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With diminishing public money for urban forestry, carbon offset markets are rising to meet funding gaps. One small nonprofit is leading the way in Minnesota.

When 5,000 members of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) gathered last year in Minneapolis, the organization completed a rigorous self-assessment to calculate the climate and environmental impacts of that year’s conference. They then reached out to Green Cities Accord, a small nonprofit with an increasingly big impact. 

This partnership was a great fit for us,” said ASLA senior communication manager Jared Green. “Our goal is to leave a positive legacy in the cities that host us. We want to focus on innovative city forest initiatives, and this is a win-win-win. This year, we were able to write a check for $44,000.”  

Through Green Cities Accord, ASLA’s $44,000 was transformed into 1,226 carbon offsets, each representing one carbon ton. Green Cities Accord applied those credits and funds to a Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board initiative, which contributed to the planting and cataloging of nearly 24,000 trees on city public right-of-ways. 

It met ASLA’s mission to invest in the conference location community. It was a successful project for Minneapolis, where city foresters are struggling with the loss of ash trees to the invasive emerald ash borer. And for Green Cities Accord, it was another successful project in an ambitious effort to partner in building a robust, healthy, climate-forward urban forest canopy. 

How carbon credits work

Carbon offset credits create a market in which corporations, governments, or individuals can “balance out” their carbon emissions by purchasing certificates that represent a specified amount of carbon dioxide. That carbon might be removed from the atmosphere by carbon sequestration in newly planted trees, for example, or it might be carbon avoided by creating a cooling urban canopy that reduces energy usage.

A third-party carbon registry agency, specific to urban forestry, certifies the offset credits by setting protocols. Green Cities Accord uses City Forest Credits, a nonprofit that manages standards specifically for metropolitan areas. The credits quantify not just the carbon sequestration benefits, but also rainfall mitigation, energy savings from heating and cooling homes and buildings, and air quality improvements. To be eligible, cities must adhere to their own set of urban forest protocols

“Urban trees not only sequester carbon but also provide environmental co-benefits, including mitigating stormwater runoff, enhancing air quality, and decreasing energy consumption,” said Michaela Neu, director of programs and operations at Green Cities Accord. “Urban trees have demonstrated positive effects on local economies, wildlife, and human mental health, all contributing to make our cities more climate resilient.”

Jeremy Barrick is all in. As assistant superintendent of environmental stewardship for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Barrick has worked hand-in-hand with Neu and Green Cities Accord to launch what was Minnesota’s first urban tree offset project. Since then the projects have been launching rapidly. 

“This is a creative funding source for cities, and we’re not the first one, but we’re ahead in many ways,” said Barrick. “Our partnership with (Green Cities Accord) has brought in a little under $1.1 million in funding and grants to the park board’s budget, specifically for planting and maintaining trees we wouldn’t have had otherwise: $1 million of that is from federal funding that (Green Cities Accord) spearheaded, and the other $89,000 is from the carbon offset credits that have already been sold.” 

Building partnerships

City canopies are disappearing at alarming rates. A 2018 U.S. Forest Service study found that metropolitan areas are losing trees by the millions each year. Claire Wilson, executive director of The Loppet Foundation, is well aware of this. The foundation’s carbon offset purchase will directly benefit the park forest where she works and plays.

Theodore Wirth Regional Park is home to the foundation’s very mission, and each year hosts some of the Twin Cities’ most-loved winter events, such as the Luminary Loppet. This year, the Loppet Foundation hosted the 2024 Cross Country World’s Cup in Theodore Wirth Regional Park on President’s Day weekend.

“We are excited to be one of the first to organize a World Cup using multiple strategies to offset our carbon footprint,” Wilson said. “It’s a fantastic match for us because we operate these wonderful community events in a long-term relationship with the Minneapolis Park Board. This forest is where we live and play. We’re committed to creating a lasting future for this park.”

In a new five-year partnership with Green Cities Accord, the Loppet Foundation is looking not just at its annual carbon footprint and mitigation efforts, but also working with Green Cities Accord to launch a city youth training program to monitor park trees and update the carbon registry database, feeding potential workers to a tree industry hungry for employees.

“Putting multi-pronged partnerships together between government and nonprofits, between city foresters and corporate initiatives is key,” said David Wilson, chair of Green Cities Accord’s board of directors. “There’s a lot of forestry restoration and tree planting goals for that park. The Loppet is investing, the city is benefiting, and we are growing our capacity to grow a forest.”

Challenges and solutions

Large cities such as AtlantaIndianapolis, and Baltimore have launched innovative carbon offset programs. The efforts are often born of climate change challenges, such as in Seattle

For small cities and towns, carbon offset funding for urban forestry is a developing concept. Neu has been talking with officials from Rochester and Duluth, where efforts are underway to start similar programs. Both cities stand to gain from conferences and tourism agencies that are greening travel policies. 

