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Quick Fact

92% of residents believe that the city is on track with resident’s environmental concerns
--2008 Residential Survey

Upcoming Events

Events in the Park

2/28 Home Remodeling Fair

4/8 Raingarden Workshops

5/19 Greening the Heartland

NextStep Events Calendar

Sustainability Events Calendar

Be a steward

Become a part of the Minnesota Energy Challenge today!
St. Louis Park residents have long been leaders when it comes to enhancing and promoting environmental health. In fact, our city’s 2007 Vision process resulted in a firm commitment to being a leader in environmental stewardship, and our recent community survey echoed that commitment.

One of the things each of you can do is help us raise awareness about the environment and just how easy it is to make a difference. So we’re inviting you to join us in the Minnesota Energy Challenge. The Challenge will help you calculate your carbon footprint and learn how to save money and energy in your home. It’s about supporting individuals and motivating communities towards change. And it only takes a few minutes to register and learn all about simple ways to make a difference.

The city’s goal is to sign up 1,000 households for this challenge by year’s end; we’re nearly a quarter of the way there! Check it out at www.mnenergychallenge.org and become a part of change.

Alternative Fueled Vehicles
The City of St. Louis Park promotes alternative use vehicles. St. Louis Park was the first city in the state to own an E-85 pump to fuel its E-85 fleet, which currently consists of 23 vehicles. The City also owns and operates 7 hybrid vehicles.

Click here for more information on alternative fueled vehicles.

Bottled Water vs. Tap Water Water Bottles
Is bottled water really cleaner? One of the City of St. Louis Park's goals is to provide an uninterrupted supply of safe, high quality water to our community.

Click here for a fact sheet that discusses the relative safety of bottled versus tap water.

Click here to take the "Take Back the Tap" pledge.

Clean Green!
Reduce toxic chemicals in your St. Louis Park home, the amount you spend on cleaners and leave your house smelling clean and fresh. Below are just a few ways to clean your house using natural products.

General Cleaner: 1/2 cup baking soda mixed with a liquid vegetable based soap makes a great cleaner for counters (and won't leave scratches), sinks and other surfaces.

Disinfectant Spray: 2 cups water, 1/2 cup vinegar and 10 drops of an essential oil like lemon oil or tea tree oil. Spray this onto counters, bathroom, and floors.

Window and Glass Cleaner: Club soda in a spray bottle. Wipe clean.

Furniture Polish: Put olive oil and lemon juice on a clean cloth. Wipe onto wood. Wipe off. Take care not to get onto upholstery.

Click here for more green recipes.

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
They use about 2/3 less energy than standard incandescent bulbs to provide the same amount of light, and last up to 10 times longer. Please recycle them as hazardous waste. For proper disposal, all St. Louis Park residents may call Hennepin County at: (612) 348-3777 or go to Hennepin County.

Click here for more information on compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Donating Memorial Trees and Benches
The City of St. Louis Park encourages you to honor someone in the form of a dedicated tree or bench placed in one of our parks. A tree or bench is a wonderful way to preserve cherished thoughts of individuals you care about, at the same time enhancing our community and environment. Our wish is to provide a perfect setting for your dedication. For more information, please call (952) 924-2565.

Energy
Do you know there are many different ways St. Louis Park residents may save on energy bills?

Click on the links below to learn more.

Environmental Stewardship

St. Louis Park is committed to being a leader in environmental stewardship. We will increase environmental consciousness and responsibility in all areas of city business.

Focus areas for this strategic direction:

- Expanding energy efficiencies in the city's operations.

- Educating staff and the public on environmental consciousness, stewardship and best practices.

- Working in areas such as the rehab loan program, development projects, permits, etc., encourage green building design, creation of open spaces, and environmental innovations.

- Preserving, enhancing and providing good stewardship of our parks.

- Investigating the need and purpose for an energy/environmental commission.

Get the Lead Out! Fishing tackle
When fishing St. Louis Park lakes, please consider using lead-free fishing tackle.

The lead-free fishing tackle promotion is a part of a program sponsored by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Department of Natural Resources.

Click here for more information about how to get the lead out and participate in the tackle exchange.

Click here for more information on where to drop off your lead tackle or call Hennepin County Environmental Services at (612) 348-3777.

St. Louis Park offers three lakes stocked by the DNR for fishing. Click here for lake locations.

Green Building
St. Louis Park encourages the use of green building practices whenever possible. Green building practices encompass many different aspects from design to reusing materials to alternative landscaping. Click on the links below to learn more.

Greening Your Home
Get the whole family involved in achieving a greener home, making St. Louis Park a greener place to live!

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Turn off lights when no one is in the room.
Close heat vents in areas of your home that are not being used - bedrooms by day, office at night, etc.
Install a programmable thermostat and set it to lower temperatures at night and when no one is home during the day. Each degree lower can decrease a heating bill by 1%.
Unplug coffee makers, toasters, food processors, etc. when not in use.
Use power strips to turn off groups of appliances when not in use. Group together the DVD player, VCR, stereo and gaming units and power them down when no one is around.
Set humidifiers and dehumidifiers to turn on only when the humidity level warrants.
Don't overuse exhaust fans in bathrooms, kitchens or basements as they can suck out a roomful of warm air very quickly requiring your furnace to work harder.

Click here for more ideas.

Locally, the Center for Energy and the Environment has low cost loans to help make energy efficient improvements.

Click here for more information on their programs.

SLP Selected for MN GreenStep Cities Demonstration Project
The Urban Land Institute has selected St. Louis Park as one of five cities to participate in the MN GreenStep Cities Demonstration Project. GreenStep Cities is an action-oriented voluntary program offering a cost-effective, simple pathway leading to implementation of sustainable best practices that focus on greenhouse gas reduction. GreenStep Cities include best practices in the areas of: building and facilities, land use, transportation, environmental management, and community and economic development. To find out more about this program, click here.

Recycle Your Cell Phone or Printer Cartridge

Recycling Association of Minnesota has provided the City of St. Louis Park with collection boxes for the following items: cell phones, PDA's, iPods, MP3 players, and printer inkjet cartridges. These collection boxes are located at City Hall, the Recreation Center, and the Westwood Hills Nature Center. For more information, please contact Jim Vaughan at jvaughan@stlouispark.org or (952) 924-2699.

St. Louis Park’s green remodeling program allows homeowners to get technical and financial assistance to remodel homes to a green-certified standard. The program promotes awareness, provides technical assistance, and financial incentives for residents. The city will provide you loan incentives to help pay the additional cost for "going green."

Project components include:

Workshops and green remodeling home visits to assist residents in understanding and meeting green standards.
Home performance analysis will assist residents in determining what measures will best meet their needs and budget.
Financial incentives include discount loans and rebates for energy efficient furnaces and water heaters.
Technical assistance for residents throughout the process, modeled upon successful components of the city’s existing home improvement programs.

Click here for additional information or call 952-294-2196.

Transportation
St. Louis Park prides itself on being an environmentally responsible community. Individual environmental footprints can have a huge impact on our community. Explore ways to reduce your individual environmental footprint by clicking on the links below.