Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District (DID) Opens Call For Summer Greening Awards Nominations

Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District Opens Call For Summer Greening Awards Nominations

MINNEAPOLIS (July 7, 2014) — The Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District today announced a call for nominations as it kicks off its 6th Annual Greening and Public Realm Awards.

The Greening Awards, an MDID initiative since 2010, celebrate outstanding examples of private greening and placemaking happening in Downtown Minneapolis. They are intended to inspire all to work toward making downtown a greener and more vibrant place. The MDID’s mission through the Greening Awards is to encourage all downtown businesses to participate in the greening effort.

“The Greening Awards are a great opportunity to celebrate and showcase the continued growth and development of our green spaces in Downtown Minneapolis,” said Steve Cramer, President & CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council & Downtown Improvement District. “Putting a continued focus on improving our greening and public realm will help us continue to foster a consistently compelling downtown experience as called for by the Intersections: Downtown 2025 Plan.”
 
During this year’s nominations, the general public will be able to let MDID know which greening projects throughout Downtown Minneapolis are their favorites. To participate, you can submit using the hashtag #GreenAwardsMpls on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or by emailing your nominations to coordinator@minneapolisdid.com. Photos are welcomed, but name and/or location will work for identifying your green space of choice. Individuals may nominate multiple locations.

Nominations will close July 20, and the finalists will be selected and categorized by MDID staff for an online vote in August. Winning locations in each category will receive a display prize to showcase their greening achievement. In past years, categories have included:

· Best Large Green Space Activation
· Best Small Green Space Activation
· Best Large Green Space
· Best Small Green Space
· Best Open Space Green Infrastructure
· Best Streetscape Green Infrastructure
· Best Outdoor Café
· Best Façade Greening
· Best Streetscape Greening
· Best Entryway Greening
· Best Public Realm Improvement
 
For more information, visit www.minneapolisdid.com/greeningawards or log onto Facebook, Twitter or Instagramsearching @MinneapolisDID.

About the Minneapolis Downtown Council:
Founded in 1955, and one of the oldest central business districts in the nation, the Minneapolis Downtown Council (MDC) is a membership-based entity that works to create, preserve, and enhance a vital and engaging experience for the people who visit, work, shop and live in Downtown Minneapolis. The MDC’s collaborative developments of Intersections: The Downtown 2025 Plan was designed to help downtown businesses, community leaders and citizens build on downtown assets and implement future goals. For more information, please visit http://www.downtownmpls.com/.

About the Downtown Improvement District:
Founded in early 2009, after more than five years of formative planning and advocacy by the downtown business community, the Minneapolis DID delivers higher levels of service to make downtown cleaner, greener, safer and more vibrant throughout a 120-block area, as is the case with most Business Improvement Districts. For more information, visit www.minneapolisdid.com.