EC Agenda 10-28-2024
REGULAR MEETING AGENDA
Remote Attendance: Members of the public may attend this meeting via Microsoft Teams by
calling 1-872-256-4160 and entering access code 910 737 312#.
Questions/Comments: Members of the public who have questions about the commission or
any items on the agenda should contact the staff commission liaison – Eric Eckman,
Environmental Resources Supervisor, eeckman@goldenvalleymn.gov, 763-593-8084.
1. Call to Order
2. Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge and honor the Dakota nation, on whose ancestral land the City of Golden Valley
is built, and whose land resources we use. We commit to counteracting the erasure of the cultural
practices and presence of the Dakota people through education and by amplifying a wide range of
indigenous voices.
3. Roll Call
4. Approval of Agenda
5. New Member Amelia Schulz – Oath of Office (5 min)
6. Approval of August 26, 2024 Regular Meeting Minutes (5 min)
7. Old Business
A. Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ/Bassett Creek 2024 efforts
i. Subcommittee updates
1. 2025 Creek Clean-up event planning
2. Water Blessing (5 min)
ii. Watershed Co-Naming update (5 min)
iii. Collaboration with DEIC (5 min)
B. Energy Action Plan progress report (10 min)
C. Hennepin County 2024 Solid Waste Management Plan (15 min)
8. New Business
A. New GreenCorps Member Gunnar Laughlin (5 min)
B. Organics Tour and Composition Study (10 min)
C. Home Energy Squad (5 min)
D. Council Updates (5 min)
E. Other Business
9. Adjournment
October 28, 2024 – 6:30 pm
City Hall Council Conference Room
OFFICIAL OATH
State of Minnesota )
)ss
County of Hennepin )
I, Amelia Schulz, do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United
States, the Constitution of the State of Minnesota, and that I will faithfully discharge
the duties of the office of the Environmental Commission Member of the City of Golden
Valley, Minnesota, to the best of my judgment and ability, so help me God.
______________________________
Amelia Schulz
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 28th day of October, 2024.
_________________________________
Debra Yahle, Chair
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
Remote Attendance: Members of the public may attend this meeting via Microsoft Teams by
calling 1-872-256-4160 and entering access code 587 275 181#.
Questions/Comments: Members of the public who have questions about the commission or
any items on the agenda should contact the staff commission liaison – Eric Eckman,
Environmental Resources Supervisor, eeckman@goldenvalleymn.gov, 763-593-8084.
1. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order by Chair Yahle at 6:30 pm.
2. Land Acknowledgement
3. Roll Call
Commissioners present: Debra Yahle, Sarah Drawz, Ellen Brenna, Wendy Weirich,
Kari Cantarero, Paul Klaas, Tonia Galonska
Commissioners absent: None
Council Members present: None
Staff present: Eric Eckman, Environmental Resources Supervisor;
Ethan Kehrberg, Sustainability Specialist;
Carrie Nelson, Engineering Assistant.
Two community members were present.
4. Approval of August 26, 2024 Agenda
MOTION by Commissioner Galonska, seconded by Commissioner Drawz to approve the
agenda for August 26, 2024 as submitted and the motion carried.
5. Approval of July 22, 2024 Regular Meeting Minutes
MOTION by Commissioner Brenna, seconded by Commissioner Cantarero to approve the
minutes of July 22, 2024 as submitted and the motion carried.
6. Old Business
A. Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ/Bassett Creek 2024 Actions
i. Subcommittee Updates:
1. Clean-Up Event
August 26, 2024 – 6:30 pm
City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting
August 26, 2024 – 6:30 pm
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1. The Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ Oral History Project reached out to check
the status of this event.
2. Looking for a date in the spring of 2025, maybe around Earth
Day.
3. Commissioner Galonska found a list of requirements the City
has for events and will reach out to the sub-committee for a
meeting to go over the requirements.
2. Water Blessing
1. October 14, 2024 – Indigenous Peoples Day – Bassett Creek Park
in Crystal. Shelters and restrooms available.
2. More partners and sponsors.
3. Indigenous Partners to lead the Blessing and take photographs.
4. Can it be advertised in the City Newsletter? Crystal would like to
see the info before it goes out. Staff is working with the
Communications team.
