Austin’s Sustainability Task Force is taking shape.

Area residents and city officials gathered Wednesday evening to work toward implementing environmentally sustainable projects and practices in the city as part of the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program.

“A task force is an ideal way to hear from community members,” said Philipp Muessig, GreenStep Cities program coordinator, at the meeting.

Council member-at-large Janet Anderson, who will serve on the task force, agreed it’s important for community members to get involved.

Muessig said Austin will likely be considered a Step 2 city because it has already implemented several eco-friendly initiatives.

The program, Muessig said, guides cities with a list of best practices communities can use to become more sustainable. The best practices span many interest areas, from LED street lighting to higher density city expansion to rainfall runoff.

Austin’s Sustainability Task Force will have between nine and 15 members, and the city is still accepting applications. City Administrator Jim Hurm said community members who are interested but don’t want to be on the task force can sign up for a committee.

According to Muessig, some of the GreenStep Cities best practices will likely fulfill federal environmental mandates. The sustainability projects could improve life in general, he hopes.

“It’s not just an environmental benefit — we’re looking for things that will have a quality of life benefit and ecological benefit,” Muessig said.