6 GROUNDCOVER NEWS EARTH DAY 2025 Ann Arbor pursues carbon neutrality goals ARHAN KAUL U-M student contributor Through its A2Zero Initiative, Ann Arbor has set an ambitious goal to go carbon-neutral by 2030. This plan is meant to reduce the City’s carbon footprint. Ann Arbor is choosing to focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency efforts and community engagement. According to the Ann Arbor City Council’s update on the plan, A2Zero provides a framework for this transition away from fossil fuels and promotes a new infrastructure to support reduced fossil fuel consumption. This initiative includes infrastructure investments in clean energy, sustainable transportation and other climate technologies. In particular, the A2Zero plan is designed to help the community by setting goals for Ann Arbor residents and leaders to pursue. The creators of A2Zero have set seven strategies that they hope will drive this change: 1. Reduce vehicle mileage by 50%. 2. Switch to renewable energy. 3. Improve energy efficiency. 4. Move to a circular economy. 5. Enhance local food systems. 6. Protect green spaces. 7. Foster more community education on green efforts. This comprehensive approach will ensure that Ann Arbor and its citizens have a smooth transition into a new age of energy use. While these goals and strategies may seem lofty, the city has been on track so far. In fact, A2Zero has made significant progress towards approaching its goal of 2030 carbon neutrality, City leaders say. The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (The Ride) has been actively transitioning its fleet toward low-emission vehicles. The Ride's 2045 plan emphasizes luring more people out of their cars and introducing low-emissions buses. Read more about the Ride 2045 in the December 27, 2024 edition of Groundcover News. To promote active transportation, Ann Arbor has invested in enhancing its bike lanes and pedestrian pathways. The Downtown Ann Arbor Curb Management Plan, published in October 2024, highlights the construction of new bike lanes and pedestrian spaces, supporting the City's goals for sustainable transportation options. Additionally, programs like Ann Arbor Solarize, a bulk buy solar program, bring together residents and solar installers to make bulk purchases of solar panels. This makes buying solar energy more affordable for residents. Another key aspect of A2Zero has been community engagement and education. Ann Arbor has been incorporating various programs to inform residents about the benefits of sustainability and how they can participate in green initiatives. The City has been hosting workshops, distributing educational materials and investing in green initiatives to speed up the transition to renewable energy. On February 28, the Circular Economy subgroup came to the Groundcover News office to survey vendors about their personal sustainability practices. To ensure long term sustainability, Ann Arbor has been trying to implement more policy changes to align with A2Zero objectives. Measures include updating building codes with more energy-efficient designs and providing incentives for businesses and consumers who participate in green energy efforts. These efforts also support Ann Arbor’s focus on educating citizens on sustainable thinking, encouraging long-term behavioral changes that promote energy conservation, waste reduction and the adoption of renewable technologies. Through community programs and policy initiatives, the City aims to create a culture of sustainability that extends beyond 2030, ensuring lasting environmental benefits for future generations. APRIL 18, 2025 Earth Day 2025: Celebrating youth leadership in environmental protection and action WILL SHAKESPEARE Groundcover vendor No. 258 Earth Day is the culmination of the 1960s environmental movement. Rachel Carson’s 1962 book “Silent Spring” about pesticide DDT and its resulting pollution had captured the public attention, as well as that of President John F. Kennedy. The massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, and the huge fire that flamed because of chemical dumps on the Cuyahoga river in Cleveland, Ohio, were viewed by millions of Americans in their living rooms on TV and in print media. The late 1960s was a period when many young Americans were described by the politicians and mass media as members of the counter-culture. It was also a period of civil rights struggles and the women’s liberation movement. There were protests by young people against the polluters in California and Ohio. Because there were no legal or regulatory mechanisms from the federal government to deal with hazardous waste dumping and dangerous chemical pollution, young Americans in colleges, high schools and other walks of life took to the streets to demonstrate. At Michigan, the students initiated a teach-in which was the model recommended by the founder of Earth Day, Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. Senator Nelson called for a teach-in at all college campuses across the nation on April 22, 1970. On that day, about 20 million Americans demonstrated. They wanted to raise the level of awareness of the American people about the need to protect the environment with legislation and community actions. Many historians and journalists have concluded that the April 22 Earth Day event of 1970 was a huge success. The impacts are staggering. Congress passed the Clean Air Act in 1972. Subsequently, they passed the Clean Water Act. President Richard Nixon established a cabinet-level agency known as the Environmental Protection Agency. EPA’s mandate was the protection of the environment and public health. Later, in 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act), often known as the “Superfund Law.” It was amended and reauthorized in 1986 and again in 1999. Though climate the University of change was excluded from the EPA’s mandate, since that time it has become the most pressing issue in the environmental Environmental Action for Survival: The History and Legacies of U-M's 1970 Teach-In on the Environment (2020). Photo from U-M School of the Environment and Sustainabilty debate. The Earth’s temperature has risen to new and unbearable levels since the Earth Day of 1970. We have been using the concept of “climate change” to describe the trends and impacts of global warming which result in disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes, monsoons, tornadoes, flash flooding, drought and their impact on migration and wildlife. The year 2023, for a short while, was described as the hottest year since 1800 when weather forecasters started to measure global heat temperatures. It was 1.48 degrees Celsius. However, the temperature in 2024 was higher than the previous year. The temperature was recorded at 1.55 degrees Celsius, exceeding the threshold established by the 2015 Paris Accord on annual global temperatures. It is possible that the 2025 global temperature will surpass 2024 levels. As part of the Paris Agreement on climate change, it is recommended that the United Nations Conference on Climate Change do more to show success or failure towards the attainment see EARTH DAY page 11
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