Recent awards and honors

• More people bike to work in Minneapolis than any other U.S. town except Portland, Oregon
  • http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1274101.html
• Minneapolis recognized as one of the World’s five cleanest cities
  • http://www.forbes.com
• Minnesota passed the strongest renewable energy standards in the nation into law this year
  • http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_pr_display.php?ls=85&id...
• Minneapolis receives EPA award for efforts to improve air quality and its Sustainability Initiative
  • http://www.epa.gov/air/caac
  • See our 2007 Sustainability Report at http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/sustainability/2007SustainabilityReport.asp
  • And 2007 Greenprint Report at http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/sustainability/docs/GreenPrint07_Final.pdf
• Hennepin County receives Local Government Innovation Award for its collaboration with 4 school districts and Minneapolis for organics recycling
  • http://www.co.hennepin.mn.us
• Minneapolis ranks 9^th overall and 2^nd in it class size for environmental quality of life in 2007 Urban Environment Report
  • http://www.earthday.net/uer/report
• Both St. Paul and Minneapolis have signed the U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement (http://www.usmayors.org) and both are members of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives-Local Governments for Sustainability
  • http://www.iclei.org
• Minneapolis is ranked as the fourth fittest city in the nation
  • http://www.mensfitness.com/polls/205
• Minneapolis is named one of the top 5 cities in the nation to have a baby
  • http://www.fitpregnancy.com/bestcities2007
• Minneapolis is ranked No. 4 in Cooking Light Best Cities Award for healthy living
  • http://www.cookinglight.com
• Marcy-Holmes neighborhood in Minneapolis is named one of the top 10 eco-friendly neighborhoods in the nation
  • http://www.naturalhomeandgarden.com/good-to-know/2007-01-01
• For a report on green roof specifics in Minnesota, see The Minnesota Green Roof Profile at
  
  • http://www.minnehahacreek.org

More bicycle lanes coming to Minneapolis streets

Minneapolis is already considered one of the most bike-friendly places around. Thanks to a multi-million dollar grant, there are going to be a lot more
options for those who want to bike around town.

Transit for Livable Communities awarded $7.3 million to create more and better biking lanes and routes in the Twin Cities. Most of that money, more than $5.9 million, will go toward projects throughout Minneapolis.

For a list of projects being funded, go to http://www.tlcminnesota.org/bwtcjune07.html.

This grant money will make it possible to add 20 more miles of bike lanes in Minneapolis, bringing the city's total to 54 miles. Also, close to a mile will be added to the city's 56 miles of off-street bike trails.
Some existing bike routes will be improved with new signs, special pavement markings, fewer stops, better access and more.

In addition, this grant will create Minnesota's first bicycle roundabout, where bike traffic circles around a central island. The LRT Trail Roundabout at the corner of the Midtown Greenway and the LRT trail will help route foot and bicycle traffic through this congested intersection.

Minneapolis named among the top greenest cities in America

Calling the city a "green heavyweight," MSN.com's City Guides has named Minneapolis one of the top ten greenest cities in America. The award recognizes the city for taking important steps toward enhancing our environment and decreasing our environmental footprint.

The recognition notes that Minneapolis was one of the first cities to sign the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which pledged the city to meet or beat the standards of the Kyoto Protocol. It also applauds Minneapolis for taking a number of other steps to protect and enhance the environment, including:

• adopting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver standards, which require new or significantly renovated City facilities to meet some of the highest
  standards for sustainability;
• changing the way the City charges storm-water utility fees, giving credits to residents and businesses who find ways to reduce runoff, which can be harmful to our lakes and
  river;
• ctively supporting the construction of the Hiawatha Light Rail public transit line, which has seen ridership dramatically higher than estimates; and
• reducing our fleet by 184 vehicles over the last several years and replacing less fuel efficient vehicles with more than 100 E-85 and hybrid vehicles.

The launch of Minneapolis Sustainability Initiative in 2003 took the City's commitment to the environment to a new level. As part of the initiative, the Mayor and City Council established 24 diverse sustainability indicators, which are designed to create a more ecologically sustainable city. To learn more about the sustainability initiative, visit www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/sustainability.

Grants help local groups fight global problem

Minneapolis has awarded grants of up to $1,000 to 20 neighborhood groups, non-profit organizations, parks and churches whose grassroots efforts help combat global warming.

The grant recipients were chosen from 39 applicants from across Minneapolis. Some will use the money to purchase energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs for their
organization or community. Others will use the money to hold "energy fairs" to promote the Minneapolis Energy Challenge, which encourages people to reduce the amount of energy they use. Other projects focus on encouraging people to ride bikes or use public transportation instead of driving.

The Climate Change grants are part of Minneapolis' omprehensive sustainability initiative to reduce the city's carbon dioxide footprint 12 percent by 2012. To find out more about
sustainability in Minneapolis, and to see a complete list of grant winners, visit www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/sustainability/.