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 a...
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