City of Duluth named as the 2022 Sustainable City Award recipient by the League of Minnesota Cities

(June 24, 2022– St. Paul, MN) The League of Minnesota Cities presented the City of Duluth with the 2022 Sustainable City Award yesterday at the League’s Annual Conference, held in Duluth. The city was honored for its “Climate Action Work Plan” project.

The Sustainable City Award is presented annually to recognize sustainability efforts by a city among those participating in the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program – a free, voluntary program designed to help cities meet environmental sustainability goals through the implementation of 29 best practices. The League partners with eight other organizations, including non-profits and state agencies, to administer the GreenStep Cities program.

The Climate Action Work Plan (CAWP) was created in response to the City of Duluth’s Emergency Declaration, calling out that the region is already experiencing the effects of climate change. Over the past several years, the city has committed to reducing emissions 80% by the year 2050.

Recognizing the need for a more ambitious and science-based target, Duluth joined Race to Zero, with a goal of carbon neutrality and net zero emissions by 2050. The CAWP outlines the strategies, actions, and initiatives to be implemented from 2022 to 2027 that will help the city get started toward that goal.

The CAWP project incorporates several GreenStep Cities best practices including Comprehensive Climate and Energy Plans; Benchmarks and Community Engagement; Climate Adaption; and Community Resilience.

The League of Minnesota Cities is a membership organization dedicated to helping cities throughout Minnesota build quality communities through effective advocacy, expert analysis, trusted guidance, and collective action. The League serves its more than 830 member cities through advocacy, education and training, policy development, risk management, and other services.