City Of Eden Prairie: City Announces Sustainable Eden Prairie Award Winners

Press release from the City of Eden Prairie:

11/18/2021

The City of Eden Prairie recognized Sustainable Eden Prairie Award winners at the Nov. 16 City Council meeting.

The Sustainable Eden Prairie Award recognizes significant and innovative investments that contribute to the overall vitality and sustainability of the community.

Student Sustainability Commission members Julia Harris, Anna Maristela, Muthu Meenakshisundaram, Abi Rajasekaran, Augie Stukenborg and Amoligha Timma presented the awards.

Energy

Mark Weber was honored in the energy category.

Mark installed solar panels on the roof of his home long before it was common, and his interest in solar energy led him to eventually become the board chair of the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society. Under Mark’s leadership, MRES hosts an annual solar boat regatta on Riley Lake and provides speakers to educate the public on solar energy. Mark has also exhibited at the State Fair and shares his love of solar with various community groups. Always willing to advise his friends and neighbors who are thinking about solar panels, Mark has become an invaluable resource to those starting to explore renewable energy.

Landscape

The Preserve Association was honored for a second time in the landscape category.

The Preserve Association is a repeat of our winner in the landscape category in 2020. In 2021, the Preserve Association installed an additional 1.5 acres of native plantings. They also converted 20,000 square feet into no/low mow grasses this fall. They planted 100 seedling trees to replace ash and other trees lost to disease and storms and used goats again this year to remove buck thorn.

Waste

Pizza Karma was honored in the waste category.

Pizza Karma uses plates, utensils and pizza trays made from palm tree leaves and cups made from a corn byproduct, all of which are completely compostable. Chairs in the restaurant are made from recycle plastic bottles. Pizza Karma also installed innovative hand washing machines to reduce water use and a tap beer system that fills from the bottle to reduce wasted product.

Water

Scheels Eden Prairie was honored in the water category.

Scheels installed a rainwater harvesting and reuse system that can use up to 1.2-million gallons of rainwater a year for landscape irrigation and to flush toilets in the store. Using rainwater to meet these needs means they conserve the amount of City water they use in these applications. They installed four, 13,000-gallon underground storage tanks to store the stormwater, which is then treated and used. They can meet at least 62% of their yearly demand for these uses through rainwater and the system also reduces stormwater runoff on the site.

This award program aligns with the City's Sustainable Eden Prairie initiative, an ongoing effort focusing on education and implementation of sustainable practices to protect the environment and natural resources our community enjoys. The four nomination categories reflect the initiative's focus areas — energy, landscape, waste and water.

Learn more at edenprairie.org/SustainableAward.

This press release was produced by the City of Eden Prairie. The views expressed here are the author’s own.