Tools and Resources
In addition to providing city-wide data, the Regional Indicators Initiative offers tools and resources to assist local government elected officials, staff, and community members in climate planning and action.
Climate and Energy Planning Resources
- A wedge diagram tool for energy and greenhouse gas reduction planning with an associated menu of feasible city actions
- A brief guide on how to incorporate energy and/or climate resilience in a city's request for proposals
- An energy planning guide and workbook for use in comprehensive planning and/or energy planning efforts
- An example analysis of energy existing conditions documenting a city’s energy use profile and available energy resources
- Example local government energy goals
- A solar energy calculator to assist in setting solar energy development goals
Climate and Energy Planning Webinars
- "Regional Indicators Initiative: Data and Tools for Community Climate Action" (September 2022): full-length recording, 15-minute summary, and slides
- "Tools for Local Government Energy Champions" (October 2017): recording and slides
Climate and Energy Planning Stories
- The Minnesota Sustainability Index - an overview of governmental units in Minnesota who have analyses, goals, and/or plans related to climate, energy, and equity
- A city energy planning inventory that identifies Minnesota cities that have committed to clean energy goals and/or policies and are engaged in energy planning and action
- Local energy action case studies for Maplewood, Rochester, St. Louis Park, and Stearns County describing lessons learned that can be used by other local governments
- An annotated list of additional case studies resources for sustainable cities
- A series of blog posts on clean energy planning:
Acknowledgments
Development of many of the resources featured on this page was supported by the Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), under Award Number DE- DE-EE0007229.