“We’re broadening the ways we are thinking about marketing offsets,” Neu says. “Partnering with convention bureaus could be a great avenue for partnerships in these cities, much like ASLA or The Loppet Foundation.” 

To that end, Green Cities Accord, previously Green Minneapolis, has recently rebranded and expanded its mission to all of Minnesota. 

Carbon offset programs have critics. Instead of changing their carbon footprint, for example, companies can simply purchase offsets allowing corporate greenwashing. Organizations like Green Cities Accord meet that challenge by vetting their partners for commitment to carbon neutrality, Neu said.

The concept of carbon offsets is relatively new, fully opening in the late 1980s as a response to increasing awareness of climate change. The market has been consolidating and strengthening with the ratification of new technologies and methodologies since then. Today, carbon offset is a mainstream idea, practiced by corporate leaders and governments.

On a small scale in Minneapolis, Barrick is optimistic about the park board’s trajectory with these carbon offset partnerships. He sees tremendous potential.

“To have a chance to grow a canopy, we need to put two trees in the ground for each tree we take out,” he said. “That’s the value we’re looking for. Getting these trees into the ground, into our GIS inventory system, and registered in a carbon project. Then we need to care for the trees so they can grow to their full potential. That’s where the carbon offset investment goes.” 

Green Minneapolis, a trailblazer in urban climate resiliency, is excited to announce its new name – Green Cities Accord – which was chosen to reflect the organization’s heightened focus on enhancing the lives of people by protecting and growing the urban tree canopy.  “Green Cities” signals the organization’s expansion across the Twin Cities, Minnesota and beyond, and “Accord” highlights its expertise fostering collaboration among public, private and non-profit stakeholders to collectively address the challenges of climate change on urban residents.  

Since its inception in 2014, Green Minneapolis – now Green Cities Accord – has been a driving force in promoting urban green spaces and tree canopy. The organization played a leadership role creating The Commons, a 4.2 acre downtown park that replaced blocks of surface parking lots, renovating the historic landmark Peavey Plaza and expanding the street tree canopy in downtown Minneapolis through Greening Lab.  Since launching its Climate Resiliency Initiative in 2021, the organization has expanded its tree canopy program in Minneapolis and Hennepin County, and now works across the Twin Cities metro and outstate Minnesota. To date, the initiative has secured over $1 million dollars in funding for urban tree planting and maintenance, and has over 33,000 trees enrolled in its innovative urban tree carbon offset program.

Urban trees play a multifaceted role in mitigating the impacts of climate change. They act as natural carbon sinks, improve air quality, capture stormwater, reduce urban heat island effect, reduce energy consumption and enhance overall biodiversity. By protecting and expanding urban tree canopy, Green Cities Accord is enhancing the climate resilience of urban areas to create more sustainable, environmentally equitable communities.

As part of the rebranding initiative, Green Cities Accord will be introducing a fresh visual identity and website that embodies the organization’s mission of urban climate resiliency through tree canopy protection and expansion.

“We believe the new name and visual identity will resonate with our partners, supporters and the communities we serve. This is an exciting new chapter for Green Cities Accord, as we focus our efforts to protect and expand the urban tree canopy in Minneapolis, across the Twin Cities and beyond.” said Michaela Neu, Green Cities Accord’s Director of Programs & Operations.

Contact:

For further information, please contact:

Michaela Neu, Director of Programs & Operations
Email: mneu@greencitiesaccord.org 
Phone: 904-404-2669

Green Cities Accord
PO Box 582877
Minneapolis, MN 55458

After a successful five year partnership, Green Minneapolis’s contract with the City of Minneapolis to fundraise, operate, maintain and program Peavey Plaza will conclude at the end of December, 2023.  Informed by the organization’s strategic plan, Green Minneapolis’s board opted to not renew its Peavey Plaza operating contract with the City in order to focus its efforts on expanding its Twin Cities Climate Resiliency Initiative – an ambitious program to address the impacts of climate change on urban residents by protecting and expanding the Twin Cities urban tree canopy.  

