Sustainable Built Environment Practices

In this webinar, presented live on April 14, 2022, we learned how you can more easily encourage sustainable building material management in your community.

Agenda

9:00 – Welcome & Introductions

9:10 – Built Environment overview; connections to other city & county plans
·  Melissa Wenzel, Built Environment Sustainability Administrator, MPCA
    o  Implementing best practices to meet climate, sustainability, and solid waste plan goals
·  Riley Gage, Administrative Manager | Policy Associate - Rethos Places Reimagined
    o   MN Main Streets, classes & workshops
·  Sandy Gunderson, Household Hazardous Waste and Recycling Coordinator - Becker County
    o   Waste Diversion and Material Reuse Program

9:40 – Built Environment Best Practices & Waste Management Plan template
·       Melissa Wenzel, Built Environment Sustainability Administrator, MPCA

10:15 – Success stories and examples around Minnesota
·       Olivia Cashman, Environmental Protection Specialist, Hennepin County Environment & Energy
    o   Hennepin County & Ramsey County deconstruction grants
·       Monika Mann, Community and Economic Development Support Specialist, city of South St. Paul
    o   Old bank, new apartments
·       Risi Karim, GreenStep Cities Coordinator & Assistant to the City Administrator, city of Northfield
·       Emily Barker, Executive Director, ReUSE Minnesota
    o   How to host a “building material drop off day” event

11:00 – What YOU can do in your city & future developments
·       Melissa Wenzel, Built Environment Sustainability Administrator, MPCA
    o   How to choose and implement built environment best practices

11:15 – Q & A and Open Discussion

11:30 – Close

View the workshop recording: 

• See the Reuse Minnesota video: Building material collection events
• See the final 10 minutes of the workshop

View the PDF and additional materials: 

Resources: 

• Sustainable Building and Material Management, MPCA webpage
• Minnesota Main Streets - Rethos
• Rethos classes 
• Becker County Reuse Room
• Deconstruction Grants - Hennepin County, Ramsey County
• Hennepin County Climate Action Plan 
• Northfield Energy Action Team and Environmental Quality Commission
• Reuse Minnesota
• Reuse Ecosystem Map

Best Practice Actions related to this topic: 

• BP 2 - Efficient Existing Private Buildings
• BP 5 - Building Redevelopment
• BP 15 - Sustainable Purchasing
• BP 18 - Parks and Trails
• BP 22 - Sustainable Consumption and Waste
• BP 24 - Benchmarks and Community Engagement
• BP 25 - Green Business Development
• BP 28 - Business Synergies and EcoDistricts
• BP 29 - Climate Adaptation and Community Resilience

Register for upcoming GreenStep Cities and Tribal Nations workshops here. You do not need to be a GreenStep community to attend.

 Visit the GreenStep Cities and Tribal Nations program website at www.mngreenstep.org.