Grants empower local green movement, businesses, and bring energy savings
Minneapolis climate change grants empower individuals to reduce global warming pollution, support local businesses and save money on energy costs
May 7, 2009 (MINNEAPOLIS) - Minneapolis has awarded a total of 15 grants to help local neighborhoods and organizations fund creative ways to engage residents to fight climate change. The City pioneered these award-winning grants in 2007. Thanks to the successes of the first two years, Minneapolis is offering $75,000 in small grants this year to neighborhood and business groups, faith-based organizations and nonprofits whose efforts inspire their members to curb climate change.
Each grant fights climate change by creating learning opportunities and empowering Minneapolis residents and businesses. Grant awardees will also sign up individuals for the Minnesota Energy Challenge, which now has more than 7,000 Minneapolis members. Participants taking the challenge are pledging to make changes in their lives – large or small – to reduce their carbon footprints while saving money on energy costs and helping local businesses. With the 2007 and 2008 climate change grants, Minneapolis residents and businesses pledged to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 10.9 tons and save themselves $1.33 million in energy costs each year.
A new trend among a number of 2009 climate change grantees involves mobilizing residents to reduce energy use by shopping locally – often on foot. Walking to the corner store instead of driving miles away to shop and buying locally grown food not only helps local businesses grow, but also helps reduce our use of energy and fight climate change.
The 2009 grant awardees are:
Climate Change Innovation Grant recipients (grants up to $10,000)
Corcoran Neighborhood Association
Educating residents and shoppers about the individual and community benefits of locally grown food and empowering them to eat locally through a community gardening initiative, demonstrations and mini-workshops at the Midtown Farmer’s Market.
Do It Green!
Creating and promoting a low-carbon foods kit to supplement the popular "Eco Party" kit. Do It Green! will also host a series of four Foodprint Cookoffs to promote locally grown food and raise awareness about food decisions, with a focus in north Minneapolis.
Eureka Recycling
Setting up composting at the Mill City Farmers Market and nearby mixed-use buildings. Eureka will also offer composting workshops, energy audits and other resources to help residents reduce their carbon footprints.
Kingfield Neighborhood Association
th Street and Nicollet Avenue to give residents and businesses a viable alternative to car ownership and organizing residents to become HOURCAR members.
Phillips Community Energy Cooperative
Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association (PPNA)
Launching a campaign to connect neighbors for the common cause of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Seward Neighborhood Group
Addressing home and transportation energy uses through home energy conservation workshops, events to promote alternative transportation, and a "walk to shop" campaign.
Climate Change Micro Grant recipients (grants up to $1,500)
Bedlam Theatre
Promoting the energy challenge at performances of King Lear, continuing to promote biking and transit use, and implementing composting at the theater.
Bike On
Starting a Family Bike On program to provide families with resources to use bicycles, learn about energy use, discover new connections in the neighborhood and build community.
Block Club-10 th/11 th Avenue
A group of neighbors in the Midtown area is installing high quality outdoor clotheslines to reduce energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions from dryer use.
Gardening Matters
Creating a website and other resources to connect people who want to garden with people who have available garden space.
Hennepin County Medical Center
Promoting healthy eating by creating a rooftop organic herb garden and patio for outside dining. The garden produce will be used in hospital cafeterias.
Judson Memorial Baptist Church
Encouraging energy-saving actions through varied activities including Bike to Church Sundays, low-waste festival events and church renovations.
Kingfield Neighborhood Association
Establishing community gardens in the neighborhood to build community and promote eating local food.
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Promoting the energy challenge within the congregation and holding events throughout the summer to recycle more and drive less by biking, walking and carpooling.
Minneapolis is considered one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the country, and the City has long been a leader in creating policies and practices that protect and enhance the environment and combat global climate change. The launch of Minneapolis Sustainability Initiative in 2003 took the Citys commitment to the environment to a new level. As part of the initiative, the mayor and City Council established 24 sustainability indicators designed to create a more ecologically sustainable city. Last year a green jobs indicator was added to the list for a total of 25 indicators now tracked. To learn more about the sustainability initiative and the climate change grants, visit Sustainability Initiatives.
Published May. 7, 2009