Green Minneapolis’s Peavey Plaza partnership with the City of Minneapolis started in 2017, when Green Minneapolis led fundraising for the City’s $10 million project to renovate Peavey Plaza.  When the renovated Peavey Plaza opened in 2019, Green Minneapolis entered into a 5 year contract to fundraise, operate, maintain and program Peavey Plaza on behalf of the City.  Since 2019, Peavey Plaza has once again become a community gathering place welcoming tens of thousands of visitors to splash in its fountains or take in a concert or dance performance.  This year’s Summer at Peavey Plaza! included 140 free events that attracted over 17,000 visitors.  Peavey Plaza has won multiple design and programming awards including The Cultural Landscape Foundation 2019 Award for Stewardship Excellence, American Institute of America Minnesota 2021 Historic Rehabilitation Award, Docomo 2022 Civic/Institutional Design Award of ExcellenceAmerican Society of Landscape Architects Design Award 2023, and three consecutive years (2021, 2022 and 2023) of the Mpls Downtown Improvement District’s Greening & Public Realm Award for Best Activated Space.  

Green Minneapolis has been honored to partner with the City of Minneapolis over the last seven years to bring this architectural masterpiece and cultural gathering place back to life, and Green Minneapolis is dedicated to ensuring that Peavey Plaza continues to be a green oasis downtown – vibrant, beautiful and welcoming to all.  To that end, Green Minneapolis is assisting the City to transition its Peavey Plaza services to the Mpls Downtown Improvement District (DID).  The DID has served as a subcontractor to Green Minneapolis providing maintenance and ambassador services to Peavey Plaza since 2020, and its experience working at Peavey Plaza – as well as its broader services keeping downtown Minneapolis clean, safe and green – makes the DID an excellent partner to take over operations of Peavey Plaza.  The DID’s contract with the City to operate Peavey Plaza is under City review with an expected start date of January 1, 2024.

Green Minneapolis’s commitment to keeping Peavey Plaza welcoming and vibrant will continue after this transition.  All donations to Green Minneapolis directed towards Peavey Plaza received through the end of December 2023 will be used by the DID for programming at Peavey Plaza in 2024, and Green Minneapolis will continue in its fiduciary role overseeing donated funds raised for the Peavey Plaza Capital Reserve to be used for future enhancements of the plaza.  Green Minneapolis is grateful for the many donors and sponsors who have supported our work at Peavey Plaza over the last five years, and encourage all to continue to support and visit Peavey Plaza as the DID takes over the stewardship of this special Minneapolis landmark. 

In the heart of Minneapolis where concrete dominates the landscape, David Wilson, Chair of Green Minneapolis, professes an extraordinary love for trees that runs deep. His passion stems from a profound connection to his roots: intertwining a tale of heritage and an appreciation for trees.

David’s journey begins with memories of his immigrant grandparents from Slovakia. As a young child, he spent time on his grandparents’ farm, where fields and enchanting woods awaited him. It was in these moments, amidst the towering trees and the earth’s nurturing soil, that David discovered his love for the forest. Exploring the woodlands with a keen eye, David foraged for mushrooms and picked fruit from the orchards.  But it was not only the bounties of the forest that captivated him.  The way his grandparents deliberately cultivated the fruit trees sparked a desire to care for trees and contribute to the world’s natural tapestry. Later, while working for his uncle’s landscape company, he found himself digging, planting, and caring for trees, instilling in him a sense of responsibility and an understanding of the transformative power that trees possess.

Now, as the Chair of Green Minneapolis, David’s passion has taken on a larger purpose. Guided by the belief that a vibrant urban forest is essential for the well-being of a city and its inhabitants, he channels his deep-rooted love for trees into initiatives that are shaping Minneapolis’s future.

Green Minneapolis is a transformative force in the city, dedicated to turning the urban landscape from “gray to green”. As a nonprofit conservancy, their mission is to advance the vibrancy of Minneapolis through urban forestry and other greening initiatives. Guided by a vision of a “green future with tree-lined streets and active public spaces”, Green Minneapolis works tirelessly to enrich the “quality of life, create a healthier environment, and connect people through place”. The urban tree canopy has countless benefits, from scientific to social. From a scientific standpoint, David stated that “15% of the total carbon sequestered by trees are being sequestered by urban forests.” This significant statistic underscores the crucial role that urban forests play in combating climate change. Carbon sequestration, the process by which trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their biomass, is a vital mechanism for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating the effects of climate change.

By sequestering carbon, urban forests act as natural carbon sinks, helping to offset the carbon emissions generated by human activities. As trees grow, they absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, converting it into oxygen and organic compounds. The carbon captured and stored in the trees’ trunks, branches, roots, and leaves remains locked away for the duration of the tree’s lifespan.

From a social benefit standpoint, the presence of urban forests can help mitigate the urban heat island effect by providing shade, thereby reducing the need for energy-intensive cooling systems, and lowering ambient temperatures in developed areas. Urban forests also contribute to improved air quality by absorbing pollutants and particulate matter, enhancing the overall health and well-being of communities. The co-benefits of urban forests extend beyond carbon sequestration, creating a more sustainable and resilient urban environment.

