Title
Resolution to Endorse Ann Arbor’s Participation in Earth Hour 2022
Memorandum
The City of Ann Arbor has a goal and plan to achieve a just transition to community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030. Known as A2ZERO, this plan outlines 7 key strategies and 44 actions the City can and is taking to address the climate crisis while creating jobs, protecting public health, improving quality of life, and fostering neighborhood resilience. The City of Ann Arbor’s Office of Sustainability and Innovations continues to work toward all of the Strategies in A2ZERO, including Strategy 3: “Significantly improve the energy efficiency in our homes, businesses, schools, places of worship, recreational sites, and government facilities.” Implementation of such plans and frameworks requires supporting a culture change that includes energy conservation by individuals, businesses, and governments.
Participation in Earth Hour is one way the City can promote the culture change needed to advance our sustainability and climate impact goals. Earth Hour is both an international and local symbolic event organized by World Wildlife Fund to raise awareness about climate change issues, to encourage businesses, individuals and government to take actions to reduce their carbon emissions and their impact on the environment in their daily lives and operations;
Participating in Earth Hour means turning off all non-essential lighting for one hour beginning at 8:30 pm on March 26, 2022 and encouraging citizens and businesses to commit to actions they can take in the coming year to reduce their carbon footprints and conserve energy.
The City has participated in Earth Hour for many years, including turning off lights at City Hall and dimming streetlights in the downtown. If approved, the City would look to do the same this year, while also expanding the dimming (or turning off of non-essential lights) to all city buildings.
Budget/Financial Impact: There are no financial or cost implications associated with this action.
Staff
Prepared by: Missy Stults, Sustainability and Innovations Director
Reviewed by: Matt Kulhanek, Fleet and Facilities Manager
Reviewed by: Milton Dohoney, Jr., Interim City Administrator
Body
Whereas, The Ann Arbor community is deeply concerned about the impacts of climate disruption and believes that energy efficiency and natural resource conservation are important elements to combating climate change;
Whereas, The City of Ann Arbor is nationally-recognized as a leader in combating climate change by improving energy efficiency, reducing fossil energy use, and promoting renewable energy;
Whereas, A significant and growing number of Ann Arbor residents engage in energy conservation activities such as turning off non-essential lights, recycling, choosing sustainable transportation, and weatherizing their homes and businesses;
Whereas, Ann Arbor City Council adopted the A2ZERO Carbon Neutrality Plan and will be celebrating the second anniversary of its passage in 2022;
Whereas, Earth Hour is both an international and local symbolic event organized by World Wildlife Fund to raise awareness about climate change issues, to encourage businesses, individuals and government to take actions to reduce their carbon emissions and their impact on the environment in their daily lives and operations;
Whereas, Earth Hour asks all citizens, businesses, government agencies, and commercial and non-commercial establishments to turn off all non-essential lighting for one hour beginning at 8:30 pm on March 26, 2022 and to encourage citizens and businesses to commit to actions to reduce their carbon footprints and conserve energy;
Whereas, Earth Hour presents an opportunity to inform local residents and businesses about existing information and tools already available within the community to assist them in increasing energy efficiency and decreasing emissions and use of natural resources;
Whereas, Extinguishing or dimming non-essential lights in City Hall, other City facilities, and streetlights along Main Street for one hour and urging businesses and citizens to do the same will send a clear message that the people of Ann Arbor are concerned about climate change and stand with the rest of the world in seeking solutions;
RESOLVED, That Ann Arbor City Council endorses efforts by World Wildlife Fund through Earth Hour to raise awareness around global climate change and energy efficiency;
RESOLVED, That Ann Arbor City Council encourages city employees to turn off or dim all non-essential lighting in city government buildings and public landmarks for the hour between 8:30 and 9:30 PM on March 26, 2022 to conserve energy and raise awareness about global climate change as part of the city-wide energy conservation event: Earth Hour Ann Arbor;
RESOLVED, That Ann Arbor City Council asks all citizens, businesses, government agencies, and commercial and non-commercial establishments to turn off all non-essential lighting for one hour beginning at 8:30 pm on March 26, 2022 and to commit to actions they can take in the coming year to reduce their carbon footprints and conserve energy;
RESOLVED, That Ann Arbor City Council directs the Administrator to share this resolution with the University of Michigan to encourage their participation; and
RESOLVED, That Ann Arbor City Council declares March 26, 2022 to be "Earth Hour Day" in the City of Ann Arbor.