III.4. Sustainability Workplan; Larson
CITY OF HOPKINS
Memorandum
To: Honorable Mayor and Council Members
Mike Mornson, City Manager
From: Mikala Larson, Sustainability Specialist
Date: July 09, 2024
Subject: Sustainability Workplan
_____________________________________________________________________
PURPOSE
City staff will present a sustainability workplan that will aid in prioritizing and organizing
sustainability initiatives. The presentation will include a background on the workplan, an
overview of how the plan was created and what is included, and how the workplan will
inform future efforts. Staff is seeking feedback from City Council on the direction of the
sustainability workplan. No action is needed.
INFORMATION
The City of Hopkins has implemented significant sustainability initiatives impacting both
local government operations and community-wide operations, with more initiatives
planned. City Council support for sustainability has led to an increase in efforts and
resources dedicated to sustainability. The benefits of this work are apparent in the
community, but the City does not have specific sustainability or climate goals or a way
to comprehensively track progress and move toward achieving targets. With the
creation of a full-time Sustainability Specialist position within the City of Hopkins, the
value of a dedicated sustainability workplan became apparent. The role is expected to
bring a more organized, strategic approach to sustainability, ensuring that initiatives are
implemented effectively. The workplan will support these efforts by creating a structured
and strategic approach to implementing and managing the City’s sustainability initiatives
and serve to track progress and milestones in a dedicated space. Using background of
sustainability in the City of Hopkins, City staff and Abby Finis from Local Climate
Solutions developed a sustainability workplan and framework that will guide
sustainability efforts in the City of Hopkins.
When the Sustainability Specialist was onboarded, past, ongoing, and future
sustainability projects were communicated using onboarding documents and meetings.
These served as the basis for the projects in the sustainability workplan. The workplan
was then created by grouping projects into categories and assigning timelines and goals
based on knowledge of City Council priority, community impact, adopted plans, and
best practices from local, state, and federal levels. This information was captured in
Airtable, a cloud-based platform. Information can be stored, tracked and collaborated on
across departments using Airtable, and the platform offers a manageable approach to
organizing and reviewing information. The sustainability workplan is designed to provide
direction and structure; while allowing for flexibility so City staff can pursue new
Engineering
opportunities and adapt to changing circumstances while maintaining ongoing
programs.
Put into practice, the sustainability workplan and accompanying Airtable will allow staff
to prioritize existing and future sustainability initiatives, track progress and easily
reference program statuses. This will be helpful for day-to-day operations, long-term
planning, communication of work to City departments, and sharing updates to City
Council. The workplan identifies seven sections: Projects, Programs, Professional
Development, Engagement, Funding, Recognition and Reporting, and Beyond Hopkins.
Each section is broken down into components, including category, specific task,
milestones, timeline. Examples of this layout are included below.
The workplan also serves as a foundational document for comprehensively tracking
sustainability and climate initiatives in the City, with the goal of developing a Hopkins
climate action and resiliency plan that would be informed in part by the workplan. The
City of Hopkins applied for grant funding through the Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency’s Local climate action grant program to complete a climate action and resiliency
plan. If awarded, the climate action and resiliency plan would incorporate community
engagement, summarize existing conditions, establish targets and strategies, and serve
as a formal plan addressing climate and resiliency work. The sustainability workplan will
serve as an initial plan to guide sustainability work over the next few years, that would
be incorporated into a formal climate action and resiliency plan in the future.
City staff is pleased to present the City of Hopkins’ first sustainability workplan to City
Council.
FUTURE ACTION
Staff is seeking feedback on the direction of the sustainability workplan.
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
• Hopkins Sustainability Workplan 2024
Hopkins Sustainability Workplan 2024
Background: The City of Hopkins has implemented several sustainability initiatives over the past decade. Staff have
been thoughtful about how to incorporate and implement sustainability and resilience through various planning
and zoning efforts, as well as through multiple projects. However, the City does not have specific sustainability or
climate goals or a way to comprehensively track progress and move toward achieving targets.
The newly created role of Sustainability Specialist presents an opportunity for a more organized approach to
implementing sustainability and climate-focused initiatives. This role is expected to bring a more organized,
strategic approach to sustainability, ensuring that initiatives are implemented effectively. The Sustainability
Specialist will coordinate across departments, engage with the community, and lead the development of a formal
climate action framework. This role will also help integrate sustainability into the city's long-term planning
processes, making it a core component of Hopkins’ development strategy.
Purpose: The purpose of this sustainability workplan is to provide a structured, strategic approach to
implementing and managing the city’s sustainability initiatives. This document is designed to assist the
Sustainability Specialist in prioritizing the workload in consideration of deadlines, impact, and available resources.
It aims to create a cohesive framework that aligns ongoing and future projects with the City’s sustainability
objectives.