Green Minneapolis’s commitment to expanding the urban tree canopy not only enhances the aesthetic appeal of the city but also makes a tangible impact in the fight against climate change. Green Minneapolis’s commitment to public-private partnerships has paved the way for collaboration with government entities like Hennepin County and MNDot. Together, they are actively engaged in planting trees along right of ways, combining their expertise and resources to create a greener and more sustainable environment. By leveraging partnerships like these, Green Minneapolis is making real progress.

One astounding example of this progress is their work in Peavey Plaza. Situated in downtown Minneapolis, Peavey Plaza holds a significant place in the heart of the city. Originally designed by renowned landscape architect M. Paul Friedberg, the plaza has recently undergone a revitalization effort led by Green Minneapolis. Serving as both a fundraising partner and the plaza operator, Green Minneapolis has breathed new life into Peavey Plaza. With “beautiful flowing fountains and a vibrant tree canopy, the revitalized plaza has become a symbol of community gathering and connection”. Green Minneapolis’s involvement in Peavey Plaza exemplifies their dedication to enhancing public spaces, fostering a sense of place, and creating thriving environments where residents and visitors can come together to celebrate and appreciate the beauty of Minneapolis.

As an organization deeply committed to environmental stewardship, Green Minneapolis has extended its impact beyond revitalizing public spaces. In partnership with the Minneapolis Park Board, they have successfully completed the first urban tree carbon offset project in Minnesota as part of the Twin Cities Climate Resiliency Initiative. Through this innovative project, over 23,755 city trees were planted, resulting in the sequestration of approximately 48,865 metric tons of carbon over 25 years. Green Minneapolis, as the project operator, plays the crucial role of selling the Carbon+ Credits, with the proceeds funding further tree planting and maintenance by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Corporate partners interested in supporting local climate resiliency can contribute by purchasing these Carbon+ Credits, driving positive environmental change in their communities.

Green Minneapolis’ Director of Programs & Operations,  Michaela  fondly recalls her experiences with the majestic cottonwood tree that graced her childhood yard, she reflects on its symbolic strength and the profound connection it fostered with the river. She states, “Cottonwoods grow near and are important to the river. I advocate for the trees along the riverway, recognizing their significance in our ecosystem.” Similarly, David’s affinity lies with the native White Pines, which once adorned the region known as the pinery. Sharing his admiration for these resilient trees, he explains, “White Pines are green in winter and provide habitat for birds. You can eat white pine needles—loggers used to chew the needles to combat scurvy.” These personal narratives highlight the love and reverence for trees that drive individuals like Michaela and David. Their stories intertwine with Green Minneapolis’s mission, illustrating the organization’s dedication to preserving the city’s natural beauty and creating a greener future where trees flourish and thrive.

ASLA forms partnership with Green Minneapolis to offset greenhouse gas emissions from its 2023 Conference in Minneapolis and support tree planting in underserved communities.

ASLA has released its first Sustainable Event Impact Assessment, a comprehensive gap analysis of its 2022 Conference on Landscape Architecture, which brought more than 6,000 attendees to the LEED Platinum Moscone Center in San Francisco, November 11-14, 2022.

The assessment provides a baseline accounting of energy used and greenhouse gas emissions and waste generated, which ASLA will use to measure and improve its environmental and social impacts on an annual basis. The assessment also outlines the many positive actions ASLA has taken to make access to the conference more equitable, donate EXPO products, reuse waste materials, and support the communities that host the conference.

Based on these findings, ASLA has committed to event sustainability strategies that will improve the outcomes of its 2023 Conference, which will be held October 27-30 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“With our Strategic Plan, released in 2021, we committed to reducing the emissions from our conference and headquarters operations by 20 percent by 2024. And through our ambitious ASLA Climate Action Plan, released in November 2022, we made the additional commitment to achieve zero emissions in our conference and operations by 2040. We are now moving forward to achieve our goals,” said ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Coneen.

“Landscape architects are climate leaders, and we are committed to identifying and reducing our negative impacts on the climate and increasing the benefits for our host communities. We think it’s important to be transparent about both the positive and negative impacts of our annual convening and where we are in our learning journey. We are sharing lessons learned from our journey with our members and partners, so we can move faster together,” said ASLA President Emily O’Mahoney, FASLA.

2022 Conference Baseline

The assessment, which was developed in partnership with Honeycomb Strategies, a sustainability consulting company, includes key findings.

