Resources on Sustainability

This page features resources mentioned on NextStep, Minnesota's web site dedicated to the issues of sustainability.

Solar Building Case Studies in the Twin Cities

In October 2003, the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society produced a 23-page tour guide to buildings featuring energy efficient and renewable energy technology. The guidebook has 19 one-page descriptions of homes, businesses, and institutional buildings that use technologies like solar, geothermal, superinsulation, and more. The guidebook includes building addresses and driving directions. Many of the building features can be viewed from adjacent sidewalks. Download the full tour guide from NextStep.

Expanding Commuter Options in the Twin Cities

This 25-page guidebook by the Downtown Minneapolis Transportation Management Organization offers practical and cost-effective steps to reduce congestion by optimizing Travel Demand Management (TDM) strategies. (2004)

A Minnesota Ground Water Directory: September 2003

This directory was published by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and includes information about the numerous organizations with Minnesota ground water responsibilities or services. The directory contains the following sections: Quick Guide to Ground Water, Who Does What Listed by Topic, Who Does What Listed by State Organization, Local Agencies, Federal Agencies, Featured Web Sites, State Agency Regional Offices, and What Citizens Can Do. (Updated September 2003) Download the full tour guide from NextStep (500Kb).

Neighborhood Sustainability Indicators Guidebook: How to create your own neighborhood sustainability indicators

This 68-page guide is focused upon one specific challenge: How do neighborhood residents ensure that their neighborhood becomes more sustainable in the long term?

A Population Monitoring Tool for Communities
Human Numbers in Local Perspective: A Guide to Community Awareness of Population Change and Impact

This short workbook is intended to facilitate discussion about local population changes and to guide volunteers or municipal planners through the preparation of two simple charts that illuminate the characteristics of a local population. The manual clearly explains how to prepare a history of population change and, for growing communities, to calculate the doubling time. Doubling of a local population has obvious but often-overlooked implications for space and services, competition for access or time, and stress on natural systems.

The Heart of the Community: Downtown Planning and Sustainable Development

As towns and cities in rural Minnesota redevelop their communities, few have a vision for what can be done to reinvigorate the downtown area — the heart of the city. This guide provides a model for a sustainable downtown plan that addresses important issues like land use and economic development, re-inventing traditional planning and community zoning processes.

Thinking Like a Sustainable Community: A Workbook for Applying a Sustainability Framework to Community Challenges

The Sustainable Communities team put together this workbook to help users think about community challenges with a view toward sustainability. The workbook is divided into five topic areas that represent priority concerns for many communities. Each topic area contains several questions, categorized into environmental, economic and social considerations. (2000)

Last updates September 2006