Office of Sustainability

Ribbon cutting of the solar installation of the Lake Michigan Filtration Plant

The City of Grand Rapids started our sustainability journey around 2005 with a focus on environmental protection and conservation. Within the past 20 years, the Office of Sustainability has grown beyond this scope into a community partner, and educational resource, for maintaining healthy buildings, promoting clean efficient energy technology, and reducing waste and pollution.

As a municipality, it's important for us to understand how our work impacts entire systems, communities, and the environment. For this reason, the City of Grand Rapids maintains sustainability as one of our seven core values (as established in the 2019 Strategic Plan). Sustainability is a lens to assess how our policies, plans, and programs impact our environment, and the people and prosperity of our community.

On September 28th, 2021, the Grand Rapids City Commission declared climate change to be a crisis and to prioritize equity-informed policies and practices within City operations. The same year, City Manager Mark Washington announced carbon reduction goals for municipal operations:

85% GHG reduction by 2030 (from 2008 emissions)
Net Zero by 2040

*74,490 MTCO2e (metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents) were emitted in 2008 by City operations.

In the past 3 years since, the Office of Sustainability has worked with hundreds of community members and frontline organizations who are building climate resiliency to for the Climate Action & Adaption Plan (referred to as The CAAP).

You can find our climate strategies and actions at the main Climate Action & Adaptation Plan (CAAP) page.

The CAAP is a road map for how the community of Grand Rapids will reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and prepare for the impacts of climate change on our people, environment and infrastructure. The CAAP was co-created in partnership with community stakeholders to meet our community-wide science-based targets:

62.8% per capita GHG reduction community-wide by 2030 (from 2019 emissions)
100% per capita GHG reduction by 2050 (from 2019 emissions)

*2,472,415 MTCO2e were emitted in 2019 community-wide.

You can learn more about anthropogenic climate change on our climate science page.

Watch the CAAP Overview Presentation

This 15-minute presentation by Chief Sustainability Officer Annabelle Wilkinson is an overview of the goals, strategies, and actions of the CAAP. It was held during the Committee of the Whole (COW) for the Grand Rapids City Commission Tuesday, April 15th, 2025.

You can watch the recording of this presentation here (starts at 2hr 46min for YouTube).

E-newsletter

Subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter for local news, jobs, events, resources and updates from the Grand Rapids Office of Sustainability. It is sent out on the 15th of each month.

If you would like to share your sustainability work in our e-newsletter, please reach out to Kat Hart at khart@grcity.us by the 10th of the month.

Read Past Newsletters

Our Sustainability Journey

How We Got Here

In the past, we used sustainability plans to guide our sustainability work. Our first plans used a triple bottom line framework to address the environment, community, and economy in our city. Later, we added another pillar, governmental accountability, for a quadruple bottom line framework.

In 2019, the we published a Strategic Plan to serve as the new framework for all of our operations. In this plan, we identified sustainability as one of six core values that are embedded across all of our operations and services. In order to address climate change, we will be creating a Climate Action & Adaptation Plan in 2023. Browse the documents below to learn more about our guiding frameworks.

Current Plan

Plans with a Sustainability Focus

Parks and Recreation Strategic Master Plan - 2022
2019 Water Quality Report - 2019
Bicycle Action Plan - July 2019
GR Forward - October 2015
Stormwater Master Plan(PDF, 893KB) - May 2013
Climate Resiliency Report(PDF, 3MB) - December 2013
Green Grand Rapids(PDF, 23MB) - October 2011

Archived Plans & Progress Reports

Key Subject Areas

Energy & Carbon Emissions

Energy use and the resulting carbon emissions are a key area of focus for the City of Grand Rapids. Learn more about our efforts to reduce our municipal emissions and what you can do to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions.

Butterworth Solar

We are seeking partners to help us develop solar on the Butterworth Landfill. Please click here for more information.

Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation & Resiliency

We're finding ways to address climate change and are committed to reducing climate impacts in Grand Rapids. Check out some of our commitments below.

Climate Resiliency Report(PDF, 3MB) -This report was published in 2013 in partnership with the West Michigan Environmental Action Council. It identifies what changes we can expect to our local weather and risks associated with those changes (examples: more snow/rain in the winter/spring; warmer temperatures in winter, etc.)
Climate Mayors - A bipartisan network of U.S. mayors, including our very own Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, who demonstrate leadership on climate change.
We Are Still In - Mayor Rosalynn Bliss was one of the first signatories to the We Are Still In Pledge in June 2017. This bipartisan coalition of mayors, governors and business leaders are committed to reducing emissions and stemming the causes of climate change.

Land & Green spaces

Our goal is to increase the amount of accessible park space in Neighborhoods of Focus from 3.1 acres to 9.5 acres. You can check out our 74 City-owned parks here. Make sure to visit the Parks and Recreation page to learn more about trails, forestry and park improvement projects.

Water Resources

Water is a precious commodity crucial to human life. We make sure drinking water, stormwater and wastewater are managed and maintained responsibly. Check out what we're up to at our related departments:

Environmental Services - stormwater, green infrastructure and water resource recovery through wastewater treatment
Water System - water distribution, including drinking water

Waste & Recycling

In 2018, 23% of our residential waste was recycled. Help us increase this number by signing up for free curbside recycling as a resident or small business.

For more information on waste and recycling services and resources, visit our Public Works Department web page.

Mobility

There are many options to getting around Grand Rapids including walking, biking, ride sharing, and taking the bus. Take a look at all the options we offer on the Mobile GR and Parking Services page.

