Saint Paul – Minnesotans have a new tool to help track state government’s progress towards ambitious sustainability goals – sustainability.mn.gov. 

Believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, the website is an online dashboard documenting the progress that state government is making on more environmentally responsible, financially sound, and efficient operations through the implementation of sustainable practices. 

“This dashboard gives Minnesotans an inside view at each state agency’s sustainability progress,” said Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. “The State is setting a new standard for accountability in sustainability that measures real progress in conserving energy and water to combat climate change, and also saves money.”

The online dashboard tracks cabinet-level agency progress toward improving vehicle and building energy efficiency, reducing water use, maximizing reuse and recycling, as well as tracking greenhouse gas emissions and avoiding costs.

Governor Tim Walz’s Executive Order 19-27 requires all state agencies to achieve six sustainability goals: 

• 15% reduction in water use by 2025,
• 30% reduction in vehicle fossil fuel consumption by 2027,
• 30% reduction in energy intensity per square foot by 2027,
• 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025,
• 25% increase in sustainable purchasing by 2025, and a
• 75% combined recycling and composting rate by 2030. 

Nearly 6 million utility and solid waste data points from 24 state agencies are analyzed to determine the state’s progress on meeting the goals in the executive order. The variety of data collected throughout the year allows for agency facility and fleet managers to make data driven decisions essential for more environmentally and economically sustainable operations. 

“The Walz/Flanagan Administration has set a bold vision to reduce Minnesota’s carbon footprint and lead the nation in addressing climate change,” said Department of Administration Commissioner Alice Roberts-Davis. “The dashboard and annual report track overall progress towards meeting our goals and enables data driven decision making,”

In addition to the dashboard, the Department of Administration’s Office of Enterprise Sustainability released its second annual State of Minnesota sustainability report. According to the latest report, covering calendar year 2018, Minnesota state government has improved since 2017 in four of six areas: water use, solid waste, sustainable purchasing, and greenhouse gas reduction. Two areas showed declines in 2018: fossil fuel use and energy consumption, where a colder winter required more snow removal, and a hotter summer forced more energy use. 

Minnesota developed the sustainability dashboard with the help of a $200,000 grant from the McKnight Foundation. The dashboard and tool were developed over the last two years by the Department of Administration’s Office of Enterprise Sustainability and the software company FigBytes, a sustainability strategy focused software company “The dashboard makes it simple for agencies to track their progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and use the data to make informed decisions that will improve their outcomes. This tool is essential for agencies as they work to meet the state’s ambitious goals,” according to Anne Hunt, Director of the Office of Enterprise Sustainability. “We are grateful for the contributions of agency and external partners that made the launch of this website possible.”

The dashboard can be viewed online at: sustainability.mn.gov