A more detailed breakdown of initiatives is included in an Airtable base to help monitor progress, highlight key
achievements, and ensure transparency in the City’s sustainability work. This workplan represents the first step in
organizing and managing sustainability efforts in Hopkins. Over the next year, the Sustainability Specialist will focus
on achieving the following goals.
2024-2025 Goals:
1. Continue:
a. Implementing on-going sustainability projects and programs.
b. Tracking GreenStep Cities metrics and achieve Step 5.
c. Monitoring and reporting B3 building energy use metrics.
2. Engage staff, residents, and businesses to create awareness and build support for a more sustainable
Hopkins.
3. Develop a climate action plan to guide the City in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to a
changing climate.
4. Support policy and regulatory initiatives that enable local climate action.
5. Acquire additional funding to support sustainability and climate initiatives.
The following outlines specific projects, programs, and initiatives that will be implemented in the coming years.
The organization of the work can help provide direction and focus, allowing the Sustainability Specialist to
prioritize workload and determine resource allocation. The supplementary Airtable base will help monitor and
track progress across initiatives, delegate tasks, and coordinate across departments. A list of resources is included
at the end of the document to assist with implementation.
As the City works to develop a climate action plan that includes specific goals and targets, this work plan can be
modified to ensure successful implementation of that plan. This is intended to be flexible, enabling city staff to
pursue new opportunities and adapt to changing circumstances while maintaining ongoing programs.
Projects: Hopkins currently has multiple projects aimed at different aspects of sustainability. Projects are individual
and often temporary initiatives with specific outputs.
Category Project Outputs/Milestones Timeline
Transportation
Fleet electrification Complete electrification study. July 2024 – June 2025
HOURCAR Launch HOURCAR expansion in
Hopkins. July 2024 – June 2026
EV Chargers Complete strategy for EV charger
installation. July 2024 – June 2026
Energy
Solar on city buildings
Complete assessment of solar
installations on city roofs; apply for
funding.
June 2024 – May 2026
Shady Oak District
Energy
Complete initial concept for district
energy project. 2030
Solar on the City
landfill
Work through regulatory barriers
with MPCA. 2030
Resilience
Heat vulnerability
study
Leverage study to support
implementation projects. Complete – Ongoing Use
Resilience Hub Complete design of resilience hub. July 2024 – June 2025
Programs: City staff manage multiple programs aimed at improving sustainability in the community. These are on-
going initiatives that continue over an extended period and can be recurring.
Category Program Outputs/Milestones Timeline
Transportation Micromobility Sharing Identify vendor w/ partner cities
(Golden Valley and St. Louis Park). Annually, paused
Energy
Climate Solutions
Fund Administer 2024 funds. June 2024 – December
2024
Electrify Everything Host Workshops to encourage
electrification. June 2024 – June2025
Partners in Energy Begin to implement Energy Action
Plan. June 2024 – June 2030
Waste City-wide waste
Increase recycling and composting
rates through education and
engagement.
Ongoing
Professional Development: Sustainability and local climate action practices continue to evolve. It’s important for
staff to stay up to date on emerging topics through trainings and other events.
Category Initiative Outputs/Milestones Timeline
General
Intern Supervisor Establish intern outcomes and
support professional development. July-August 2024
Training Attend 2-4 trainings annually. July 2024 – July 2025
USDN Membership Take advantage of member
benefits. Annual
Engagement: Hopkins engages both staff and residents to help ensure people are aware of the various
sustainability programs and initiatives offered by the City and how to participate in best practices.
Category Project Outputs/Milestones Timeline
Staff Internal sustainability
education
Widespread behavior change
among staff. Ongoing
Community
EV and Electric Bike
Outreach
Residents participate in incentive
programs. June 2024 – Dec. 2024
Communications
Include sustainability highlights and
updates in City communication
materials.
July 2024 – July 2025
SCORE funding Engage residents in multi-family
housing on waste practices. July 2024 – July 2025
Sustainability events Conduct multiple events. July 2024 – July 2025
Funding: Identify state and federal funding resources to support implementation.
Category Project Outputs/Milestones Timeline
Grants
Management
• MPCA resilience grant
• Energy Futures Grant
• Metropolitan Council Water
Efficiency Grant
• Hennepin County Multifamily
SCORE Funding
July 2024 – June 2026
Tracking
• EPA Environmental Change
Grant
• Direct pay incentives
July 2024 – Nov. 2024
Tax incentives available
through 2033
Pending • Climate Action Planning Grant
• Solar for Public Buildings TBD
Recognition and Reporting: Complete reporting requirements to achieve milestones across recognition programs.
