At St. Paul City Hall, the goal is to get the city’s “carbon footprint” to nil by the year 2050. And the path toward carbon neutrality, according to city officials, revolves heavily around buildings.

“The high-level goal is we want city buildings operating as carbon neutral by 2030, and all buildings by 2050,” said Russ Stark, the city’s chief resilience officer and a former president of the St. Paul City Council.

In other words, city officials hope to reduce and offset carbon dioxide emissions so that the amount released into the atmosphere by residential, commercial and government buildings balances out with the amount of energy derived from sources other than fossil fuels.

Why buildings? After studying carbon emissions within the city limits for two years, St. Paul officials found that 52 percent were related to physical structures — the energy needed to power, heat and cool buildings. Transportation-related emissions accounted for another 37 percent of carbon emissions, Stark said.

XCEL ENERGY AS A PARTNER

Carbon neutrality may sound ambitious, but Stark points out that the city will get 40 percent of the way there as Xcel Energy — the primary provider of electricity and natural gas in St. Paul — relies less and less on fossil fuels.

“The changes that Xcel are making by expanding wind and solar are going to help us a lot,” Stark said.

That effort, however, is not without controversy.

Xcel Energy has set a goal of operating 85 percent carbon-free by the year 2030, but that doesn’t necessarily mean switching entirely to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. About 20 to 25 percent of St. Paul’s energy comes from Xcel’s nuclear power plants in Prairie Island and Monticello, which are under contract for at least the next 12 years.

Xcel Energy program manager Tami Gunderzik said the utility is working closely with St. Paul and other cities and institutions on two-year energy efficiency plans.

COULD ST. PAUL MOVE FASTER?

Other cities are moving quickly on energy savings. Minneapolis, for example, has increased its franchise fees to fund investments in renewable energy sources.

Brandon Long, a former state chair of the Green Party, noted that St. Paul has set lofty goals before and fallen short. The city once talked about the year 2020 as a benchmark.

“The 2030 goals should be accomplished by 2020,” Long said, before adding the goal for “2050 is just far too late. It’s always a little too little, a little too late.”

Nevertheless, St. Paul has been widely recognized as a leader among American municipalities trying to go greener, and the city has made recent strides. Last year, the city agreed to buy about a fourth of the energy it needs to power municipal buildings from GreenMark Solar, which operates community solar gardens.

CARBON-NEUTRAL BUILDINGS

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter’s administration is still working on finalizing a larger Climate Action Plan, but the city council recently approved an 86-page resolution related specifically to buildings.

The five-year strategy outlines five primary goals:

Inspiring a culture of energy stewardship throughout the city.

Lowering energy burdens on low-income households so that no household has to spend more than 4 percent of its income on energy costs.

Working with major institutions such as colleges and hospitals to set energy goals that align with those of the city.

Promoting efficiency in large buildings, whether they be commercial or multi-family residences.

Leading by example as city government.

“Rather than just setting targets, this plan outlines how to achieve those targets,” Stark said, “and how over the next five years the city is going to get on the right pace.”

BUILDING OWNERS’ BUY-IN

To encourage private building owners, the city has created the “Race to Reduce,” a “Biggest Loser”-style competition. The program encourages building managers to monitor and compare their buildings’ energy use to comparable structures across the country. The city is providing additional support through networking events, tip sheets and meetings with an energy adviser.

Ensuring no households pay more than 4 percent on energy costs will also mean making everyday homes much more energy efficient.

“We know that households across St. Paul spend anywhere from a fraction of a percent to as much as about 15 percent of their income on energy needs,” Stark said. The average is about 2 percent, he noted.

Stark expects the city to work with Xcel Energy to make attractive financing available for energy efficiency projects to owners of affordable housing.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

There are two primary strategies toward reducing emissions related to city-owned buildings, Stark said.

The city can use less energy to begin with, such as turning off air conditioning overnight when buildings are not in use. The city can also switch to renewable sources, such as buying energy from community solar gardens.

“There’s a fair amount of work to be done,” said Stark, who said an internal team of city staff will “go step by step” through different approaches.