Across the U.S., local governments are developing strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change. In many cases, the creation of a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory is an essential first step in understanding the sources and magnitude of emissions within a jurisdiction.

For this project, the CLC Fellow developed inventories for the City of Rockford and the City of Grand Haven. The primary deliverable was a report outlining the methodology, data collection, and policy implications of the three inventories produced. This resource serves as a useful guide for other municipalities seeking to develop their own GHG inventories, as it enables local governments to build upon the methodologies and lessons learned from the City of Rockford and City of Grand Haven projects, potentially saving time and resources.

• Location: Grand Haven, MI and Rockford, MI
• Project Team: Graham Diedrich (Fellow), Michigan State University Department of Statistics and Probability; Thad Beard, Mindy Miner, and Cheryl Scales (Mentors), City of Rockford; Brian Urquhart (Mentor), City of Grand Haven; Nick Kemp (Technical Advisor), Fresh Coast Climate Solutions; Julie Lyons Bricker (Technical Advisor), Oakland County
• Project Presentation (PDF)
• Project Deliverable: From Data to Action: Harnessing GHG Inventories for Local Sustainability Initiatives (PDF)