Eagan Achieves GreenStep City Status

Eagan's Energy and Environment Advisory Commission is only a year old but has already championed the city's sustainability efforts and achieved the designation of Minnestoa GreenStep City.

A program of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), GreenStep provides a framework by which cities can become more sustainable and environmentally responsible through the implementation of a series of best practices, with categories for municipal buildings and lighting, land use, transportation, environmental management and economic and community development. 

The Energy and Environment Commission was formed by the Eagan City Council as an outgrowth of the Council's energy and sustainability goal to: 

"Exemplify a broad-based and comprehensive commitment to environmental sustainability and energy efficiency by adopting conservation and alternative energy strategies pursuing the use of local, non-polluting renewable and recycled resources while encouraging residents and businesses to likewise."

According to Dianne Miller, assistant to the city administrator and the staff liaison to the Commission, GreenStep was the perfect framework by which to ascertain where the city was in its sustainability efforts, as well as to help identify additional ways to further this goal. 

The seven-member Commission enlisted the help of students enrolled in a University of Minnesota Sustainable Communities course to determine which of the best practices the city had already completed.

As a result of this inventory, Eagan was able to demonstrate the adoption of eight required best practices to achieve status as a Step Two GreenStep City, and is well on its way to becoming a Step Three GreenStep City, which requires the completion 16 best practices.  

While Eagan has actually completed 18 of the 28 best practices, some specific ones that are required for Step 3 have not yet been completed.  

Phillip Muessig from the MPCA has worked with Eagan on their GreenStep efforts.

"I am impressed with how much the city has done and with the commitment of the city council, commission and staff to increase Eagan’s long-term social, environmental and economic health and vitality," Muessig said.

On June 14, the Commission will meet with mayor Maguire and the city council to outline the next steps Eagan should take to move towards, not only Step Three status, but also towards becoming as sustainable and energy effiecient as possible.