The Minnesota GreenStep Cities program, a voluntary challenge, assistance and recognition program to help cities achieve their sustainability goals, won in both the Sustainable Communities and Partnership of the Year categories at the Environmental Initiative’s 20th annual awards ceremony on May 24th. Over 340 attendees at the awards dinner cast their ballots for the 2012 Partnership of the Year, for which all 15 finalists were in the running.
Representatives from the partner organizations and mayors from the cities of Richfield, Edina, and Rochester packed the stage to receive their awards last Thursday. “We are a great partnership and truly none of us would be doing this without the other,” said Philipp Muessig, Minnesota GreenStep Cities Program Coordinator at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
The other partner organizations include the League of Minnesota Cities, the Clean Energy Resource Teams, Great Plains Institute, The Izaak Walton League of America—Minnesota Division, Urban Land Institute—Minnesota, and the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources.
“The recognition should really go out to all those cities that have signed on,” noted Lissa Pawlisch, CERTs Director and member of the Minnesota GreenStep Cities Working Committee.
There are now more than 40 participating Minnesota GreenStep Cities, with a number of cities working to pass resolutions to be recognized on June 21st at the League of Minnesota Cities Annual Conference in Duluth.
Other categories recognized at the awards included Business and Environment, Energy and Climate Protection, Environmental Education, and Natural Resource Protection and Restoration. These categories reflect the Environmental Initiative’s overall goal to build partnerships with nonprofit, business and government leaders to work collaboratively to solve environmental problems.
Congratulations to all the finalists and winners! See more of the groups recognized.
See more photos below:
