Oberlin sustainability coordinator reports progress on 2019 climate action plan; new 2025 plan to integrate adaptation and equity

Linda Arbogast, Oberlin’s sustainability coordinator, updated council on March 17 on progress since the city’s 2019 Climate Action Plan and the work underway to produce a 2025 plan that will pair carbon reduction with climate adaptation and social equity.

Arbogast told council the city’s electric grid is about 85% renewable and the city purchases offsets for the remainder so electricity use is effectively largely renewable. She said a 2021 greenhouse‑gas inventory showed emissions down about 50% from the 2003 baseline when accounting for the city’s grid purchases.

"So that that's pretty big," Arbogast said, explaining that natural gas still dominates the city's emissions profile and that commercial gas use is the largest single source. She added, "70% of our…