In 2013, Minneapolis adopted their Climate Action Plan, which put into place a comprehensive set of emission reduction strategies. These strategies cover 3 areas: Buildings and energy, Transportation and land use, Waste and recycling.
For buildings and energy, the goal is to reduce energy usage by 17%, and generate 10% of electricity from local, renewable sources. On the residential building side of things, Minneapolis is proposing a "home energy audit" as part of the Truth In Housing program (TIH or TISH, Truth In Sale of Housing). This would require sellers to have an energy score when listing their house for sale. They are proposing that the TISH inspectors be trained to perform this component of the inspection process. The end result of this energy score would be a single number, for example 37 on a scale of 1 to 100. 100 would mean that the house would have virtually no energy costs.
Another part of this program is to make incentives for sellers to improve their homes energy-wise so that they can get a higher sale price due to energy efficiencies. If they don't, the buyers will at least have some knowledge about the energy efficiency of the house, making it an incentive to them to improve the house energy-wise.
Also on the residential side of things, Minneapolis is proposing a "time of rent" energy disclosure for renters. Renters currently have no way of knowing how much their utility bills will be before renting a unit. The disclosure would be mandated so that renters could compare units on energy efficiency. This would give incentives to the landlord (owners) to improve their buildings to make them more attractive to the rental market.
On the commercial side of things, some of them already have to do an energy score of sorts and disclose to purchasers. Minneapolis would like to extend that to all commercial buildings. They also have an Energy Reduction Challenge called the "Kilowatt Crackdown" to encourage commercial buildings to reduce usage.
For renewable energy, Minneapolis is trying to create policies that promote renewable energy, develop a "solar-ready" certification, and encourage "net-zero" buildings.
Making a building "solar-ready" adds virtually no cost at the time of construction, and would potentially have some value to purchasers. This would involve adding some structural supports and electrical conduit so that solar could be installed without adding structural support to the roof trusses, and/or digging in walls to add conduit. Both of these items can be added at a very low cost when in the construction phase.
What is a net-zero building? Basically net-zero means the building (or house) would generate all the energy it needs to power the building itself. This generally means that the building is super insulated so that it requires less energy to heat and cool the building, as well as solar panels to generate the energy it needs. Oftentimes this type of building uses geo-thermal heat pumps to heat and cool the building, running off solar energy. You can read more about "Net-Zero" buildings at this link.
You can read the entire action plan at the link below. Minneapolis Climate Action Plan:
http://www.minneapolismn.gov/sustainability/climate-action-goals/climate-action-planThe Hiawatha Golf Course offers a space to golf, golfing classes and leagues, and a restaurant.
is a huge park of 241 acres of space. The land features trees, wide spaces, picnic areas, and the beautiful Hiawatha Lake. The park also includes a basketball court, tennis court, cross-country ski trail, footgolf, fishing, hockey and ice skating rinks, a horseshoe pit, playgrounds, public art, soccer and softball fields, and a wading pool.
is one of Standish’s main attractions, with its tennis court, basketball court, hockey and ice skating rink, tot lot, soccer field, softball field, wading pool, and panoramic walking paths. Visitors can also enjoy the garden’s wildflowers and roses in the warmer months.
If you’re looking for fresh pastries, A Baker’s Wife Pastry Shop (4200 S 28th Ave, 612-729-6898 ) is a great option for delicious and unique bread with a wide selection. Unassuming, this shop is much more than it looks. It is well known in the community and provides one of our most basic staples, the doughnut.
Another community favorite restaurant is Al Vento. This restaurant features a taste of Italy right here in South Minneapolis.
Bill’s Garden Chinese Gourmet is a Chinese restaurant with traditional Chinese dishes like Lo Mein, Fried Rice, etc.
Carbone’s Pizza & Pub is a family pizzeria founded by Antoinette Carbone and her sons, Frankie and Mario. Opened in 1954, the restaurant uses traditional recipes from South Italy.
Chris & Rob’s Chicago’s Taste Authority is a restaurant owned by the Dubnecay brothers. They claim to serve the only authentic Chicago food in the Twin Cities, with a motto of, “Take a BITE out of Chicago!”
Head over to a simple eatery, Colossal Cafe. Colossal Cafe serves American style food made from scratch. Colossal Cafe began as a restaurant that changed names many times . . . until Elizabeth and John Tinucci purchased the cafe. Throughout the years, the goal of the cafe was to provide creative and natural dishes.
One of the final major restaurants in Standish-Ericsson is called Pilgrimage Cafe. It’s a warm, intimate cafe that includes a patio, with all day dining and brunch and entree options.
Ted Cook’s 19th Hole Barbeque is a barbeque that orginiated in 1968. The restaurant smokes all of their meat “to perfection in the real pit way”, using hickory and cherry wood. They offer a collection of ribs, beef, chicken, pulled pork, hot beef links, and warm sides with pie for dessert. One of the Twin Citie's best!
Doodle Bird Design & Gifts has crafty accessories, clothes, wall art, and house appliances. It’s a great store for gifts--whether you’re buying it for someone else or treating yourself!
DreamHaven Books has all sorts of books that range from new and used books in science fiction, fantasy, horror, film, comcis, and graphic novels. You can order online or visit their shop to pick up new reading material or attend one of their events, such as meeting visiting authors.
Another community favorite restaurant is Al Vento. This restaurant features a taste of Italy right here in South Minneapolis.
Finally, Buster’s On 28th is a bar and grill with beer, wine, and brunch food options. This homey bar also serves desserts, appetizers, soup & salads, pizza, and burgers & sandwiches.
Another fun night place is Northbound Smokehouse & Brewpub. Grab a beer and a bite of gourmet sandwiches--with smoked foods such as turkey, beef, pork, cheese, and eggs.
The Cardinal Restaurant & Bar is great place to hang out with friends. With a full kitchen and a variety of beer, The Cardinal also offers pizza, gluten free beer and cider options, and lots of entertainment. Challenge your friends with pool and darts, or create new memories your friends at Karaoke.
