Pollution prevention garners grants for Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti

Wednesday, August 18, 2010 | Source: Concentrate

Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti are among several Michigan communities to receive grants to reduce their carbon footprints.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment is awarding $246,547 in Community Pollution Prevention (P2) grant funding to five municipalities for projects that focus on climate action planning, improving efficiency in their operations, reducing waste and lowering emissions, as well as reducing costs. Dearborn, Hazel Park, and Southgate are also receiving funds; the cities will all receive around $50,000.

Andrew Brix, energy programs manager for the city of Ann Arbor, says plans for the grant money include pulling together all of the climate-related activities the city has done in the past in an effort to help the city look at other available grants and see where future resources should be focused.

Another portion of the grant funds will be used to hold a friendly greenhouse gas reduction competition, educating and working with residents on monitoring their energy use.

"We'll have neighbors, in a friendly way, competing with each other to see who can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions," Brix says.

The city will also be using the funding to work with the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan on an attempt at developing a master's degree project to study what it would take to become climate neutral, or at least as close as possible, considering funding and how to attack problems more comprehensively.

The grant requires municipalities to develop a greenhouse gas inventory and a plan that addresses emissions and climate and energy challenges. The five community grant recipients will be required to match the state funds by at least 25 percent.

Brix looks forward to the prospect of allow the city to help itself and its residents become more energy efficient. "Obviously, municipal governments are not flush with cash right now, and outside help, especially from the state of Michigan, is fantastic," he says. "I think some of the things we do in our operations set a precedent for other people in the city."

Source: Andrew Brix, energy programs manager for the city of Ann Arbor
Writer: Kristin Lukowski