GR2030 is reaching for zero carbon.

The Grand Rapids 2030 District (GR2030) is a city-wide initiative where public and private sectors are coming together for these common goals: carbon drawdown, increased marketability, and community vibrancy.

Why Buildings, Transportation, and Water?

Buildings

Nearly 40% of global energy-related CO2 emissions are from the construction and operation of buildings. It is expected that globally, the floor area of buildings will double by 2060- that’s equivalent to adding another New York City to the cityscape every month.

Transportation

The transportation sector accounts for 24% of direct CO2 emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels, with passenger road vehicles being the highest emitter at 3.6 gigatons as of 2020. Three-quarters of these transportation emissions can be attributed to road transportation (passenger vehicles and trucks carrying freight). With this in mind, the International Energy Agency expects global transport to double by the year 2070.

Water

In the United States, water-related energy use is at least 521 million MWh a year - equivalent to 13% of the nation’s electricity consumption. Water-related energy usage accounts for 5% of the nation’s total carbon emissions - annually, the energy contributed to the treatment, movement, and distribution of water throughout the nation produces about 290 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.

Grand Rapids Commercial and Industrial Building and Transportation Data for 2019

1.03 million metric tons of carbon from building energy use
4,220 metric tons of carbon from building water use
460,000 metric tons of carbon from transportation emissions
That’s equal to 1.5 million metric tons of CO2e in Grand Rapids from commercial & industrial energy, transportation, and water consumption. That is equivalent to 1.8 million acres of Michigan forest.

What we need to get to:

To get to 50% emission reduction by 2030, we need to reduce 68,000 metric tons of CO2e per year.

2030 Districts have the solutions

Together, as a community, we can drawdown carbon. Through education, collaboration, advocacy, and tools & resources the GR2030 district works every day to protect the health of the community.