Grand Rapids Makes Downtown a ‘2030 District’

Grand Rapids has committed to reducing energy drastically in more than 10 million square feet in its downtown district, according to Midwest Energy News.

The city has committed to cutting downtown energy and water use and carbon emissions to half of 2003 levels by 2030. The area that will be impacted is comprised of 61 buildings. The program will be run by the West Michigan chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.

The city is the second in the midwest and the eleventh nationwide to become a “2030 District,” a program that began in Seattle in 2011. Ann Arbor and Detroit are working to establish 2030 districts, the story says.

The Michigan Waste Water Treatment Plant in Grand Rapids successfully completed the first phase of an energy efficiency overhaul with OpTerra Energy Services in September. The project is expected to save $2.2 million in energy costs during the next 15 years.