Minnesota recently finished a state legislative session for the ages. Democratic control of state government for the first time in a decade, combined with a historic budget surplus, led to the adoption of transformative investments and policies in most every area of government. We dig into new climate policies that especially impact MN cities. Abby interviews co-host and first-term State Representative Larry Kraft about the recently completed session and gets a run down of some of the key new climate policies that were passed into law.

Resources

• Gov Walz signs bill on 100% Clean Energy by 2040
• Passed MN Climate, Energy, & Environment budget bill 
• Passed MN Transportation budget bill
• Obama praises MN accomplishments
• Larry's speech on the House floor about the Energy & Environment budget bill

In 2015 St. Cloud MN set a goal to get 75% of municipal operations electricity from renewable energy by 2035. Only five years later in 2020, emanating from work at their wastewater facility, they actually hit 100%. We interview Public Services Director Tracy Hodel and Public Service Analyst Liz Kramer about how St. Cloud smashed their initial goal and how their new goal of net zero community-wide greenhouse emissions by 2038 is spurring dramatic and job-creating innovation, including with green hydrogen!

Resources

• Plant Profile: Greater Innovation, Improvement and Excellence in St. Cloud
• City Wastewater Treatment Facility - Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency project summary
• 2038 goal story
• Green Hydrogen story

We revisit Ann Arbor, Michigan and their dynamic Sustainability & Innovations Director Missy Stults, to check in on their audacious plan to reach net zero by 2030. They are pushing the envelope in so many ways, from their taxpayers approving $7M per year for climate action, to being on the verge of setting up a new Sustainable Energy Utility, to re-thinking how heating will be provided, and more. 

Resources

• Ann Arbor millage tax
• Sustainable Energy Utility - video overview
• Sustainable Heating Franchise - project overview
• Ann Arbor A2Zero home page
• July 2021 City Climate Corner episode
• City Climate Corner Bloomberg Cities top 10 

We're back to Boise Idaho to hear about the nation's largest geothermal energy system and the big role it plays in heating the city. We again interview Director of Public Works, Steve Burgos, and Communications Manager Natalie Monro, this time to learn the long history of geothermal heat in Boise as well as how it's working today, and what's next.

Resources

• Boise Geothermal webpage
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory geothermal resources
• What's going on with geothermal (industry update) - Volts podcast episode

In December 2020 Santa Fe County adopted a resolution to conserve 30% of its land and water by 2030. We interview County Sustainability Manager Jacqueline Beam to understand how the resolution happened, what it means, and how it's being implemented. Plus, we even learn the role beavers are playing!

Resources

• Santa Fe County Sustainability webpage
• Resolution adopting 30 X 30 goal
• Infographic status reports from 2022 and 2021
• Elected Officials to Protect America website

Abby and Larry review some of their highlights from the year's episodes and share some big news about the podcast.

As Boise is in the high desert, water is increasingly a precious resource. In 2021 Boise voters approved a 20-year $570M bond for water renewal, including a major focus on recycling wastewater. We interview Director of Public Works, Steve Burgos, and Communications Manager Natalie Monro, about how the bond referendum was approved, and how they have engaged the public to generate acceptance for keeping water local.

Resources

• City of Boise Climate Action Roadmap
• TV spot and article: City of Boise partners with local breweries to make beer from recycled water
• Article: Boise voters overwhelmingly pass sewer bond
• Words on Water podcast: Haley Falconer on Sustainability in Boise
• Struvite production from Water Renewal Process

Solar energy's direct benefits are well known. But Bob Blake, CEO of solar installation company Solar Bear, and Executive Director of Native Sun Community Power Development, has a much more expansive vision for the Red Lake Nation (in Minnesota) and other tribal nations. In our interview with Bob, we learn how he's using solar to reduce energy burden, do workforce development, and address poverty on tribal lands, in addition to contributing to a more resilient energy system.

Resources:

• Solar Bear website
• Native Sun Community Power Development website
• Red Lake Solar Project: Aspiring to energy sovereignty (video and article from Clean Energy Economy, MN)
• MN House of Representatives - HF 1647 bill (mentioned during interview)

Beautiful urban forest -- abundant green spaces -- easy to get around without a car -- and a commitment to climate protection. Freiburg seems to have it all. We interview Freiburg City Council Member Sophie Schwer and learn how Freiburg does it, and how over the past 40 years car use has been cut almost in half, and bike use has more than doubled. This is our last Europe episode from Abby's summer trip - we saved Abby's favorite for last!

Resources

• Freiburg Sustainability Map
• Vauban District
• Dietenbach - yet to be built eco-district
• Sustainability in Freiburg booklet (in German - but some easy to understand graphics)
• Freiburg sustainability reports (some of older ones in English)

** The Inflation Reduction Act is a monumental and transformative piece of legislation. For the first time the federal government has passed a law that "meets the moment" and puts us within striking distance of reaching critical climate goals. We interview Dr. Pete Wyckoff, Sr. Policy Advisor for Climate Energy and the Environment in the Office of Minnesota Senator Tina Smith, one of the key legislative leaders on climate policy, to learn about how this legislation happened, and what's in it for cities.

** - Our apologies as there was an audio processing error in the initial recording we released. It is corrected in this version.

Resources

• National League of Cities information on IRA
• National Association of Counties Legislative Analysis of the IRA
• BlueGreen Alliance: A User Guide to the Inflation Reduction Act
• Fossil fuels and Inflation - Vox article