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Background St. Louis Park is among Minnesota's leading communities in addressing its climate change impact. The climate and energy goals included in this CAP are among the most ambitious in the nation. Climate change is altering the way communities think about their public and private sector infrastructure, operations, local resources, and social norms. With this plan, St. Louis Park is leading the way in rethinking how local resources are used and how to leverage new opportunities for residents and businesses to reduce their impact on climate change. A long-time leader in its commitment to environmental stewardship, the city was among the first communities to offer curbside compost pick-up and now has a Zero Waste Packaging Ordinance. In 2009, the city created an urban reforestation program to enhance the health of the tree canopy. St. Louis Park is a Step 3 GreenStep City and participated as one of the original pilot cities, helping to launch Minnesota's most successful city sustainability program. In early 2015, the St. Louis Park Environment and Sustainability Commission (ESC) made the case to Council to participate in the Partners in Energy (PiE) program offered by Xcel Energy in order to drive more action in reducing energy use and ultimately citywide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Council approved participating in PiE and by 2015 a community team was formed to develop an Energy Action Plan. Four priorities emerged as the hallmark elements of the Energy Action Plan: 1) create a climate plan with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040, 2) drive energy efficiency in business, 3) increase renewable energy purchases, and 4) create a partnership with youth. The first was developed in consideration of what the city could do to help prevent a global temperature rise of another 1.5° Celsius, as was agreed upon at the Paris Climate Agreement meetings in 2015. The Energy Action Plan was presented to City Council in April 2016 and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for implementing the plan was presented to Council in September 2016. As instructed, the City Manager signed the MOU in support of providing resources to implement the plan. Key components of the PiE plan included climate action planning and a partnership with youth going forward. Youth involvement resulted in high school students from the Roots and Shoot Environmental Club to partner with a nonprofit, iMatter, to produce and present a report card, a petition, and a climate inheritance resolution to Council. Council adopted the resolution in May 2016, stating: NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the St. Louis Park City Council commits to working constructively, using ingenuity, innovation, and courageous determination to create a St. Louis Park Climate Action Plan for consideration that significantly reduces St. Louis Park's greenhouse gas emissions to levels that would protect our community's children and grandchildren from the risk of climate destruction. The plan that follows is a direct result of the Climate Inheritance Resolution (Appendix B), offering a roadmap for the city to work toward its ambitious goals. Actions and technologies included in this plan exist today and are ready for implementation. Leveraging existing programs and expanding collaboration will be key to successful implementation.