SELECTING A GREEN NEIGHBORHOOD
Greening your Neighborhood
Take your personal green remodeling interest to a larger scale and make your neighborhood a more sustainable, environmentally friendly community. Be an advocate for improvement and encourage both children and adults to take part in more sustainable habits. As a community, larger strides can be made to establish better building standards and services in your neighborhood. Visit Smart Growth Online to access resources and network partners that can help and provide ideas for your community to grow safely & healthily, both economically and environmentally. Learn more
Transportation
Fuel emissions from transportation accounts for nearly a third of our Greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Communities with nearby amenities, sidewalks and bike paths encourage alternative, low impact transportation methods. Walk, bike or take transit to destinations rather than drive whenever you can, and because walking and biking routes are not always visible from a car look for options on Bike Walk Twin Cities. You can even assess how walkable your community is and what amenities are nearby using the website WalkScore. Accessible public transportation, whether it be a city bus, carpool system, or a park and ride is an opportunity to reduce the impacts of individual transportation. Check out metrotransit.org to map out routes and discover other ways to get around and to work! Learn more
Amenities
Local amenities such as grocers, hardware stores, clinics and more help boost local economies and provide jobs for local community members. Taking advantage of these local services reduces transportation cost and environmental impacts for both you and the service provider! Supporting local business allows smaller retailers to better compete with big box stores. Learn more
Community Spaces, Trails & Natural Areas
Taking pride in public spaces and recognizing the environmental importance of undeveloped areas can create a healthier, greener community. Preserving natural areas helps not only add aesthetic value to your neighborhood but also helps manage water, provide entertainment, and create habitat for birds and native plant species. Learn more
LEED for Neighborhood Development
For growing communities, the USGBC's LEED for Neighborhood Development outlines strategies and improvements to create a sustainable community. Following the structured credit system, a neighborhood can achieve levels of certification that address topics of water management, density and urban planning, community connectivity, historic preservation, energy and waste resources, and ecological impact (just to name a few). Learn more about the rating system by visiting the USGBC's LEED for Neighborhood Development website.