The City of Cottage Grove was recently awarded a 2025 Green Step Award for achieving Steps 4 and 5 in the Minnesota Green Step program. City Administrator Jennifer Levitt (left) accepted the award on behalf of the city. Green Step Cities & Tribal Nations is a recognition program started in 2008 by the Minnesota Legislature after passage of the state’s Next Generation Energy Act in 2007. The Green Step Program includes five steps, with each following upon the last. Step One is to build community interest, have program staff visit your community and join Green Steps by adopting a council resolution. Step Two is to post brief info on the Green Step website of what was already been done and be recognized for implementing between four and eight best practices. Step Three is to implement an additional four to eight best practices and complete a handful of high-impact best practice actions. Step Four involves measuring and reporting on between seven to 15 performance metrics, while Step Five is to show improvement in this same metrics. To learn more about the Green Step program, visithttps://greenstep.pca.state.mn.us. Image courtesy City of Cottage Grove.