Sustainable Communities Network Case Studies

Building a Sustainable Community in an Urban Setting
The Southeast Corner of Phillips Neighborhood in Minneapolis

Contact: Contact: Annie Young, Associate Director
The GREEN Institute
1433 E. Franklin Avenue, Suite 7A
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Tel: (612) 874-1148
Fax: (612) 870-0327

Scope: Local, urban

Project type: Environmental

The Phillips Neighborhood, located one mile from downtown Minneapolis, is the largest geographic area in the city and the most culturally diverse community in Minnesota. More than half of its residents are people of color, 24% are Native American, and there are over 100 ethnic groups represented in the neighborhood. The 17,500 residents in Phillips are also largely considered a transient population.

In the early 1980's, a struggle began with the city and county over the construction of a large county garbage transfer station in Phillips. Neighborhood residents recognized that the station would bring heavy truck traffic, possible toxic fumes and other air pollutants, as well as a large, obtrusive building to their community. The proposed site was already part of an over-industrialized "dumping ground" and was a mere five blocks from the only Native American owned public housing project in the United States - owned by the Little Earth of United Tribes. Furthermore, the neighborhood already had one city garbage transfer facility - the only neighborhood in the United States, its residents point out, that houses a transfer station within its borders.

Despite the years of opposition and negotiation over the transfer station, the county eventually began to demolish homes to make room for the station. This act brought a host of lawsuits and bureaucratic glitches, motivating the residents of Phillips to join together in earnest to stop the project. Many people in the neighborhood viewed the project as a case of "environmental racism" - a negative environmental impact (the transfer station) that was chosen to occur in their neighborhood because of the large minority population. During the spring of 1992, Phillips residents, lead by their community group called District-4 People of Phillips, discussed strategies to stop the building. At one of these meetings an environmental consultant and lawyer met with the community leaders and posed the question, "And what will you do with the land once you win the battle?" The people of Phillips could not respond. The years of conflict over the transfer station had revealed several other neighborhood concerns, but they had no organized plan for addressing these problems.

Within a few weeks, Annie Young, one of the members of the group against the construction of the transfer station, had a dream in which she envisioned windmills, banks of trees, and wildlife surrounding a glass building with solar panels on the roof. After sharing this dream with other community members through word of mouth and community meetings, she quickly won their support and they set to work to put the concept on paper. Calling the project The GREEN Institute, the residents of Phillips conceptualized a dynamic initiative to redirect community energy by preventing something bad (the transfer station) and creating something good (The GREEN Institute).

The District 4-People of Phillips neighborhood group established a coalition of people which became an organizing and advisory group for the GREEN Institute. They began with a retreat and proceeded to generate grants for the initial funding of the institute, which fell under the People of Phillips umbrella organization. In June, 1993, the GREEN Institute, with broad community support, rented a small space in the offices of People of Phillips.

As envisioned by the community members, the GREEN Institute will be a multifunctional environmental industrial park complex, incorporating: an incubator for 15-20 fledgling environmental businesses; a site for job training; a research and development center for appropriate technology; an environmental learning center; a community services center; a landscaping and garden demonstration area; and a place where new ideas for recycling and public-private partnerships for businesses and jobs in Phillips can be generated.

All aspects of The GREEN Institute will be founded on a commitment to sustainability. A variety of job opportunities were projected to be created through the eco-industrial park complex, ranging from environmental technology and eco-consumerism, to established "anchor tenants" in recycling and reuse fields. All of the businesses will subscribe to and follow a broad environmental ethic. Environmental design principals will be infused throughout every aspect of The GREEN Institute, including; energy conservation systems, solar technology, wind turbines to demonstrate the harnessing of wind for energy, and environmentally friendly materials and design principals.

The proposed site for The GREEN Institute is located in the Phillips neighborhood, and 51% of the Board of the Institute must live in Phillips. Furthermore, The GREEN Institute has been clear that it's foremost priority for service is to the people living in Phillips, and then, secondarily, to the people in the surrounding area. One of the most important aspects is the Institute's representation of the neighborhood people. Because of the diverse ethnic population of Phillips, much of the work of The GREEN Institute has and will continue to be based on and developed around the values, principles, and processes of these ethnic groups.

By December, 1993, residents of Phillips were finally able to claim victory over the county on the siting of the garbage transfer station. The county commissioners chose to research and develop a mobile unit household hazardous waste trailer that would move through neighborhoods, meaning no construction at all by the county. Other related community projects began to move forward concurrently. Also during 1993, a project to develop a building materials exchange and reuse center was granted $30,000 from Hennepin County for a feasibility study. Eventually the county helped to construct the center by allocating funds and resources, and the center officially opened on October 14, 1995.

The city of Minneapolis has a Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP). Under this program, each participating neighborhood develops a plan of action that is based on that neighborhood's needs.. The Phillips neighborhood has developed over 200 projects during the past 4 years. In 1994 the city approved 18.5 million dollars for the implementation of these projects. Preliminary plans were drafted to request early access funds which included start-up development funds totalling $415,000 for the institute which have been used in 1995. Funds have been spent primarily to expand staff for obtaining the title to the land (most of which is now owned by Hennepin County and the State of Minnesota), remediation of pollution from industries that formerly occupied the land, start-up of the reuse center, and planning for the development of The GREEN Institute and its programs.

Today The GREEN Institute is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization with funding from many sources, both public and private. It is managed by a staff of 3, including Annie Young, the originator of the idea of The GREEN Institute, a resident of Phillips and a veteran environmentalist. The staff is handling the financing, land acquisition, and coordination of architectural planning according to the goals of the institute. Annie Young is working further on the specifics of the Institute: "Green Criteria" to choose tenants of the business incubator, an education and resource center, and a strong research and development program with specific focus on solar and wind technologies.
Promotion and marketing has spread word of The GREEN Institute in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul as well as throughout the state of Minnesota.

The final details of land acquisition are being worked through while the design and planning of the eco-industrial park and business incubator as well as the education and resource components of the institute are being developed. An environmental education curriculum and community education program is also being developed with the Lac Courte Ojibwa College.

The GREEN Institute is only one aspect of the People of Phillips' plan to change their community for the better. In response to the Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, the group established five goals which they are continuing to work towards: (1) a radical commitment to kids, (2) sustainable, ethical, and ecological economic development, (3) reuse and restoration of the environment, (4) and community building. Each of these goals has objectives and tasks, and projects such as the GREEN Institute are sound examples and inspirations for how these goals can move to realities.

Special thanks go to Annie Young of The GREEN Institute for her help in editing and providing written materials for this document.

Case Study Source: Sustainability in Action: Profiles of Community Initiatives Across the United States-- American Forum for Global Education. 1995

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