Kalamazoo reviews 2023 greenhouse gas inventory, outlines recycling and green‑energy steps

Kalamazoo City on Monday reviewed its 2023 municipal greenhouse gas inventory and described a string of waste, transportation and green‑energy initiatives city staff say are moving the municipality toward its net‑zero goal.

Justin Gish, the city’s sustainability planner, told the Committee of the Whole that “in 2023, we were responsible for 50,053 metric tons of CO2e,” a figure he said rose by less than 1 percent from the prior year after accounting for a late data submission. Gish said water and wastewater operations account for roughly half of the city’s municipal emissions and that a pending green‑power purchase will change how the city accounts for electricity use.

The accounting change stems from an agreement the city reached with Consumers Energy to purchase 48,000,000 kilowatt‑hours of renewable energy. Gish said the 48 million kWh allotment represents “almost 95% of the [city’s] electric use” and, in his accounting, will reduce the city’s reported emissions from electricity by about 52 percent once the program is in effect in 2028.

Gish walked commissioners through other 2023 and 2024 results: the city moved from zero to two electric vehicles in its fleet (a 200 percent increase), added 480 new residential recycling carts, received a $1,000,000 tree grant for planting and maintenance, and reported roughly 5,000…