5. Everyone is welcome.
ii. Dakota Plant Walks
1. The City will help promote and advertise the walks. Other media
outlets will cover the walks, too. The Hennepin History Museum and
Mississippi Watershed Management Organization will also promote.
2. Participants will need to register for the walks.
3. Commission committed up to $500 to support the plant walks.
4. September 15 – 1:00pm – Crosby Farm Regional Park.
5. October 5 – 10:00am – MWMO Stormwater Park & Learning Center.
iii. Watershed Co-Naming Update
1. A Sub-Committee of the Bassett Creek Watershed Management
Commission Education Committee is studying the co-naming with
cultural advisors and staff.
1. First meeting – made recommendations to the Education
Committee. If accepted, the Education Committee will make
recommendations to the Watershed Commission.
2. Recommendations include keeping the approach simple and co-
naming the main stem of the creek, but not the tunnel or
smaller tributaries.
3. Co-naming would be Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ/Bassett Creek. When
shown graphically there may be a dot between the Dakota and
English names rather than a slash.
4. Recommended Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ/Bassett Creek be used on
Watershed letterhead, Watershed website, and creek crossing
signs and other signage used throughout the Watershed.
City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting
August 26, 2024 – 6:30 pm
3
5. The Sub-Committee recommended the Education Committee
and Plan Steering Committee revisit the mission statement to
use language that better reflects the new land and water
acknowledgement statement the Watershed adopted a couple
months ago.
7. New Business
A. Energy Action Progress Report
i. Staff reviewed the Energy Action Progress Report found in the August 26, 2024
Agenda Packet.
ii. City Building Energy Use:
1. Not Weather Normalized – Variability year to year with colder
winters/warmer summers.
1. There’s three different ways the B3 Benchmarking looks at data
for different builders
i. Benchmark – Uses an engineered model of the building
and latest energy code – Based on input such as what
amount of space is being used as meeting space, office
space, storage, etc.
ii. B3 Peer – Compares with peer cities.
iii. Baseline – Independent of energy code and other
buildings in other cities – just looking at our buildings
and what changes we’ve made over time.
1. This one is weather normalized.
2. We have data back to 2005.
iii. Solar at Brookview is being recommended for the 2025 CIP. We can leverage
about 2/3 of the cost with outside funding sources.
B. GreenStep Cities Statewide Annual Report
i. Staff reviewed the GreenStep Cities Statewide Annual Report that includes all
cumulative actions taken across the state for all participating cities.
ii. Over half the state’s population participates in GreenStep Cities now.
C. Hennepin County 2024 Solid Waste Management Plan
i. Staff reviewed the Hennepin County Solid Waste Management Plan Memo in
the 10-26-24 Agenda.
ii. The State came out with a plan earlier this year. The County’s plan must be in
line with the State plan. The City agrees with most everything the County has
in their plan.
iii. Commissioners were asked for comments. Staff plans to provide comments to
the County one final time before the September deadline. The County’s plan is
due to the state in late October.
City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting
August 26, 2024 – 6:30 pm
4
D. Council Updates
i. None
E. Other Business
i. The Commission voted to cancel the September meeting and schedule a tour
of the Shakopee Organics Processing Facility with an opportunity to perform a
composition sort on a load from Golden Valley.
8. Adjournment
MOTION by Commissioner Weirich, seconded by Commissioner Cantarero to adjourn the
meeting at 8:24 pm and the motion carried.
ATTEST:
________________________________ ____________________________________
Carrie Nelson, Administrative Assistant Debra Yahle, Chair
Date: October 28, 2024
To: Environmental Commission
From: Eric Eckman, Environmental Supervisor
Ethan Kehrberg, Sustainability Specialist
Subject: Energy Action Plan Progress Report
In August, staff presented and discussed the City’s annual energy report with the Commission.
The report focused on the City’s operational efforts and highlighted some of the larger
community-wide efforts as staff awaited additional data from our utility partners. With the
2023 data now available and compiled, staff can work with the Commission to review and
finalize the Energy Action Plan progress report.
Please review the attached report and come to the meeting prepared to discuss. Staff will
gather input and feedback and then work with Communications staff to finalize the report for
upcoming city publications.
Golden Valley Energy Action Plan
2023 PROGRESS UPDATE
The Energy Action Plan was developed during five workshops between August 2020 and January 2021.