Category Project Outputs/Milestones Timeline
Recognition
SolSmart Achieve Gold designation June 2025
GreenStep Cities Achieve Step 5 Due April 2025
Charging Smart Achieve Gold designation June 2025
Tree City USA Achieve recognition December 2024
Reporting B3 Benchmarking Annual Reporting December 2024
Beyond Hopkins: Work with partners and coalitions to learn, collaborate, and implement new ideas and actions.
Category Project Outputs/Milestones Timeline
Network
Community Energy
Network Participate in CEN meetings Quarterly
City partnerships Meet regularly with sustainability
staff in west metro Monthly
Policy and
Regulation
Support policy and
regulatory initiatives
that enable local
climate action.
Submit and/or sign-on to letters of
support to the legislature and/or
PUC
Ad hoc
Resources
The following lists contain resources to support the implementation of sustainability initiatives in Hopkins. This
includes funding opportunities, tools, and example climate action plans from other communities.
Funding
Source Title Description Website
Federal
Government
Grants.gov General site for all federal grants. Register | Grants.gov
Office of State and
Community Energy
Programs (SCEP)
DOE programs specifically aimed at
state and local government energy
action.
Office of State and Community
Energy Programs | Department of
Energy
EPA for State and
Local Governments
EPA programs specifically aimed at
state and local government
sustainability and climate justice
action.
EPA for State and Local
Governments | US EPA
The Green and
Resilient Retrofit
Program.
HUD program aimed at resilience
improvements in subsidized housing.
Green and Resilient Retrofit
Program (GRRP) | HUD.gov / U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD)
Urban &
Community
Forestry IRA Grants
US Forest Service funding for planning
and management of urban forests.
Urban Forests | US Forest Service
(usda.gov)
Direct Pay Tax
Incentives
Guide on availability of tax incentives
for tax-exempt entities.
Direct Pay | Clean Energy | The
White House
Federal tax credits
Information from the EPA detailing
energy efficiency and electrification
incentives available for individuals.
Federal Tax Credits for Energy
Efficiency | ENERGY STAR
Great Lakes TCTAC
Environmental Justice Thriving
Communities Technical Assistance
Center
Great Lakes Environmental Justice
TCTAC (umn.edu)
Source Title Description Website
State
Government
Local Climate
Action Grants
MPCA funding to assist with planning
and implementation of climate action.
Closed: Local climate action grants |
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
(state.mn.us)
Solar on Public
Buildings
Commerce funding to assist local
governments with adding solar to
government buildings.
Solar on Public Buildings /
Minnesota Department of
Commerce - Energy (mn.gov)
State Energy
Programs
Updates on new and existing
programs.
New Energy Programs / Minnesota
Department of Commerce - Energy
(mn.gov)
Energy funding
opportunities
Regularly updated list of state and
federal funding opportunities.
Energy-Specific Funding
Opportunities / Minnesota
Department of Commerce - Energy
(mn.gov)
Environmental
funding
opportunities
Regularly updated list of state funding
opportunities.
Grants, loans, and contracts |
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
(state.mn.us)
Tools:
Source Title Description Website
Federal
Government
Low-income Energy
Affordability Data
Tool (LEAD)
Energy burden data to assist with
decision-making. LEAD Tool | Department of Energy
State and Local
Planning for Energy
(SLOPE)
GHG modeling and scenario planning
tool.
State and Local Planning for Energy
(nrel.gov)
Climate and
Economic Justice
Screening Tool
Maps census tracts that are
considered disadvantaged by the
federal government.
Explore the map - Climate &
Economic Justice Screening Tool
(geoplatform.gov)
Source Title Description Website
Minnesota
Minnesota Climate
Mapping and
Analysis Tool
Interactive tool that provides highly
localized climate projections for
Minnesota.
Minnesota CliMAT | University of
Minnesota Climate Adaptation
Partnership (umn.edu)
Growing Shade Equity and treen canopy mapping tool
from the Metropolitan Council.
Tree Canopy - Metropolitan
Council (metrocouncil.org)
Regional Indicators
Initiative GHG inventory tool. Home | RII
(regionalindicatorsmn.com)
GreenStep Cities Statewide sustainability recognition
program.
Welcome to GreenStep Cities |
GreenStep Cities (state.mn.us)
City CAP Examples:
Source Title Description Website
Climate
Action
Plans
Saint Paul Climate
Action and
Resilience Plan
Long-range climate action plan to
reduce emissions and adapt to climate
change.
Climate Action & Resilience Plan |
Saint Paul Minnesota (stpaul.gov)
Duluth Climate
Action Work Plan
Five-year work plan to address climate
change through city operations.
duluth-
cawp_final_and_financememo.pdf
(duluthmn.gov)
Minnetonka Climate
Action and
Adaptation Plan
Climate plan that focuses on providing
resources for residents and businesses
to act on climate.
Documents | Climate Action and
Adaptation Plan | Minnetonka
Matters