Climate-Smart Municipalities

The City of White Bear Lake is honored to have been selected to participate in the Climate-Smart Municipalities German Exchange Program.

What is the Climate-Smart Municipalities Exchange?

The Federal Republic of Germany set aside grant funding for collaboration with Minnesota Cities with the belief that, "Together, We Are Smarter!".  Although funded by Germany, this program is administered by the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment. Selected cities are paired with award-winning climate-smart communities in Germany to speed progress toward a cleaner and more efficient energy footprint.

Who is participating?

Since 2016, Duluth, Elk River, Morris, Rochester and Warren have been partnering with a German City.  In 2019, the Federal Republic of German increased its funding to add another city to the program and that is when White Bear Lake was chosen to partner with Lüdenscheid.  Watch a  video introducing Lüdenscheid - click here.

When is the exchange?

The German delegation came to White Bear Lake the week of June 8, 2019 to share and learn about energy initiatives. A German student intern, Julian Klaus, worked in City Hall for three months during the summer of 2019 to assist with energy and environmental related projects. A White Bear Lake contingency traveled to Germany the week of September 20, 2019 to share and learn about energy initiatives.  With the challenges of 2020, the next exchange took place in September, 2021 with a delegation from the City of White Bear Lake and the School District visiting Germany to learn more about environmental initiatives being implemented and considered for implementation.  The German delegation visited White Bear Lake and Rochester, MN the week of May 2, 2022 to learn about the AV pilot project and other initiatives undertaken by area governments and schools.

Climate-Smart Initiatives

As a result of the City’s involvement in the Climate-Smart Municipalities program, a steering committee has been established to develop goals and strategies for community efforts in the areas of energy conservation, renewable energy, transportation, waste reduction, water supply, and natural resources.  The steering committee is made up of representatives from local businesses, non profits, schools, and the City’s Environmental Advisory Commission and Parks Commission. Trane Company, one of the steering committee business representatives, has volunteered to provide an energy assessment and determine energy conservation strategies for City buildings.