Together, we have seen a lot of successes with the Duluth Citizens’ Climate Action Plan in 2022, including the release of the City of Duluth Climate Action Work Plan, a community-wide commitment to carbon neutrality, City improvements to energy efficiency standards in buildings, and more! Check out the Impacts page to see all of the successes we’ve had.
Minnesota Power to eliminate coal
December 2022
Minnesota Power’s 2021 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) has been improved due to public pressure from citizens like you! In the IRP, Minnesota Power plans to close both of its Cohasset coal generators by 2035, with the potential to close one as early as 2030. It also adds a significant amount of renewable power to the mix, including wind and solar, and will roll out grid batteries to store electricity, moving us away from fossil fuels to build climate resilience in our community. [Image credit: Allete]
GetGreen Duluth launches to increase community sustainability
November 2022
The GetGreen Duluth app pilot expands the reach of the Duluth Citizens’ Climate Action Plan, gamifying the goals of the plan by promoting individual and collective action to create daily habits of climate stewardship and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Users contribute their leaves to the creation of a Micromobility Hub in Lincoln Park that will improve transportation access and expand people-first transportation in Duluth.
Supporting fuel efficiency standards in Duluth
June 2022
The City of Duluth has taken a leadership position in support of fuel efficiency standards by passing the Vehicle Replacement Policy, securing funding for EV fleet vehicles, installing EV charging stations, and joining state coalitions for emissions reductions. Because of this, Duluth has lowered greenhouse gas emissions and taken steps to protect our air quality and the long-term health and safety of our community.
Business brochure created based on the Plan
May 2022
Community members are helping spread the word about the Duluth Citizens’ Climate Action Plan! As a project for Leadership Duluth, a program of the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce, Alyssa Friesen, Rebecca Bischoff, and Katrina Viegas created a brochure for businesses based on actions in the Plan and will be sharing it with businesses across the community. Check it out here!
Duluth commits to carbon neutrality by 2050
March 2022
In her State of the City speech, Mayor Larson announced that the City of Duluth is committing to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 community wide. She said the current commitment of 80% by 2050 is no longer enough, “that’s why we are now committed to the Cities Race to Zero, making clear that we aim to achieve carbon-neutrality — net zero — by 2050.” [Image credit: C40 Cities]
City of Duluth releases Climate Action Work Plan
February 2022
The City of Duluth released its first Climate Action Work Plan. The short-term plan for the next one to five years sets the groundwork for future action. It identifies nine strategies for decreasing city and community-wide greenhouse gas emissions and becoming more resilient to a changing climate.
Ecolibrium3 wins state Climate Adaptation award
January 2022
Ecolibrium3 was named the Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership’s 2022 Organization Award winner. Nominated by the City of Duluth, the award recognizes a decade of community leadership in Minnesota to advance climate mitigation and adaptation, including it’s leadership in the development of the Duluth Citizens’ Climate Action Plan.
More ambitious building standards pass as policy
November 2021
The Duluth Citizens’ Climate Action Plan urged the City to adopt the Sustainable Buildings 2030 Energy Standard for all municipal buildings and publicly funded projects. The City responded by enacting the Building Owner Performance Requirements Policy, raising building standards for City-owned buildings beyond the state mandates and improving energy efficiency.