Sustainability Collaboration

E.H.Zero

The City of Grand Rapids, U.S. Green Building Council of West Michigan and Urban Core Collective are launching the Grand Rapids Building Policies and Programs for Equitable, Healthy & Zero Carbon Buildings (E.H.Zero). Transforming the way buildings and homes are designed, built, and operated is one of the most important ways a city can support affordable housing, ensure clean healthy air in our communities and increase our resilience to the negative impacts of a changing climate. E.H.Zero will co-create with community policies and programs to equitably decarbonize Grand Rapids residential and commercial buildings and present them to Commission for consideration and hopeful adoption.

Michigan Green Communities

Michigan Green Communities (MGC) is a statewide network of local government and university staff. The group collaborates to move sustainability initiatives forward at the local, regional, and state level. Grand Rapids is not only a member of this network, but our Sustainability and Performance Management Officer sits on the steering committee. In 2018 and 2019, we received Gold Certification for the annual MGC Challenge.

Community Collaboration on Climate Change (C4)

The Community Collaboration on Climate Change (C4) is an evolution of what was previously the Community Sustainability Partnership (CSP) a diverse network of for-profit and non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and governments in West Michigan. The CSP showed that the resources, experience, and knowledge already exist within the community, but organizations and individuals most concerned with the climate-justice movement are not always acting in the same spaces. In addition, although we are all negatively impacted by climate change, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) are disproportionately impacted and aren't genuinely represented in the current environmental and climate change movement. The Grand Rapids community lacks a solid and stable infrastructure to challenge systemic barriers necessary to make bold changes necessary to create a just climate future, and the C4 intends to change that fact. In the C4 the vision is that, BIPOC and historically white environmental organizations will dismantle extractive systems and build new systems to combat climate change - centered in human wellbeing, the interconnectedness of life, and access to shared leadership. Alison Waske Sutter and Annabelle Wilkinson sit on the C4 Leadership Team.

In the News

We're sharing our sustainability story. Check out the links below to see what we're up to.

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2010 - 2015

Awards and Recognition

Over the years, the City and Greater Grand Rapids community have been recognized for the commitment to sustainability. Below are a few articles highlighting some of these achievements.

2022

Grand Rapids earns gold in Michigan Green Communities Challenge

2021

Grand Rapids ranked 31 out of 100 cities in ACEEE 2021 City Clean Energy Scorecard

2020

2019

2018

2000 - 2017

Our Team

Annabelle Wilkinson

(she/her/hers)

Chief Sustainability Officer
awilkinson@grcity.us

Annabelle Wilkinson is the Chief Sustainability Officer directing the City of Grand Rapids’ Office of Sustainability, responsible for managing the City’s sustainability, climate change and environmental justice programs. Annabelle has over a decade of public service experience and has been employed by the City for over six years in the Office of Sustainability. As Environmental and Climate Justice Specialist, Annabelle focused on the creation and implementation of the City's first Climate Action & Adaptation Plan.

Prior to joining the City, Annabelle worked on state-wide urban planning projects across the sectors of housing, transportation, and climate adaptation while at Michigan State University and promoted coalition building and neighborhood revitalization with Habitat for Humanity. Annabelle has a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning and a Bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University. In her moments of rest, Annabelle can be found reading, gardening, hiking in nature, and laughing amongst friends and family.

Jennifer Spiller

(she/her/hers)

Healthy and Sustainable Buildings Policy Specialist
jspiller@grcity.us

Jennifer Spiller has a B.S. from GVSU and is currently a Bloomberg Fellow: receiving a full scholarship to pursue a Masters of Public Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She has nearly a decade of experience in environmental health and has worked with hundreds of families in Grand Rapids on healthy housing topics such as lead poisoning prevention, asthma triggers, and indoor air quality. Leading the Equitable, Healthy, Zero Carbon Buildings Initiative (E.H.Zero), Jenn works with many community partners to create policies and programs that equitably reduce carbon emissions from commercial buildings and housing.

Kevin Greene

(he/him/his)

Energy & Carbon Specialist
kgreene@grcity.us

Originally from the Chicagoland area, Kevin holds a B.S. degree in Meteorology from Iowa State University and has 5+ years of experience in energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainability reporting. Having overseen several commercial-grade HVAC, lighting and building automation renovations, in addition to extensive experience in corporate renewable energy investments, Kevin is excited to bring his experience to the City of Grand Rapids to help achieve the City’s sustainability goals of carbon net-neutrality and energy use optimization.

Kat Hart

(she/they)

Education & Engagement Coordinator
khart@grcity.us

Kat Hart is an environmental educator, and Grand Valley alum, who has been teaching in West Michigan for over eight years. She specializes in community-driven science workshops, outdoor field trips for K-12 students, and activating stakeholders to participate in climate action. Kat is experienced in freshwater biology, waste reduction, and geographic information science. If you are interested in connecting with the OS for climate resources, presentations, or engagements please contact Kat via email with your request. In her time out of the office, Kat enjoys catching river bugs, indoor bouldering, completing errands on her e-bike, and connecting with others to process climate anxiety & grief.

Kristof Nieschwitz

(he/him/his)

Community Energy Coordinator
knieschwitz@grcity.us

Kristof is placed at the City of Grand Rapids Office of Sustainability as the Community Energy Coordinator as part of cohort 2 of the MI Healthy Climate Corps. Kristof earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology and minored in Sustainability at the University of Toledo. He is excited to contribute to local sustainability projects and expand equity and decarbonization in Grand Rapids through the PACE and Solarize programs.