Green achievements in Robbinsdale

There are some accolades a city can earn for sustainable practices. Robbinsdale was recently awarded a Step 4 from Minnesota GreenStep Cities.

On the Minnesota GreenStep Cities website, it describes itself as, “a voluntary challenge, assistance and recognition program to help cities achieve their sustainability and quality-of-life goals.” There are five steps in the program. Joining GreenStep is the first step, and cities can advance in ranking by adopting best practices and sharing those accomplishments.

The best practices are 29 eco-friendly policies outlined by GreenStep, such as, “have a downtown zoning district that emphasizes small and destination businesses, entrepreneurial spaces, and allows or requires residential and compatible-commercial development,” or “conserve/protect drinking/groundwater resources by creating a water-wise landscaping ordinance/guidance, WaterSense purchasing program, or guidance on rainwater harvesting and home water softener use.”

To get to Step 4, the city had to measure and report several performance metrics relating to green initiatives. One metric is measuring gas efficiency. The city’s diesel fleet averages 22.54 miles per gallon, which is the highest of any Step 4 or 5 reporting participant.

Another measurement is proximity to transit routes. All of the housing is located within one mile of a bike route and 3/4 mile of a transit route.

This housing is also located within one mile of a local food venue with fresh fruit and vegetables.

All of the city is served by broadband speeds of at least 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload.

All of the lake, river and wetland shoreline has at least 50 inches of vegetation buffer.

The city also replaced some sanitary sewer pipe and manhole covers. Robbinsdale City Council Member Aaron Wagner asked why replacing manhole covers would be a sustainability metric at the July 16 City Council meeting.

Sustainability Coordinator Kayla Kirtz said the metric was sustainable because it meant the city had reliable and quality infrastructure.

City Manager Tim Sandvik added that better quality infrastructure protects the water.

“If you have an old manhole, you might have leakage out of that manhole into the environment,” Mayor Bill Blonigan said. “You get things in there that aren’t supposed to be in there.”

There were 89 different metrics in total. Robbinsdale is among 148 cities that participate in the GreenStep program.

Since 2019, Robbinsdale has been participating in the GreenStep program. Kirtz said Step 5 could be possible next year.

Last year, the Robbinsdale City Council approved an energy action plan to reduce carbon emissions by 30% in 2030, but there’s also a “stretch goal” of 40%. This plan was developed by Xcel Energy’s Partners in Energy program, Robbinsdale city staff members and a team of residents.

Sustainable housing improvements

The city has been supporting homeowner efforts to maintain properties through audits and improvement grants. These programs were made possible through a Twin Cities nonprofit called the Center for Energy and Environment.

The city was awarded $5,000 for Robbinsdale Home Energy Squad Audits, which translates to 50 free audits. Anyone in the city can contact the city if they are interested in being audited. Just over half of these audits have been accounted for. During an audit, the auditors will check insulation, heating and cooling systems, water heaters and other things that impact energy use in the home. There may be options to install energy-saving products.

The city also offers home improvement grants to folks who are at 100% or below the area’s medium income. People can apply for these grants if they are completing certain energy-conscious updates to their homes such as interior remodeling, building additions, solar and electrical upgrades and EV charging stations. Eligible projects can receive funding for up to 20% of a total project cost, for a maximum of $8,000. So far, about $30,000 out of $50,000 has been accounted for. Properties cannot be rental units.

Go to tinyurl.com/54365xja to learn more about the free audits, improvement grants and other energy-saving initiatives.