Officials in St. Paul, Minn., announced that the city has set a zero carbon goal for 2050.
City-owned buildings are to hit that target by 2030, with all buildings following suit by mid-century.
A two-year study of carbon emissions within the city found that 52% were related to physical structures.
The city expects that its primary utility, Xcel Energy, will help it achieve 40% of the progress needed by relying less on fossil fuels. To get the rest of the way to its goal, the city has a five-year strategy with five primary goals:
• Inspiring a culture of energy stewardship throughout the city
• Lowering energy burdens on low-income households so that no household has to spend more than 4% of its income on energy costs
• Working with major institutions such as colleges and hospitals to set energy goals that align with those of the city
• Promoting efficiency in large buildings, both commercial and multi-family residences
• Leading by example as city government
To spur private building owners to green up their facilities, the city is sponsoring the “Race to Reduce,” a competition that encourages building managers to monitor and compare their buildings’ energy use to comparable structures across the country.
Related Stories
| Aug 2, 2016
Top 130 Green Building Architecture Firms
Gensler, Stantec, and HOK top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest green building sector architecture and A/E firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
Sponsored | Green | Jul 29, 2016
Collaborating for a greener world
As one of the leading manufacturers of coating products in the world, Valspar is setting an example for the entire industry by incorporating best practices and materials into their coatings
Green Specifications | Jul 26, 2016
New Miami Beach law requires LEED certification on projects larger than 7,000 sf
LEED Silver the prescribed standard on buildings larger than 50,000 sf.
Green | Jul 18, 2016
Newark passes nation’s first ‘environmental justice’ ordinance
Requires city planning officials to get more information from developers to ensure healthy, sustainable projects.
Green | Jul 6, 2016
U.S. healthcare system’s GHG emissions rise 30% in past decade
If U.S. healthcare were a country, it would rank 13th in GHG emissions.
Green | Jul 1, 2016
Green Business Certification Inc. names Kirksey Architecture LEED Proven Provider
Kirksey is the first Houston-based firm with designation and role as high-quality LEED administrator
Green | Jul 1, 2016
Perkins Eastman pledges to use EDGE green building system for five upcoming international projects
The firm will partner with the International Finance Corporation to promote sustainable building in emerging markets like India and China.
Green | Jun 28, 2016
Green Breakthrough: The new invention behind sustainable temperature control
CallisonRTKL’s sustainable design expert Pablo La Roche shares Xylem, the latest innovation on creating thermal comfort.
Movers+Shapers | Jun 17, 2016
Hantz Woodlands brings thousands of trees to hard-pressed Detroit neighborhoods
One of the city's richest residents, John Hantz, is buying hundreds of acres of vacant property, tearing down dilapidated structures, and planting trees in the space.