Over four days and per attendee, the conference:

Due to procurement decisions made by ASLA and sustainability measures adopted by the organization:

Explore Key Findings

To reduce adverse climate and environmental impacts and leave a positive legacy in Minneapolis, ASLA is committing to implementing these strategies at its 2023 Conference:

Greenhouse Gas Emission Offsets

While it pursues its near-term goal of reducing emissions 20 percent by 2024, ASLA has committed to purchasing 1,500 tons of carbon dioxide emission offsets in 2023. For the past two years, ASLA has collected offset contributions from its members. In 2022, ASLA contributed those funds to Trees for Oakland and Clear.Eco.

For the ASLA 2023 Conference on Landscape Architecture, ASLA announced a new partnership with Green Minneapolis, an innovator in urban tree carbon offsets, to scale up those efforts. The lead sponsor of ASLA 2023 Conference carbon offsets is Bartlett Tree Experts.

Green Minneapolis collaborated with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board to complete the first urban tree carbon offset project in Minnesota. The project is part of the Twin Cities Climate Resiliency Initiative, a public private partnership that will significantly expand the urban tree canopy across Minneapolis and the seven county Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Through City Forest Credits, a national nonprofit carbon registry, the urban tree carbon offset project has achieved third-party verification for its carbon credits. The project includes 23,755 city trees planted by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board from 2019 to 2021. Over its 25-year duration, the project is estimated to store 48,865 metric tons of carbon and will provide quantified co-benefits related to rainfall interception, air quality, and energy savings.

According to Green Minneapolis offset funds collected by ASLA and its members will “support a 20-year vision to increase the metro area’s tree canopy through planting and maintaining five million trees on public and private lands, with a focus on addressing environmental inequities in the most disadvantaged communities.”

Landscape architects, other conference attendees, and EXPO exhibitors: Please offset your attendance at the ASLA 2023 Conference during the registration process or via this contribution form.

Next Steps

In the fall of 2023, ASLA will release a sustainability impact assessment of its ASLA Center on Landscape Architecture, the association’s LEED Platinum and WELL Gold-certified headquarters in Washington, D.C; student-led LABash Conference; and Landscape Architecture Magazine.

ASLA will use its own headquarters assessment to educate its members and partners on how to reduce their own office operational impacts and meet the goals of the ASLA Climate Action Plan.

ASLA is also working with partners to develop a more complete picture of the transportation emissions from shipping freight for EXPO booth materials from points of origin. This upcoming initiative will provide new opportunities for ASLA and its corporate members to achieve a lower-impact EXPO together.

By the end of 2023, ASLA plans to have a fuller understanding of its climate, environmental, and social impacts across the conference, EXPO, and headquarters operations. As it pursues impact reductions, ASLA aims to offset 100 percent of its emissions in coming years.

Xcel Energy takes climate change seriously. The Minneapolis-based power company has pledged to deliver 100-percent carbon-free electricity to its customers by 2050, along with sufficient electric vehicle infrastructure to provide zero-carbon fuel in every state it serves.

For its natural gas business, however, Xcel Energy needed a different approach. It realized that achieving its goal of net-zero emissions for natural gas would require technological innovation, reductions in demand — and ultimately, purchasing high-quality carbon offsets.

Last month, Xcel Energy joined the Twin Cities Climate Resiliency Initiative as part of an investment in a total of six locally based carbon offset programs in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Colorado. The company’s purchase of 1,428 City Forest Carbon+ Credits from Green Minneapolis represents the single largest investment yet in Minnesota’s first and only urban tree carbon offset program. 

Carbon offset programs allow companies to compensate for their greenhouse gas emissions by investing in projects that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. By voluntarily purchasing carbon offsets, companies can take ownership of their contributions to climate change by reducing their net carbon emissions over time.

Xcel Energy chose its carbon offset programs carefully. Its strict criteria included that each program be verified by a recognized carbon offset registry and provide benefits to local communities that go above and beyond carbon sequestration — including environmental as well as social and economic benefits.

The Twin Cities Climate Resiliency Initiative’s Carbon Offset Program meets or exceeds all of the criteria. Green Minneapolis launched the program in 2022 in collaboration with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) and City Forest Credits (CFC), a carbon registry that registers and issues credits to carbon offset projects. By using the sale of offsets to fund the Twin Cities’ urban forest, the initiative offers a carbon sequestration program that also reduces the local urban heat island effect and provides quantifiable air and water quality benefits to Minnesotans.

So far, the MPRB has approved two separate carbon offset projects with Green Minneapolis, comprising a total of 32,350 individual trees. Over a 25-year life cycle, these trees have the potential to remove an estimated 87,825 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In addition, they are projected to provide nearly $2.4 million in ecosystem services co-benefits, including stormwater mitigation, air quality improvements, and energy savings. 