The plan was adopted in May 2021 and data-tracking began July 1, 2021. A team of community
members worked together to develop a plan that reflects their best ideas and shared priorities.
This update summarizes actions and progress for the first two and a half years of the plan, from July
2021 through December 2023.
VISION – Golden Valley will be a more sustainable and resilient community, where the benefits of using
and sourcing energy wisely accrue equitably to every resident, business, and visitor.
GOALS – Eliminate 65,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions through electricity and natural gas savings
in Golden Valley in the next 10 years–exclusive of Xcel Energy’s grid decarbonization efforts, a reduction
of approximately 30 percent vs baseline.
Add an estimated $8.8 million in first year energy savings to Golden Valley’s economy in 10 years with
savings that residents and businesses will see from more efficient use of energy.
Help Golden Valley households most severely impacted by the costs of energy. This includes making
certain these households are aware help is available and helping them navigate the steps necessary to
get the help they need.
FOCUS AREAS – The City identified three focus areas and eight strategies to concentrate resources and
accomplish goals:
1. Reducing High and Severe Energy Cost Burden
a. Locate Energy-Burdened Households
b. Educate Clients
c. Coordinate Service Delivery
2. Improving Energy Efficiency
a. Conduct Multifamily Outreach, Including Multi-Family Buildings
b. Conduct Business Outreach
3. Supporting Clean Energy
a. Subscription Options
b. “Near-Site” and On-Site Renewable Energy Support
c. Preparing for Electric Vehicles
PROGRESS
Total of 19,579 MTCO2e eliminated from electricity and natural gas (120 percent of current goal
complete)
Total of $995,446 in first-year energy savings for residents and businesses (45 percent of current goal
complete)
Total of 72 energy-burdened households supported (120 percent of current goal complete)
*2021 data is for July 2021–December 2021 only (6-month period)
FOCUS AREA UPDATES
Households signed up for Home Energy Squad (HES): 82 (191 percent of 2022 goal)
Golden Valley rank for HES visits per capita in CEE 2023 Intercity Challenge for HES: Seventh
Compared to 2019 baseline: 5.4 percent decrease in electricity kWh usage across the community in
2023 despite a 50.7 percent increase in Cooling Degree Days
New Smart Thermostat installations: 2023: 395, up 214 percent from 2022
Premises participating in renewable programs: 1,040 residential and 44 commercial and industrial
Total kWh from renewable energy programs: 2023: 25.3 million kWh, (15 percent increase since 2019)
Golden Valley’s rank in electric vehicle (EV) ownership per capita among 30 most populous cities in
Hennepin County: Second (1.95 percent of city population owned an EV in 2023, up from 1.24 percent in
2022)
Increase in EV ownership in Golden Valley since 2019: 160 percent, (435 EVs were registered in Golden
Valley through 2023)
IMPLEMENTATION HIGHLIGHTS
• Shared Home Energy Squad, Energy Assistance programs, and behavior change tips in City
newsletter, social media, website, and at tabling events.
• Planned and hosted an event for community members to learn about electric vehicles and
electrification resources.
• Continued promotion of “Energy Hero” business recognition program to highlight businesses
who contribute to progress on the Energy Action Plan.
• Presented about multi-family building efficiency at building owner and managers meetings.
• Tabled at multiple community events and sustainability fairs in Golden Valley to share energy
efficiency and renewable energy opportunities with residents.
• Created flyers to promote electrification of household equipment.
GET INVOLVED
Visit https://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/471/Energy to read more about the City’s Energy Action Plan and
find ways to support it. Contact the City at planning@goldenvalleymn.gov to learn how you can help
achieve Golden Valley’s energy vision.
ENERGY DATA TERMS GLOSSARY
Check out the Energy Terms 101 interactive digital resource to learn more.
Date: October 25, 2024
To: Environmental Commission
From: Eric Eckman, Environmental Supervisor
Ethan Kehrberg, Sustainability Specialist
Subject: Hennepin County 2024-2029 Solid Waste Management Plan
The Environmental Commission work plan includes efforts to increase reuse and recycling
opportunities in the community, including discussing state and county solid waste plans that
may impact city goals, policies, and implementation actions.
