The DID is committed to exploring and implementing sustainable and green initiatives within the downtown district. This commitment aligns not only with the DID's mission, but also with the Intersections: The Downtown 2025 Plan goal to enhance the greening and public realm of downtown through various projects by the year 2025. The DID looks for opportunities to advocate for greening at the policy level, provide sustainable greening in the public right of way and encourage greening on private properties. 

Did you know? Each spring the DID fills planters and gardens with over 15,000 colorful plants throughout the district. We replace the flowers with lush spruce tips, birch logs, and vibrant dogwood branches and adorns the light poles with live garland and festive wreaths in the winter months.

Tree Monitoring and Care

Not only do trees beautify our downtown, but they also positively impact public health outcomes by reducing air pollution, mitigating the urban heat island effect, and benefiting community members' mental health. 

However, trees provide these benefits when they are mature, or approximately 10 inches in diameter. The DID works with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and other partners to help more trees survive their first two years so that they can positively impact downtown. 

To do so, the DID has piloted a variety of street tree projects with community partners to improve watering and maintenance practices since 2017. We coordinate watering of 200 young trees and monitor 1700 trees each growing season, as well as monitor soil conditions at tree sites.

Learn more about the DID's green initiatives related to trees here.

Want to get involved? Check out how you can help to care for urban trees here.

Learn more about how to adopt a tree in Elliot Park here.

Stormwater

Water is an important resource for Minneapolis, from our lakes to the Mississippi river, and protecting our waterways is a priority for the DID Sustainable Greening Team.

In part thanks to advocacy by the DID, newly reconstructed corridors of downtown now include green stormwater infrastructure, which are streetscape elements specially designed to divert storm water from traditional storm drains. Instead, the water flows into a planting bed where it soaks in slowly, and native plants help to filter out pollutants before the water drains to the Mississippi River, or to an underground filter system that serves the same purpose.

Did you know? You can get involved in improving stormwater maintenance in downtown! Through the DID Adopt a Rain Garden Program, downtown residents, employees and visitors have the opportunity to help maintain the important rain gardens that create healthy stormwater maintenance. Learn more here.

Organics, Recycling & Low Waste Practices

The DID is committed to exploring low waste practices within the downtown community. This includes researching existing recycling and organic practices as well as implementing low-waste events to educate the community on sustainable waste practices. 

Visit the Sustainability Education Booth at the Nicollet xChange to learn about recycling and organics recycling with local artists, the City of Minneapolis, and the County!