Sustainability

Mindy Granley - Sustainability Officer

As Sustainability Officer at the City of Duluth, Mindy Granley is responsible for improvement of City policies, programs, and initiatives in support of local environmental, economic, and social systems. She works to incorporate sustainability into decision making, measure and communicate progress, and build partnerships for change. Previously, Mindy served for 12 years as Sustainability Director at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD), where she advanced operational improvements and integrated sustainability into the learning experience for all students. She championed campus projects and promoted energy and greenhouse gas emission reductions, all while connecting students to learning opportunities in the community. Before working at UMD, Mindy spent 6 years working on watershed management in the Lake Superior watershed at local, regional, and state levels.

she/her/hers
218-730-5334
mgranley@duluthmn.gov

City Sustainability Advisory Team (C-SAT)

Various City department members and leaders – including Planning and Economic Development, to Public Works and Utilities, Finance, Workforce Development, and more – meet quarterly to discuss City-wide sustainability efforts, ensure alignment of actions, and identify synergy between goals as related to the Climate Action Work Plan. The Team first met to participate in the creation of the Work Plan, and membership continues to evolve. Yearly membership details may be found in Climate Action Work Plan progress reports.

Brett Crecelius – Community Resilience Project Coordinator

As the Community Resilience Project Coordinator, Brett is leading the implementation of the City of Duluth’s RACER (Renewables Advancing Community Energy Resilience) award from the Department of Energy to plot out the City’s solar investment future. The project will allow the City to evaluate solar sites to create a comprehensive technical framework for solar development, as well as gather community feedback to better understand residential solar needs. When completed, Bret’s work will guide City solar deployment strategies in the future and inform resilient energy improvements for other cold climate communities. Brett joins us from his previous position as an Economic Developer within the City’s Housing team. Prior to joining the City, he worked in the construction industry for close to a decade, where he gained invaluable experience in land management, infill site and green space work, and project management.

Alayna Johnson – Geothermal Project Coordinator

As Geothermal Project Coordinator, Alayna will be helping the City contract with partners to analyze the geo-exchange opportunity for recovering heat from wastewater effluent for use in decarbonizing buildings in Lincoln Park. Alayna graduated from the University of Minnesota Morris with degrees in Biology & Environmental Studies. Prior to joining us, Alayna worked for the University of Wisconsin Superior and Duluth Parks. She also served as a Minnesota Green Corps member for Park Maintenance for the City of Duluth, where she evaluated the park-wide waste system and implemented more recycling. She has a background in ecological research, waste systems, and project management with hopes to continue working on infrastructure, especially efforts to make infrastructure more sustainable.

Service Members

Ella Stewart -Ecolibrium3 Energy and Sustainability VISTA

Ella Stewart is serving as the Ecolibrium3 Energy and Sustainability VISTA at the City of Duluth from August 2023-2024. She graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with degrees in Environment, Sustainability and Geography, Political Science, and International Studies. As a VISTA, Ella will be focused on relieving energy burden and planning for equitable climate solutions for our City that build capacity and reduce poverty. Her work will include implementing actions in the Duluth Climate Action Plan and Imagine Duluth 2035 Comprehensive Plan through community outreach and events, grant applications, accounting for greenhouse gas emissions, data analysis, and more. In her free time, Ella enjoys kayaking, hiking, reading, and live music. She spends most of her free time exploring the North Shore and is excited to spend a full year in Duluth. Ella looks forward to meeting the talented individuals working for and with the City along with making a positive and substantial impact in the community.

Interns

Chole Grenzow – University of Minnesota Duluth Intern

Chloe is in her junior year at UMD, double majoring in Psychology and Environment, Sustainability, and Geography. She is interested in the field of environmental psychology, which studies the relationship between people and their surroundings. When it comes to sustainability, she is very passionate about the accessibility of sustainability to the whole community and in finding ways to incorporate sustainability into everyday life. In her free time, Chloe enjoys hunting for sea glass and agates on Lake Superior, hiking, playing video games, and hanging out with her three roommates and cat Hickory!

Past City of Duluth Sustainability AmeriCorps VISTAs, Green Corps members and Interns

• Annika Frazer
• Cassidy Laib
• Faith Breeden
• Sydney Schulz
• Kaleb Montgomery
• Lily Strehlow
• Hannah Zahn-Helss
• Julia Forberg
• George Masson
• Nils Hoselmann
• Caroline Wortham
• Parker Angelos
• Lydia Peterson
• Olivia Goulet
• Sam Schmall
• Emma Hill
• Maddie Gaudette