In early 2024, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency adopted a new statewide Solid Waste
Management Plan. Each county is required to develop its own plan and implement actions to
achieve state goals. This fall, following a robust community engagement process, Hennepin
County published a draft of its 2024-2029 Solid Waste Management Plan for final review by
county committees and the County Board (October 29). The plan will guide the County’s waste
management strategies for the next five years and emphasizes accelerating efforts towards a
zero-waste future.
The City’s Environmental Commission reviewed and discussed the draft plan in August. Since
then, County staff have updated the plan and provided additional information (attached).
Please review the plan updates and come to the meeting with questions, comments, and ideas
to consider for the Commission’s 2025 Work Plan.
Updates made to solid waste plan, submitted for approval
County Staff reviewed feedback received during the public comment period for the Solid Waste
Management Plan and made changes to the plan, which are summarized below.
The updated solid waste plan (PDF) has been shared with county commissioners and was discussed in
the Public Works committee meeting on October 8. See board meeting materials.
The county’s plan must be approved by the board and submitted to the MPCA no later than October 29,
2024.
Responding to public comment
A draft of the solid waste plan was made available for public comment between August 13 and
September 4, 2024. The county received 86 comments from cities, environmental advocacy groups, and
residents.
Edits to expand or clarify were made to the following strategies:
• #3. Require waste composition study at least once every 5 years at all landfills that are located
within the county. The county will conduct at least two waste sorts at a county facility or in
collaboration with partners during the term of the solid waste plan.
• #10. Commit to standardized outreach and education. This strategy was edited to include
actions from the county's Zero Waste Plan related to culturally relevant outreach.
• #16. Implement a formal county sustainable purchasing policy using MPCA guidance. This
strategy was expanded to reference that directive and say the county will review and consider
integrating similar policies and practices.
• #21. Implement a green meeting policy. This strategy was modified to clarify that it will be an
internal county policy.
• #22. Implement a county policy encouraging the use of reusable food and beverage service
ware. This strategy was edited to say the policy will apply to both county-hosted events and
county spaces. As with strategy #16, there is overlap with new federal policies for single-use
plastics that the county will look at to potentially incorporate here.
• #23. Adopt an ordinance with a mandatory consumer charge or ban for single-use items. This
strategy was edited to include a focus on increasing reusable service ware over disposables.
• #26. Establish a reuse location for residential drop-off and pick-up. This strategy was edited to
say the county will explore options for establishing a reuse hub.
• #27. Establish a curbside set-out day to allow residents to set out used items for reuse. Clarity
was provided by saying the county will commit funding to pilots and expand efforts.
• #33 & #34. Contracting for waste collection. This strategy was expanded to say the county will
commit resources to engage with cities and other partners on the organized collection process
to identify and push for legislative changes to make the process easier.
• #37. Provide assistance to multifamily properties to improve recycling. Edits to this strategy
say that county will continue to explore ways to provide the same level of access to waste
services at multifamily properties that is available to residents through city programs.
• #55. Require food-derived compost in county construction and landscaping projects. Edits
added that the county will provide specifications and provide technical assistance. Changes also
made it clear that the county will explore requiring the use of food-derived compost in city
projects.
Additional edits were made to reference the policy plan objectives and add the county’s zero-waste
dashboard metrics and the legislative policies needed to reinvent the county’s solid waste system.
Read more about the feedback received on these strategies and changes made based on the feedback.
Acknowledging HERC
There continues to be productive tensions around the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) and its
role in the county's waste management system. The county remains committed to continued
conversations about HERC and its future.
The Hennepin County Solid Waste Management Plan complies with statutory mandates, covers solid
waste planning for the period of 2024-2029, and advances the plan to reinvent Hennepin County’s solid
waste system to accelerate the closure and repurposing of the HERC.
Recognizing the need to go further, faster
The feedback on this plan from the public asked the county to go further and faster to achieve zero
waste. The county is investing in a zero-waste future that will result in a circular economy, ensure an
equitable system, and achieve climate and zero-waste goals. Our success will be determined by the level
of systemic change made, including:
• Ability for counties, cities, agencies and environmental advocates to align efforts
• State leadership on zero-waste policies
• Funding and infrastructure development that matches the scope of the challenges and the
ambition of the goals
• Actions by businesses and residents to make zero waste a reality.
Next steps
The updated solid waste plan (PDF) has been shared with commissioners and was discussed in the Public
Works committee meeting on October 8. See board meeting materials.
