Resilient Cities & Communities

Congrats Crystal Boyd & Golden Valley friends for sharing the stories of suburban Indigenous families, especially youth enjoying the creek

Bassett Creek oral history project will be first gathering of suburban Indigenous stories in U.S. Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ is the Indigenous name for Bassett Creek, which goes from Medicine Lake to the Mississippi River.

Let's all celebrate the ribbon cutting/open house at the newly Rennovated American Indian Center tomorrow Wed May 1 11.30am with a Parade at 10.30am starting across the street from Little Earth & Powow later on
Great work Sam Olbekson & Team 😀
American Indian Month Parade & Kickoff Event https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/04/30/renovated-minneapolis-american-indian-center-reflects-urban-indigenous-cultural-identity

https://www.maicnet.org/events/grand-reopening-open-house/

Renovated Minneapolis American Indian Center reflects urban Indigenous identity The Minneapolis American Indian Center provides social services to the urban Native community and has served as a central gathering place for nearly 50 years. The redesign reflects a sense of belonging and history and showcases ways the Minneapolis Indigenous community embraces its future.

Join me in cleaning out storm drains before the rain tonight (& report results 😉Then join an Earth Day Clean Up this Sat 4/20 9:30am to Noon to protect our Lakes, Creeks & Mississippi https://mn.adopt-a-drain.org/ https://minneapolisearthday.com/

Hi Neighbors! Let's protect the Mississippi & Lake Hiawatha by picking up litter from our curbs & cleaning storm drains before the snow & rain tonight & report your results 😉 https://mn.adopt-a-drain.org/

Great article featured by Kathy Wurzer on mpr MN now today! Higher density development in the urban core can help solve both climate change & the lack of affordable housing while protecting green space beyond the suburbs. The author shared that MN Audobon pulled out of the lawsuit blocking the MN 2040 Plan implementation

The Culture War Tearing American Environmentalism Apart In Minneapolis, the housing shortage has fractured the green community.

Merry 🌧 Christmas! 🎄We're enjoying the peace of wild things 🌂 at the Wirth bog 😉 here is Wendel Berry's poem https://onbeing.org/poetry/the-peace-of-wild-things/

Thank you Maggie Lorenz (Pabaksawiŋ) & Shelly Buck (Pte Wicota) for co-launching Dakota-led ecological restoration of our metro Mississippi corridor open space starting with Wakan Tipi & Owamniyomni! Join us Thurs Feb 1 4pm at the Met Council MPOSC build support for your vital work 😊 https://rccmn.co/land-water-acknowledgement/ https://www.minnpost.com/environment/2023/12/dakota-led-owamniyomni-okhodayapi-seeks-to-restore-st-anthony-falls-area-of-the-mississippi-river-in-minneapolis/

Dakota-led Owámniyomni Okhódayapi seeks to restore St. Anthony Falls area | MinnPost Formerly known as Friends of the Falls, the group is now led by Shelley Buck and will look to manage the land when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decommissions the site.

Massachusetts is choosing to move away from Heating homes with fossil gas, while helping lower income households make the switch as well. Our Clean Heat MN coalition is supporting our MN public utilities commission to follow MA along w a dozen states 😊

Massachusetts Decides To Move Away From Natural Gas (Methane) For Residential Use - CleanTechnica Massachusetts is the first state to approve a plan to phase out natural gas as a source for heating residential buildings.

See you Monday, December 4th for the exciting launch of the Minnesota Zero Waste Coalition!
We'll be at the Wilder Center in St. Paul from 5:30-7:30 pm.
Learn about the coalition's work, check out a showcase of inspiring projects and initiatives, and find out how you can get involved!
Our goals are to foster a grassroots movement for zero waste, engage our community in this critical issue that underpins the climate emergency, and broaden our coalition.
Clothing swap and free food from Pimento!
Register today! https://loom.ly/rBljTcQ

Hello Friends! Thanks for including RCC in your November Give MN giving to support and connect local climate champions & expand local climate implementation in Minneapolis and metro-wide to wisely invest new MN & federal funds to make our homes, businesses & vehicles cozy, affordable and low carbon 😉(I'm in the green fleece in the background) www.givemn.org/Resilientcitiesandcommunities

Thank you Karen Clark Joe Vital Paula Holden Steve Sandberg & Jason Chavez-Cruz & East Phillips friends for rallying our community tonight on the Smith Foundry emitting twice the particulates (plus lead) their permit allows 😩 https://sahanjournal.com/climate-environment/epa-violation-east-phillips-smith-foundry/

Join us to share your ideas for good projects we could do in your city with federal funds during mpca webinars tomorrow mon 10/23 at 11am (transportation) & 1pm (buildings)

Identifying priorities for federal climate funding To unlock access to competitive federal funds, state agencies are working together to develop a plan that summarizes the types of climate action projects that Minnesotans want. The Priority Climate Action Plan plan will cover the entire state, enabling eligible entities within Minnesota to apply for...

