves work plan.
January 1: Commissioner officially starts implementing work plans.
General
Each section with a white background should be filled out.
List initiatives in order of priority
Parking Lot: These are items the commission considered but did not propose as part of the work plan. These items are not
considered approved and would require a work plan amendment approved by Council to allow the commission to begin work.
Initiative
When writing initiatives, start with the action (council charge). Make sure the following points are addressed
1) What is the specific action/outcome
2) Describe what the commission will do
3) Describe wha the outcome(s) will look like
Examples: Review and recommend a building energy benchmarking policy. Study and report on possible city actions to reduce
access and usage of vaping for youth.
Initiative Type
New Initiative – not on previous work plan and has completion date
Continued Initiative – carried over from a previous work plan with a revised target completion date
Ongoing Responsibility – annually on the work plan and may or may not have a target completion date
Event – Events coordinated and implemented by the Commission, not the City.
Completion Date
Provide a target date for the initiaive to be completed by. If the date has passed, provide an update in the progress field
Council Charge
City Manager will propose council charge for Council consideration.If Council charge changes, initiative action will be updated.
Budget - Staff Liaison Completes
If funds are available, the staff liaison must provide the amount that will be used. If funds are NOT available, the staff liaison
must explian the impact of Council approving this initiative.
Staff Support - Staff Liaison Completes
Note additional staff support needed including the hours and responsitilities. Select all that are needed.
Select Commission Name2020 DRAFT Commission Work Plan TemplateInitiativeInitiative Type Completion Date Council ChargeLead Commissioners Budget Staff SupportParking LotStart your initiative with an actionStaff Liaison Comments:City Manager Comments:Progress Report:
Commission Initiative Type
Select Commission Name New
Arts & Culture Continue
Heritage Preservation Ongoing
Community Health Event
Human Rights & Relations
Planning
Transportation
Parks & Recreation
Energy & Environment
Council Charge Budget Staff Support
1 (study and report)Funds available Staff Liaison
2 (review and comment)Funds not available CTS (including video)
3 (review and recommend)Other
4 (review and decide)
Initiative Start
Start your initiative with an action
Study and Report
Review and Comment
Review and Recommend
Review and Decide
Date: August 8, 2019 Agenda Item #: VI.C.
To:Energy and Environment Commission Item Type:
From:Carolyn Jackson, EEC Chair
Item Activity:
Subject:Cross Commission Discussion
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
www.edinamn.gov
ACTION REQUESTED:
INTRODUCTION:
The topic of working across Commissions has come up in past discussions. This is an opportunity to discuss
more how the EEC wants to collaborate with other commissions and how the EEC stay informed on work other
commissions are doing.
Date: August 8, 2019 Agenda Item #: VII.A.
To:Energy and Environment Commission Item Type:
Minutes
From:Casey Casella, City Management Fellow
Item Activity:
Subject:Working Group Minutes Information
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
www.edinamn.gov
ACTION REQUESTED:
None.
INTRODUCTION:
Receive minutes from EEC working group.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
BEWG Minutes, June 11, 2019
BEWG Meeting Tuesday June 11, 2019
Attendance: Paul, Michelle, Carolyn and Janet
Benchmarking ordinance passed in early June 2019.
Carolyn made contact with Hines Galleria Edina – Mike Kaiser. Each store is independently metered. 6
stores will need to be benchmarked.
Task: approach tenants with recognition application in July – date TBD. Email Mike in advance.
Casey would like us to review recognition program link and process. Need to improve/change format
for working group to review.
ECCWG would like recognition link to be better positioned on city website. Under sustainability page?
Ideas to announce/promote recognition program:
1. About Town
2. Edina Magazine
3. Sun Current
4. Twitter – city account
Add success stories, answer questions, respond to references online, Twitter, in publications.
Date: August 8, 2019 Agenda Item #: VII.B.
To:Energy and Environment Commission Item Type:
Correspondence
From:Casey Casella, City Management Fellow
Item Activity:
Subject:Correspondence Information
CITY OF EDINA
4801 West 50th Street
Edina, MN 55424
www.edinamn.gov
ACTION REQUESTED:
None.
INTRODUCTION:
See attached email received by Staff Support Casey Casella in response to the Green Business Recognition P ress
Release issues July 31, 2019.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Email Correspondence 7.31.2019
From:Jonathan P. Scoll
To:Casey Casella
Subject:Recognition for sustainability
Date:Thursday, August 01, 2019 9:54:34 AM
EXTERNAL EMAIL ALERT: This email originated from outside the City of Edina. Do not click links or open
attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Casey -
A great idea, recognizing Edina businesses for sustainability efforts. What about recognizing homeowners as well?