Over their life cycles, these two projects are estimated to provide up to $3.5 million in new revenue for the MPRB to boost its tree planting and maintenance budget. This represents a major new funding source for the MPRB’s forestry program. The goal is for this additional funding to help MPRB expand the city’s tree canopy and invest in long-term maintenance rather than merely maintaining the existing canopy.

Currently, the Twin Cities’ tree canopy faces ongoing threats from development, road construction and Emerald Ash Borer. A significant loss of urban tree canopy during an era of climate change could be devastating, setting off a cascade of negative environmental, economic and human health impacts. Given the many benefits of urban trees, it’s more important now than ever before to invest in growing and maintaining a thriving urban forest. 

Moreover, not all residents are able to enjoy the benefits of urban trees. As this interactive map shows, the amount of tree cover in Minneapolis varies widely from one neighborhood to another. For this reason, the MPRB prioritizes planting new trees in areas that currently lack tree cover, such as downtown and in the city’s North and South Green Zones, which are defined as neighborhoods that suffer from the combined effects of environmental pollution and racial, political, and economic marginalization.

The offsets purchased by Xcel Energy are generated by the 2022 MPRB tree planting project. On May 26, 2023, the MPRB approved an agreement to collaborate with Green Minneapolis to market and sell the offsets from those plantings. 

Xcel Energy’s participation in the program marks the second successful sale of urban forest carbon offsets in Minnesota, following Winslow Capital’s purchase of 750 City Forest Carbon+ Credits from Green Minneapolis in December 2022. This is the first of three annual sales to Winslow Capital, which entered into an agreement with Green Minneapolis to offset a portion of its carbon emissions with Carbon+ Credits over a three-year period, as well as providing philanthropic support to Green Minneapolis’ Twin Cities Climate Resiliency Initiative. The credits purchased by Winslow Capital originated from the 2021 MPRB tree planting project.

Ways to Get Involved

Green Minneapolis and the Twin Cities Climate Resiliency Initiative rely on financial contributions from individuals and organizations. Please consider supporting our work by donating today.

We encourage companies concerned about their climate impacts to contact us to learn more about our Twin Cities Climate Resiliency Initiative and Carbon Offset Program. Green Minneapolis is committed to providing high-quality, third party-verified carbon offsets that benefit local communities in Minnesota.

Please reach out to Michaela Neu (mneu@greenminneapolis.org) if you would like to connect.

You can now view the video recordings from The Great Northern’s Climate Solutions Series, a collection of events engaging diverse perspectives on climate solutions presented Jan 27-29, 2023, including Green Minneapolis’ session Combating Climate Change with Urban Forests: How Trees Can Save Our Cities.

Panelists discuss why urban tree canopy needs to be viewed as critical urban infrastructure—just like transit systems and utilities—and invested in accordingly. Understand factors causing the decline of the Twin Cities urban tree canopy, and learn about exciting initiatives under way in the Twin Cities and across the country to expand urban tree canopy. With panelists Leslie Brandt (U.S. Forest Service), Tee McClenty (MN350), Rachel Holmes (The Nature Conservancy), and Jeremy Barrick (The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board). Facilitated by Green Minneapolis’ David Wilson.

Green Minneapolis announced an initial sale from Minnesota’s first urban tree carbon offset project. Winslow Capital Management, LLC, an affiliate of Nuveen, LLC, purchased 750 Carbon+ Credits issued by City Forest Credits, a non-profit carbon registry that manages carbon and impact standards for metropolitan areas in the United States. The sale closed in December 2022.  This is the first of three annual sales to Winslow Capital, which entered into an agreement with Green Minneapolis to offset a portion of its carbon emissions with Carbon+ Credits over a three year period, as well as providing philanthropic support to Green Minneapolis’ Twin Cities Climate Resiliency Initiative. 

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Green Minneapolis is excited to invite you to participate in The Great Northern Festival, coming to Minneapolis and St. Paul this January 25 through February 5, 2023.

The Great Northern celebrates our cold, creative winters through ten days of diverse programming that invigorate mind and body. In an era of changing climate that threatens our signature season, we seek to create community, inspire action, and share the resilient spirit of the North with the world.

Join us for Green Minneapolis sponsored events on January 25 and January 29!

Combating Climate Change with Urban Forests: How Trees Can Save Our Cities Panel Discussion

At this free event, panelists will discuss why urban tree canopy needs to be viewed as critical urban infrastructure—just like transit systems and utilities—and invested in accordingly. Experts will explain factors causing the decline of the Twin Cities urban tree canopy, and share exciting initiatives under way in the Twin Cities and across the country to expand urban tree canopy. With panelists Leslie Brandt (U.S. Forest Service), Tee McClenty (MN350), Rachel Holmes (The Nature Conservancy), and Jeremy Barrick (The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board). Facilitated by Green Minneapolis’ David Wilson on Sunday, January 29 at 11am, American Swedish Institute.

