What it is
The City of Minneapolis defines environmental justice as the right to a clean, safe, and healthy quality of life for people of all races, incomes, and cultures.
Environmental justice emphasizes:
- accountability
- equitable treatment
- democratic practices
- remedying the historical impact of past environmental injustices.
How Green Cost Share helps
The City helps businesses reduce the disproportionate impacts of climate change and environmental pollution.
The Green Cost Share aims to broaden access to the benefits of energy efficiency, solar, and pollution reduction projects by providing upfront matching funds. These projects can deliver several additional health and economic benefits beyond climate change mitigation. It is important to ensure that all communities have access to these benefits as the City pursues its climate change goals.
The Green Cost Share leverages the efforts of other City and State initiatives to help designate which projects qualify for the higher Environmental Justice incentive rate. The goal of the Green Cost Share is to ensure that at least 40% of program funds and project benefits are directed towards environmental justice projects.
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Geography based initiatives |
Program based initiatives |
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Green Zone Initiative: a place-based initiative to improve health and support economic development using environmentally conscious efforts in communities that face the cumulative effects of pollution, social, political, and economic vulnerability. Great Street Eligible Priority: Business districts that lie within:
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Properties already participating in an income qualified housing or utility bill support program that do income verification. Common Examples:
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