It should not be hard, e.g., to invite residents to submit information on their “green” landscaping, such as use of low-
input plantings, natives, permeable drive surfaces, etc. This would not only reinforce efforts by watershed districts
but help out businesses looking to expand or diversify landscape offerings and services.
Jon Scoll
Jonathan P. Scoll
6920 Valley View Road
Edina, MN 55439
Life begins the day you start a garden. ~ Chinese proverb
2019 Meetings and Events
Day Date Event Time Location
Thurs Jan 10 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Thurs Feb 14 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Mon Mar 11 Open House for Comp Plan 6:30 pm Public Works
Thurs Mar 14 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Thurs April 11 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Mon April 15 Volunteer Recognition 5:00 pm Braemar Golf Course
Tues April 16 Work Session w/ City Council 5:30 pm Community Room
Tues April 30 BC Member Annual Reception 6:00 pm Braemar Golf Course
Thurs May 9 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Thurs June 13 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Thurs July 11 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Thurs Aug 8 Optional Tour of Braemar Golf 6:30 pm Braemar Golf Course
Thurs August 8 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Braemar Golf Course –
Harry Cooper Room
Thurs Sept 12 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Thurs Oct 10 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Thurs Nov 7* Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Thurs Dec 12 Regular Meeting 7:00 pm Community Room
Attendance at Regular Meetings and Rescheduled Regular Meetings are counted towards attendance policy.
*Note: November meeting is the first Thursday in November
Chair and Vice Chair specific meetings
Tues April 30 Chair and Vice Chair Annual Meeting 5:00 pm Braemar Golf Course
Tues Oct 1 2020 Work Plan Review w/ Council (Chair only) 5:30 pm Community Room
Roster
Name Email
Glahn, Bill billglahn@aol.com
Fernands, Maddy maddyfernands@gmail.com
Hoffman, Howard howard.hoffman@gmail.com
Horan, Michelle mhoran00@gmail.com
Hussian, Paul pahussian@hotmail.com
Jackson, Carolyn
(Chair) bjandcj@aol.com
Lanzas, Bayardo blanzas@artaxstudio.com
Manser, Richard
richardmanser@icloud.com
Maynor, Chloe chloem20475@isd273.org
Satterlee, Lauren (Vice Chair) lauren.mpls.mn@gmail.com
Seeley, Melissa msee10@me.com
Brown, Tara (Liaison) tbrown@edinamn.gov
Casella, Casey (City Fellow) ccasella@edinamn.gov
Bike Rack Ideas
• Increase street sweeping, water quality improvements, and conservation actions
• Education and outreach events
• Enhanced tree ordinance
• City owned building energy efficiency
• Partnering with other cities on resident outreach and congregation outreach
2019 EEC Work Plan Timeline and Event Calendar
Other Items:
• Climate Adaptation – MetCouncil and MPCA can present work they are doing in Q4 2019 or in
2020
• Green Building Policy
•
Events
Items of Focus
Presentations
Initiative 1: Organics Initiative 2: Business Recognition Program Initiative 3: Energy Benchmarking Policy Initiative 4: Pollinator Resolution Initiative 5: Climate Action Plan Cmsr
Lead MS MH CJ MH LS
MAR
- EEC meeting (3/14)
- Benchmarking
Stakeholder meetings
(3/26)
- Better Together
site (MJ)
APR
- Benchmarking
Stakeholder meetings
(4/10)
- EEC meeting (4/11)
- Enviro Commission
Conf (4/13)
- City Council Work
Session (4/16)
- All Chair Annual
Meeting (4/30)
- City Council
Work Session
prep
- Benchmarking
MAY - EEC meeting (5/9) - Fourth of July
Prep
- Annual Water
Resources Report To
Council
JUNE - EEC meeting (6/13)
JULY - EEC meeting (7/11)
Fourth of July Parade - Sustainability
Intern
Report
to
EEC
AUG - EEC meeting (8/8)
- Work plan
discussion
- Strategy offsite
Report
to EEC
SEP
- EEC meeting (9/12)
- Work Plan due
- Open Streets
- Work Plan
approval
- Mow to Natural
Habitat Tom
Swenson
OCT
- EEC meeting (10/10)
-Chair present Work
Plan to Council
NOV - EEC meeting (11/7)
Review May
Term
Opportunities
for Student
- Energy
Efficiency in City
Facilities
DEC - EEC meeting (12/12)
Green shaded area denotes staff availability