Eagan Earns State Environmental Award Again and Joins New Climate Challenge

The City is making strides in environmental and sustainability efforts.

Eagan, MN - For the eighth year in a row, the City of Eagan received an award for being a Step Five city in the Minnesota GreenStep program. GreenSteps is a voluntary challenge, assistance, and recognition program to help cities and tribal nations achieve their sustainability and quality-of-life goals. Eagan has participated in the GreenSteps program for the last 15 years.

The City of Eagan also joined the Gold Leaf Challenge this year. The Gold Leaf Challenge focuses on pathways for communities to take local climate action. Participants of the Gold Leaf Challenge are recognized as they achieve “leaves” for completing new actions and “gold leaves” for meeting a set goal in that year. Eagan earned five leaves this year.

“Being a part of the Gold Leaf Challenge allows us to continue with our GreenSteps journey as well as expand with climate action-specific targets and involve the community in our sustainability efforts,” says Gillian Catano, Eagan’s sustainability coordinator and GreenSteps program lead.

In 2025, 154 cities and tribal nations across the state participated in this program, and Eagan was one of 34 to achieve Step Five recognition, the highest in the program. Eagan’s sustainability efforts within the program focus on cost savings, energy use reduction, resource conservation, climate change, and the encouragement of civic innovation.

View Eagan’s GreenSteps dashboard at cityofeagan.com/sustainable.

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