The county’s plan must be approved by the board and submitted to the MPCA no later than October 29,
2024.
Date: October 28, 2024
To: Environmental Commission
From: Gunnar Laughlin, MN GreenCorps Member
Subject: GreenCorps Introduction & Service Plan
Hello Environmental Commission!
My name is Gunnar Laughlin. As a lifelong resident of Golden Valley, I am thrilled to serve with
Golden Valley for the next several months. In 2023, I graduated from St. John’s University in
Collegeville, MN, where I studied Political Science. After graduation, I completed a service year
with Public Health Corps at Hennepin County Public Health where I worked on projects related
to climate resiliency, protecting county residents from extreme heat, working on boosting our
engagement throughout the Public Health department, and several other projects in Climate
Action and Community Engagement fields.
Over the next year, my work will be guided by a service plan that outlines several projects that I
will be focusing on. The one that will likely be taking the most significant amount of my time
will be engaging multi-family residences in environmental and sustainability work. Over the
past few weeks, I have been updating our list of multi-family property manager contacts so we
can start distributing resources on energy efficiency, sustainable waste management, and other
sustainability practices to these property managers.
We plan on taking the results of our outreach to help inform future engagement efforts. My
service plan also outlines a handful of other projects such as general sustainability education,
research about climate resilience, waste reduction, and green infrastructure that will fill my
service hours.
I am incredibly grateful to be serving with my hometown of Golden Valley and I look forward to
being an asset to the Commission in advancing sustainability work throughout the city.
Date: October 28, 2024
To: Environmental Commission
From: Ethan Kehrberg, Sustainability Specialist
Subject: Organics Tour and Composition Study
On September 27th, City staff and environmental commissioners toured the Shakopee
Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) Organics Recycling Facility and completed a
composition study.
We walked a lap around the site with the SMSC staff, learning how the facility operates with
their different areas, equipment, and processes. They also explained some of the changes that
will come with their shift to the new “Dakota Prairie Composting” facility, which will have three
times the capacity of the current facility. They will use an aerated state pile method instead of
the current windrow method. This will allow for automated controls, a shorter more efficient
processing time, create more space and capacity at the site, and reduce odors.
After the tour, our group started the composition study of a load of organic recycling material
collected from one route in Golden Valley. The Republic Services truck emptied the load onto
the ground, and we all used grabbers and pokers to dig through the pile and pull out materials
that cannot be composted (contamination).
The most problematic contamination came from a large amount of crushed glass. Crushed glass
results in a rejected load because glass does not break down and is not safe to include in
compost. We also found a lot of plastic bags, non-compostable lined paper products, and a
variety of other non-compostable food containers (cans, bottles, boxes, etc.)
SMSC rejected the load, but it was still informative for us to see where there are
misconceptions about what is accepted in the orange-lid organics recycling carts. Now that we
understand what types of contamination are more common in Golden Valley, we will do more
specific education and outreach to our community members to ensure that the collected
organic material is getting recycled and put to good use.
Commissioners and staff that attended the tour can discuss and answer questions at the
meeting.
Date: October 28, 2024
To: Environmental Commission
From: Ethan Kehrberg, Sustainability Specialist
Subject: Home Energy Squad Update
In September, the City Council approved a new agreement with the Center for Energy and
Environment (CEE) to offer discounted Home Energy Squad (HES) visits to residents of Golden
Valley through December 2026. The City will provide a 50% discount for eligible participants,
not to exceed $5,000 per year.
Under the new agreement, 100% of the cost of the visit will be covered by the utility companies
if the resident is below 80% Area Median Income (AMI). All residents above 80% AMI will
receive a 50% cost-share visit. For Energy Saver visits, the City will cover $35 and the resident
will co-pay $35. For Energy Planner visits, the City will cover $50 and the resident will co-pay
$50.
Owners of homes and condominium and townhome units are eligible for funding. Renters are
also eligible for funding and may require permission from the landlord before additional
diagnostic services like blower door tests, inspections, and recommendation reports are
provided.
There was 82 HES visits reported in 2023, 191% above our Energy Action Plan annual goal of 43
HES visits.
Please spread the word and encourage your neighbors to sign up for a HES visit to identify
potential efficiency upgrades and save money. Commissioners should come to the meeting with
any questions they may have and ideas for promotion.