Great news for MN zero waste champions! https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-invests-more-45-million-minnesota-recycling-infrastructure #:~:text=EPA%20has%20selected%20the%20City,collection%20and%20implementation%20of%20plans.

Biden-Harris Administration Invests More Than $4.5 Million in Minnesota Recycling Infrastructure Projects Through Investing in America Agenda | US EPA EPA News Release: Biden-Harris Administration Invests More Than $4.5 Million in Minnesota Recycling Infrastructure Projects Through Investing in America Agenda

Great news! The Met Council's Greenhouse Gas Strategy Planning Tool is now LIVE. Check it out & create a customized climate action report for your city! Share this with your City Council & staff. Let's get our metro on track to electrify buildings & transportation while creating walkable 15 minute communities with all our vital destinations located near us! https://metrocouncil.org/Communities/Planning/Local-Planning-Assistance/Greenhouse-Gas-Strategy-Planning-Tool.aspx
See if your city already has climate goals and a climate action plan https://greenstep.pca.state.mn.us/page/minnesota-sustainability-index Check out Becky Alexander's excellent explanation from our RCC Fall Conference on priority actions that will make a differencehttps://www.regionalindicatorsmn.com/customer_media/2022-09-23_regional_indicators_initiative_webinar_slides.pdf

Excellent overview of next steps for our state to make the most of historic federal & mn climate investments by Fresh Energy's Margaret Cherne-Hendrick

The challenge, and opportunity, of 'getting to green' in Minnesota While many people are in favor of moving towards a so-called green economy through reducing our dependence on climate change causing fossil fuels, the realities of making that move are complex. Margaret Cherne-Hendrick who works for Fresh Energy, a St. Paul-based clean energy nonprofit, says the tra...

Mark your calendar and RSVP for RCC’s next webinar of the “21st Century Communities” peer-learning series on Thursday, August 10, 12:30 - 2:00 pm. This webinar will focus on “Designing and Financing Low-Carbon Buildings & Energy Systems in Redevelopment”.

RCC’s "21st Century Communities" webinar series are events to share climate-friendly, practices for teams of local leaders guiding large-site & transit-oriented developments to advance , and and

Mark your calendars to join us monthly on 2nd Thursdays!

Click on the link below to find more information on past and future sessions of the webinar series:

https://rccmn.co/21st-century-communities/

We can beat the HEAT with focused action! Quote this week from Al Gore 😉 We know how to fix this,” he said. “We can stop the temperatures going up worldwide with as little as a three-year time lag by reaching net zero,” he said. “And if we stay at true net zero, we’ll see half of the human-caused CO2 coming out of the atmosphere in as little as 30 years.”

Al Gore on Extreme Heat and the Fight Against Fossil Fuels The past few weeks have him even more worried than usual.

Join RCC next Thursday, July 13, 12:30 - 2:00 pm for our second webinar of the “21st Century Communities” Peer-Learning series: City Policies & Zoning Guiding Low-Carbon Redevelopment.

RCC’s "21st Century Communities" webinar series are peer-learning events to share climate-friendly, green development practices for teams of local leaders guiding large-site & transit-oriented developments to advance low-carbon, equitable and resilient cities and green spaces.

Mark your calendars to join us monthly on 2nd Thursdays!

Click on the link below to find more information on Zoom Link, RSVP, and past and future sessions of the webinar series.

https://rccmn.co/21st-century-communities/

So great to hear updates from Kristel & Roxanne on their exciting Northside Projects and to share our new momentum on the Southside on renewing lake street the East Phillips Indoor Urban Farm & wetland restoration at Lake Hiawatha/Bde Psin,! Thank you to the Minneapolis and McKnight Foundations for supporting RCC's work with Hi-Lake Neighborhoods to prepare for district geothermal! https://rccmn.co/district-ground-source-energy/

Today we connected with local leaders doing critical work in the vanguard of the movement. Thanks to all who joined our virtual learning collaborative, including the McKnight Foundation, MN Renewable Now, Resilient Cities & Communities, and Community Members for Environmental Justice!

Quarry Point Park in Apple Valley, Minnesota got some love from the Apple Valley Eco Advocates 's park cleanup this morning.

Looking for an resolution to make a real difference this year? How about a monthly commitment to the sustainability and climate resilience of our Minnesota cities and counties?

🗓️ By becoming a Resilient Cities and Communities sustainer, you will aid RCC in their vital efforts to foster collaboration and facilitate effective regional climate action.

