Minneapolis is the
sixth most eco-friendly city in the world, according to London-based company Mercer, which compiles annual Quality of Living and Eco-City rankings. Our standout score put us near the top of the list of 221 cities judged on air and water quality, gridlock, and garbage and sewage management.
But five cities stand between us and the summit. Here are five cool ideas we could borrow from our competitors to make it to the top in 2011.
1.
Calgary's state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant. Calgary, Canada's new Pine Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant is a model of green building. It's Operations, Maintenance, and Administration building earned a Gold LEED rating. As for the plant itself, Manager Jim Miller says, “It has a number of architectural controls that reduce our impact on the environment, including a wildlife corridor to the Bow River, the utilization of wind power to power the plant and 5,500 square meters of green roofs.”
2.
Honolulu's public electric vehicle charging station ?If your car runs on gas, you can let the needle fall to "E" and trust you'll easily find a gas station just down the street. How do you convince the public to turn away from that convenience and choose an electric car, which can only be juiced up in your own garage? By building the ChargePoint2000, where electric cars, bikes, mopeds, and Segways can stop 24 hours a day and get an energy boost. Honolulu now has a place to "gas" up electric vehicles, courtesy Coulomb Technologies, who've developed the stations to accept payment via Smart Cards or cellphone authorization.
3.
Ottawa's drive for tap water pride The Ottawa city council wants its citizens to kick the wasteful disposable bottled water habit. To remind the public that tap water is a better bet for the environment and assure them that it's not a step down in quality, Ottawa is inviting citizens into the water treatment plant for tours, installing new drinking fountains, and sending out water trailers called "Ottawatermobiles" to outdoor festivals where bottled water use is so tempting.
4.
Helisinki's computer-server heat recycling Under Helsinki, Finland's historic Uspenski Cathedral lies a bomb shelter carved out in the dark days of World War II. These days, it has been repurposed as a data center, a safe place for masses of computer servers--your Gmail has to be stored someplace, right? Well, those humming servers produce a lot of heat. And instead of wasting it, the Helsinki energy authority will be collecting it to use in the district heating network that runs through the capital city.
5.
Wellington's nurturing of the next generation of eco-warriers Wellington, New Zealand, hosts high school students trying to figure out the link between green projects and public policy for its Sir Peter Blake Youth Environment Forum. The week-long conference is a way for promising, environmentally-active teens to learn the ropes when it comes to networking with experts in the field, and culminates with a presentation to Parliament. After all, there's no greater resource than the energy of the next generation.