Environmental Programs

Here are some of the ways West St. Paul is taking direct action to drive environmental resiliency in our community.

Environmental Committee

The West St. Paul Environmental Committee is a volunteer-run committee composed of 9 members who live in the city. The Committee reviews site plans, creates recommendations to the City Council on various environmental concerns, and works with city staff on various initiatives and events around environmentalism, such as the Green Step Cities program, Arbor Day celebrations, and World Migratory Bird Day. 

Green Step Cities Program

West St. Paul is a participating city in the Green Step Cities program, which focuses on environmental sustainability and quality of life goals. Having earned its first step in 2017, its second in 2019, and its third in 2021, West St. Paul is currently working on initiatives to help it achieve its fourth step.

One major initiative of the Green Step Cities program involves taking steps to better track energy use in West Saint Paul through energy audits and fleet monitoring. This is a key step towards finding ways to reduce emissions and energy use city-wide, giving our city council the information they need to make smart choices.

Compost Program @ Thompson Park

Run by Dakota County, West St. Paul residents benefit from a robust composting program run at Thompson Park. Residents can bring household organics & food waste materials to have them composted for free.

Composed materials break down into nutrient rich soils, which are helpful as plant fertilizer. By giving your household food waste to this program, you are helping to divert these helpful nutrients from landfill and into a material that will help grow food for your community.

Tree City & Bird City Designations

Since 2003, West St. Paul has been a designated Tree City, USA, and has an annual celebration of Arbor Day.

In 2022, West St. Paul also made a pledge to become a Bird City, making a commitment to promoting habitats for migratory birds, and recognizing and celebrating World Migratory Bird Day.