GreenStep Cities

GreenStep Cities AwardMinnesota GreenStep Cities is a voluntary challenge, assistance and recognition program to help cities achieve their sustainability and quality-of-life goals. Maplewood has participated in the program since 2010. In participating, the City implements best practices in order to meet sustainability goals with support from the GreenStep Cities program and peers.  Best practices taken within the program focus on cost savings, energy use reduction, resource conservation, climate mitigation and adaptation, and the encouragement of civic innovation.  

In June 2022 Maplewood received an award for being a Step 4 and Step 5 GreenStep City! To achieve Step 4 a city must measure its best practices yearly and submit metrics by April 1. To achieve Step 5 a city must improve on at least three core metrics from year to year. In 2022 Maplewood improved on 14 sustainability best practices (from reporting year 2020 to 2021) as follows:  

  • Reduced energy use in City buildings:  -16.8 kBTU per square foot per year
  • Increase in LED street lights:  +13% (from 77 to 90%)
  • Increase in City fleet MPG for diesel:  +1.45 mpg (from 4.51 to 5.96 mpg)
  • Increase in public electric vehicle charging stations:  +19 (from 36 to 55)
  • Decrease in City population vehicle miles traveled per person per day:  -5 miles per person per day (from 27.4 to 22.4 mppd)
  • Decrease in City employee vehicle miles traveled per person per day:  -2.48 miles per person per day (from 16.86 to 14.2 mppd)
  • Increase in number of new trees planted:  +3 (from 147 to 150 trees)
  • Increase in Stormwater Management Assessment:  +4% (from 62% to 67%)
  • Increase in Climate Adaptation Assessment:  +15% (from 74% to 89%) 
  • Increase in number of City-owned and private renewable energy generation sites:   +11 (from 52 to 63)
  • Increase in generation capacity of City-owned and private renewable energy sites:   +98kW (from 770 to 868kW)
  • Increase in number of local food venues:  +5 (from 11 to 16)
  • Decrease in GHG City wide:  -33% GHG reduction from 2015 baseline
  • Decrease in GHG City operations:  -45% GHG reduction from 2015 baseline

Suggestions or questions - contact Shann Finwall, Environmental Planner, 651-249-2304 or email.