Signature Artwork Regrowth by Aaron Dysart

Pictured: Walnut Regrowth, a previous installation by Aaron Dysart

Minneapolis-based artist Aaron Dysart creates work inspired by the intersection of human existence and wilderness. His newest installation, Regrowth, commissioned by Green Minneapolis and the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, honors the process of loss. Immerse yourself in this work throughout The Great Northern, first at Surly Brewing for the Chill Out launch party on January 25, and then at Peavey Plaza in downtown Minneapolis through February.

A story of urban tree carbon credits in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Not by Shel Silverstein.)

In late September, we found ourselves sitting at the edge of a giant water feature in Peavey Plaza in the heart of Minneapolis, Minnesota. We were there to interview David Wilson and Michaela Neu, the founder and staff lead (respectively) at Green Minneapolis.

Green Minneapolis’s team has (currently) only one full-time staff member + an 8-person board, but they had a lot of big wins to share. They had fundraised for a new park called The Commons, which opened in the summer of 2016, and operated and maintained the park through March 2020. They also led the fundraising campaign to renovate Peavey Plaza, where we were sitting. These projects were absolutely stunning, and we’ll cover them in a later piece. But what made this interview so special was the creativity and effectiveness of the Green Minneapolis team, and how they applied that ingenuity to a seemingly basic solution: tree planting.

If you’ve read some of our earlier work, you know that urban tree planting is a climate resilience ringer. But as a quick recap, here are the benefits of trees:

? Their shade can reduce surface temperatures by up to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and air temperatures by about 10 degrees.

? They disrupt and reduce the urban heat island effect, which can help reduce the cost and energy requirements of air conditioning in the summer. This effect alone saves the US $7.8 billion every year!

? They absorb stormwater, reducing runoff and flooding risk. A single urban tree can absorb hundreds to thousands of gallons of stormwater annually.

? They absorb and store carbon, obviously. (About 48 pounds of carbon per year per tree, actually!)

???? Trees improve public health by improving air quality, lowering stress levels, and encouraging more physical activity, like using a walking or biking path.

The problem is that trees are often seen as a “nice to have” and not a “must have” in cities. That makes them hard to pay for, and often planting them at a large scale takes an appalling amount of time. But solutions don’t do us any good unless we actually put them to work.

Here’s where Green Minneapolis comes in: they’re using urban tree carbon credits to supplement the funding of large-scale tree planting projects. We’re talking a projected $1.3M generated by a project covering 23,000 urban trees — just with their first pilot.

Our goal with this piece is to share everything we learned from Green Minneapolis, so you all can set up similar structures in cities across the world.

So how does an urban tree carbon credit work?

In November, Green Minneapolis announced the state’s first urban tree carbon offset project in partnership with City Forest Credits (CFC) and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB). Here’s how it works:

So in short, MPRB plants and maintains trees, which capture carbon. CFC then calculates how much carbon those trees will capture, assuming that they live for 25 years. They use those calculations to issue carbon credits to Green Minneapolis, who then sells those carbon credits to local businesses. Green Minneapolis then funnels that revenue back to MPRB to fund more tree planting and maintenance!

Now that we know how this model works, we can talk about its perks, and why it works. Let’s start with perks.

Local, urban tree carbon credits capture more value than regular credits.

Carbon credits aren’t exactly breaking news. But most of the tree-planting and preservation projects that generate carbon credits are in remote, rural locations. From the Appalachians to the Amazon, these projects don’t touch the everyday lives of most people.

But with urban tree carbon credits, we don’t just see their impacts on our carbon balance sheets; they make our everyday lives better and our cities more beautiful. Urban trees provide other benefits that CFC quantifies in resource unit and dollar value, including rainfall interception, particulate air pollution capture, and heating and cooling energy use reduction.

The credits being sold through this project cost about twice as much as a typical carbon credit, which specifically reflects the calculated additional value of these co-benefits.

Here’s the kicker: the Green Minneapolis team told us that no one had shied away from purchasing the credits due to their price. This is likely due to the fact that the benefits are local. Green Minneapolis is marketing these carbon credits to local businesses, who in turn view these credits as more than a climate commitment. They see it as an investment in their local community. These trees reduce their offices’ energy costs, make their commute more pleasant, and beautify their employees’ neighborhoods. Local buyers are willing to pay for real, local benefits. For more on how these benefits were calculated, you can check out the City Forest Credits site!

It creates a virtuous cycle of urban tree planting.

