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Edina sustainability manager reports 17% emissions drop since 2023, outlines funding and projects toward 45% by 2030 goal
Summary
Sustainability Manager Marissa Baer told the council the city has recorded a 17% greenhouse‑gas reduction (2023 inventory), outlined projects and grant funding (about $1.96M secured in 2025, $4.5M total), and described program and capital investments including solar arrays, fleet electrification and an extreme‑heat report highlighting hotter commercial areas in the southeast quadrant.
The Edina sustainability division presented its annual update to the City Council on April 7, reporting progress toward the city’s climate targets and summarizing recent funding and projects.
Sustainability Manager Marissa Baer said Edina’s 2023 greenhouse‑gas inventory shows a 17% reduction in emissions; the city’s Climate Action Plan targets a 45% reduction by 2030 and net‑zero emissions by 2050. Baer credited grid decarbonization (Xcel Energy investments) for much of the recent reduction and said the city must achieve an additional roughly 197,000 metric tons of CO2 reductions to meet the 2030 goal, with most of those needed in transportation and building sectors.
Baer summarized finance and investments: the Conservation and Sustainability (CAS) fund reported approximately $1,500,000 in 2025 revenue and about $1,300,000 in 2025 expenses. The division secured roughly $1,960,000 in federal, state and other grants in 2025 and has secured about $4,500,000 in funding to date to support climate action work. Examples of capital work include two new solar systems (City Hall and Fire Station 2), geothermal wells and a 150‑kilowatt rooftop solar array at Fire Station 2, EV chargers, and energy improvements that reduce utility costs.
Program highlights included the Community Climate Action Fund leveraging $109,000 of city matching funds to support 60 projects and mobilizing nearly $900,000 in private investment; 250 residential energy assessments and 11 business assessments in 2025; and expansion of matching funds to incentivize sustainable deconstruction on redevelopment sites. Staff also presented an extreme‑heat study that identified commercial and redeveloped residential areas as having the highest daytime temperatures and recommended targeted mitigation in hot zones (notably the city’s southeast quadrant on the heat map).
Council members asked specific implementation and measurement questions. Member Jackson asked for an update on the biodiesel conversion for 10 public‑works snow‑plow trucks; Baer and staff said the B100 tank and upfits are installed and the vendor Optimus Solutions will commission the system and train mechanics this week. Members asked for year‑over‑year bag‑fee compliance data and for staff to pursue better retail reporting; staff agreed to return with more comparative metrics.
Baer said federal funding for some energy programs has been reduced or eliminated and urged continued local investment and legislative attention to restore some state/federal incentives. She closed by offering to return with updated inventory results after the 2025 greenhouse‑gas inventory is finalized later in the year.
Next steps: staff to supply additional metrics on bag‑fee reporting and continue tracking biodiesel cost and greenhouse‑gas impacts; the finalized 2025 inventory will inform near‑term policy priorities.
