St. Louis Park has long been a leader in environmental stewardship, implementing various initiatives to promote sustainability and combat climate change.
Climate Action Plan
In 2018, the city council adopted a Climate Action Plan with the ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040. This plan provides guidance for residents, businesses, and the city on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change impacts. Progress towards these goals can be viewed on the Environmental Stewardship dashboard.
Depave SLP Program
To further its environmental efforts, St. Louis Park introduced the Depave SLP program. This initiative offers partial reimbursements to commercial property owners who remove pavement and replace it with native plants, trees, rain gardens, pollinator habitats, or permeable pavers. Benefits of this program include creating welcoming natural spaces, reducing winter maintenance costs, cooling the local area, reducing flooding, and improving air quality.
Westwood Hills Nature Center
The city also boasts the Westwood Hills Nature Center, a 160-acre natural area featuring marsh, woods, and restored prairie. The center’s new environmental learning facility is designed to be Net Zero Energy, serving as a model for zero-energy building construction even in cold Minnesota winters. The facility includes high-performance features focused on passive elements, such as an optimized building envelope and natural ventilation.
Through these initiatives and more, St. Louis Park continues to demonstrate its commitment to environmental sustainability and community well-being.