A feature of the partnership between Green Minneapolis and the MPRB is that any revenue generated from carbon credit sales can only be used to finance more tree planting and maintenance by the MPRB. This not only supports the maintenance and protection of already planted trees, but also finances the planting of more trees, which produce more credits, which generate more funds, which can be used to plant and maintain more trees, and so on….

This contract also protects urban trees.

So, remember how we mentioned that the carbon credit calculation assumes the tree will live for 25 years? Well, it turns out that this has a huge perk: it protects the city’s trees.

Oftentimes, urban development, construction, street maintenance, and miscellaneous city operations can lead to urban trees being cut down. Because traditionally, we don’t calculate the financial loss that cutting down trees creates. However, thanks to these carbon credits, the MPRB is contractually obligated to protect the trees that are part of the program. This creates financial consequences to cutting down trees, which encourages planners and private developers to avoid tree removal whenever possible. If tree removal is ever absolutely necessary, it should then be followed by tree replacement. This may actually lead to more than one young new tree being planted, since older trees capture more carbon. (Because this program just got started, this is an anticipated effect. We still have to see how it plays out in the real world).

Ok, those are the perks. Now let’s move onto why this works.

City Forest Credits has 38 ongoing urban carbon credit projects, but this project is unique in its implementation and design.

You may have noticed above that Green Minneapolis doesn’t actually plant the trees themselves, even though they manage the carbon credits. This is a unique arrangement, and it looks like this:

This arrangement lets everybody do what they do best. The MPRB focuses on tree planting and maintenance. CFC calculates, verifies, and issues carbon credits. And Green Minneapolis takes care of the administration, marketing and sales of carbon credits, and coordinates sampling and third party verification. This means that they will monitor the trees every year, and do physical site visits to check on the trees’ health multiple times throughout the project duration.

Financially, this works out for everyone because the MPRB doesn’t take on the significant upfront costs of setting up the carbon credits program (Green Minneapolis did all that initial work). In exchange for their work, Green Minneapolis and City Forest Credits (both not-for-profit organizations) each take small administrative fees. The remaining ~80% of revenue goes to the MPRB to plant and maintain trees.

This arrangement also makes tree planting a politically light lift. When the MPRB first approached Green Minneapolis, they were looking to increase funding for tree planting and maintenance in the City without having to rely on increasing taxes on residents. Instead, this structure provides local companies the opportunity to invest private dollars in public tree planting, while getting credit for their contributions in the form of carbon credits. And by taking on the ownership of the carbon credits, and the responsibility and risk of selling those credits, Green Minneapolis was able to implement a carbon credit program in just a year. If the MPRB had done this on its own, they estimate it likely would’ve taken several years to implement.

There are, of course, challenges.

No solution (especially a nature-based one) is without its challenges. Here are some of the challenges Green Minneapolis faced, and how they responded:

? Challenge: Climate change is threatening the survival of native trees in the area. Issues ranging from the Emerald Ash Borer to changing rainfall patterns are already impacting tree health across the Minneapolis and Minnesota.

? Solution: Biodiversity! More than 100 different tree varieties were planted in this first project. Diverse urban ecosystems are more resilient to climate change-induced threats.

? Challenge: What if the trees die before the 25-year window is up?

? Solution: The contract has a built-in buffer for trees that die — it’s a pretty serious cushion, and assumes a mortality rate of 20% with an additional buffer pool of 5%. That’s significantly higher than the historical data on Minneapolis’s tree mortality, which tends to be around 10%.

? Challenge: What if all of the carbon credits don’t sell? Carbon markets have had a rocky roll-out, and there’s a lot of talk about low-quality carbon credits, after all.

? Solution: Trust and local relationships! Green Minneapolis has a strong track record of working with both the city government and local businesses, and has developed a sterling reputation. Their connections with the private sector have been instrumental to establishing trust in these new carbon credits. This has allowed Green Minneapolis to secure purchase agreements within the first month of launching.

Now go forth and conquer!

Our goal with this piece is to show you how urban carbon credits can — and already do — supplement the funding for large-scale urban tree planting projects. We’re hoping that you now put this information to work to set up similar arrangements in your own cities. As a first step, we recommend using itreetools.org to see the positive impacts trees already have in your neighborhood. Then, you can even use it to estimate the benefits that planting a new tree would have, or see which tree is best for you to plant! (Lyn spent a few late-night hours playing with these tools and is officially obsessed. This is her new favorite website.)

If there’s any lesson to take away from this, it’s that a small, dedicated team can make a HUGE difference in their city. Green Minneapolis’s dedication and creativity has helped establish Minnesota’s first urban tree carbon offset program. Now it’s your turn.

If you’d like to explore setting up a similar system in your city, reach out to us at hello@parachute.earth. We will get you connected with the right folks, and Green Minneapolis would love to support you in the process!