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REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION Date: March 8, 2021 Item No.:9.e Department Approval City Manager Approval Item Description: Authorize City Manager to apply for a Minnesota GreenCorps Member for 2021-2022 1 B ACKGROUND 2 The Minnesota GreenCorps program is a statewide initiative, coordinated by the Minnesota Pollution 3 Control Agency, to preserve and protect Minnesota’s environment while training a new generation of 4 environmental professionals. 5 The program places AmeriCorps members with host organizations around the state to assist 6 communities and local governments in addressing a variety of statewide needs, aiming to: 7 Reduce solid waste and increase recycling in Minnesota communities. 8 Reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) and other air pollutants. 9 Reduce water runoff and improve water quality. 10 Assist community members to take eco-friendly actions. 11 Increase community resilience and build local capacity to respond to the threats of climate 12 change. 13 Train new environmental professionals. 14 Members serve at their host sites for 11 months, from mid-September through mid-August. More 15 than 350 GreenCorps members have served at over 200 organizations across Minnesota. Former and 16 current host site organizations include cities, counties, public schools, universities, watershed 17 districts, and non-profit organizations. 18 Since the program’s launch in 2009, Minnesota GreenCorps members have engaged and educated 19 nearly 200,000 volunteers in communities around the state through service projects, including 20 assistance with environmental fairs, multi-modal transportation events, energy benchmarking, waste 21 sorts, tree inventory/citizen foresters, invasive species removal, tree planting, and building rain 22 gardens. Many of these projects help to increase resilience of Minnesota communities to the impacts 23 of climate change, such as increasing heat and heavy precipitation. 24 Minnesota GreenCorps is an AmeriCorps program. Funding is provided by ServeMinnesota, the 25 Corporation for National Community Service, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. In-kind 26 resources are also provided by participating host site organizations. 27 The City was successful in their application to host a GreenCorps member last year and therefore is 28 currently hosting a GreenCorps member in the Public Works department. Will Ristow, our current 29 GreenCorps member, has been helping staff with several sustainability efforts including a voluntary 30 private energy benchmarking program and the City’s work in the Partners in Energy program. This 31 partnership has been very successful for the City so far and has allowed us to do much more over the Page 1 of 2