State and municipal governments across the United States have adopted policies that mandate or encourage residential energy disclosures, and Ann Arbor is currently pursuing adoption of the Department of Energy's Home Energy Score. To that end, Catalyst Leadership Circle Fellow Jess Silber-Byrne designed a communications strategy for Ann Arbor’s nascent efforts, known as the Home Energy Rating Disclosure (HERD) Program. Her primary deliverable was a strategy document outlining the background, development, methodology, audiences, objectives, and goals for outreach and messaging for the proposed HERD ordinance. The strategy is specific to Ann Arbor but is written and organized to allow other communities to replicate or draw inspiration from its content and format. An extensive bibliography includes all sources for research and statistics, as well as resources for crafting successful communication strategies.

• Location: Ann Arbor, MI
• Project Team: Jess Silber-Byrne (Fellow), University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability; Zach Waas Smith (Mentor), City of Ann Arbor; Alexandra Haddad (Technical Advisor), University of Michigan Graham Sustainability Institute

Project Presentation

Project Report