🌱 The impact? Empowered and interconnected groups of citizen and local governmental bodies, who work together towards a common goal of enhancing the resilience of communities against harmful shocks and chronic stresses of climate change.

🌎 Become a sustaining donor today: https://secure.everyaction.com/Lasz_CDyOkOu8JeOYZQ9pw2

Good news! A low cost carbon sequestration solution that can be scaled up.

Salting and burying biomass crops in dry landfills could economically capture greenhouse gases for thousands of years Reducing global greenhouse gas emissions is critical to avoiding a climate disaster, but current carbon removal methods are proving to be inadequate and costly. Now researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, have proposed a scalable solution that uses simple, inexpensive technologies t...

It's almost Earth Day! 🌍🌱 Check out our latest blog post to learn about legislative updates and Earth Week events in Minnesota. Let's work together to protect our planet for future generations!

Click here to read our latest blog post:
https://rccmn.co/topics/join-us-for-earth-week-legislative-updates-and-events/

Join us for our next RCC County Cluster meetings (on Zoom) and hear updates from county staff and peers from other cities on their current climate actions and initiatives. Learn about ways to sync our city & county climate action plans with the MN Climate Action Framework to get your city eligible to apply for a Federal IRA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant in 2024. https://rccmn.co/county-clusters/

Upcoming RCC County Cluster Meetings:

Hennepin County Cluster Meeting: Thursday, March 16, 6:30 – 7:30pm. RSVP here: https://secure.everyaction.com/ad54edaHgEKrOaqsOqMRrA2

Dakota County Cluster Meeting: Tuesday, March 28, 6:30 - 7:30pm. RSVP here: https://secure.everyaction.com/65vjd1r7XUu0Yg1h-Esncg2

Washington County Cluster Meeting: Thursday, March 30, 6:30 - 7:30pm. RSVP here: https://secure.everyaction.com/0_fZg9spAkuYupMWVlXIAQ2

Let's build COMPLETE NEIGHBORHOODS (like Hi-Lake) where everything you need for a happy life is within a 15 minute walk. 🙂
THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS IS UPDATING THE ZONING CODE TO REACH MINNEAPOLIS 2040 GOALS. send in your ideas till March 26 We want your feedback on the proposed changes to the code! You can do this by clicking on the survey links throughout this webpage https://minneapolis2040.com/implementation/land-use-rezoning-study/

Wonderful news of major HUD CDBG & housing grants to MN cities & counties! Local advocates can support their staff, elected leaders & partners to make the most of them 😊

CPD Program Formula Allocations for FY 2023 The Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 budget for the Department of Housing and Urban Development has been enacted. This spreadsheet provides full-year allocations for the Office of Community Planning and Development's (CPD) formula programs: Community Development Block Grants (CDBG); CDBG Recovery Housing Pro...

Thank you so much to The Minneapolis Foundation for this grant which will support planning for a ground-source heating and cooling district for Hiawatha Lake residential, co-op, and commercial property owners in South Minneapolis to cut carbon emissions, build climate resilience, and reduce energy costs for residents and businesses in this area.

Climate Action Grants Awarded to 13 Local Groups The Minneapolis Climate Action and Racial Equity Fund awarded $310,000 in grants to 13 local organizations that are doing innovative work to take action on climate change.

Thank you to the 40 local elected leaders, city staff and community volunteers who joined us on January 7th to help us plan ways that our RCC Network can support cities to scale up their in 2023! We were inspired by the amazing stories from our colleagues in Cincinnati (Green Umbrella), the Bay Area Climate Adaptation Network, Chicago (Greenest Region Compact), SE Florida (SEFL Regional Climate Change Compact) and the Institute for Sustainable Communities, about how they are accelerating equitable climate action in their region.

Learn more about the Regional Climate Collaboratives from across the nation we are learning with here: https://rccmn.co/regionalclimatecollaboratives/

Please join us for our RCC Holiday Social Hour next Tuesday, Dec 13! We will be at the Common Roots Cafe in Minneapolis at 4.30pm and on Zoom at 6:00pm (Zoom event is now starting at 6pm instead of 6:30pm!) This will be a great chance to connect with your peers and hear a 2023 MN Legislative preview from the MN House Climate Caucus members. For more information and RSVP click here: https://rccmn.co/dec-13-social-hour/

We look forward to seeing you in person or on Zoom!

Please join us for our RCC Holiday Social Hour on Tuesday, Dec 13! We will be at the Common Roots Cafe in Minneapolis at 4.30pm and on Zoom at 6:30pm. This will be a great chance to connect with your peers and hear a 2023 MN Legislative preview from the MN House Climate Caucus members. For more information and RSVP click here: https://rccmn.co/dec-13-social-hour/
We look forward to seeing you in person or on Zoom!