Ann Arbor has identified carbon neutrality as a priority for the coming decades and drafted the A2Zero Initiative to guide the community through the transition to carbon neutrality. This Graham Sustainability Scholars team worked in partnership with the 2030 District of Ann Arbor on a project to provide building managers in the Ann Arbor area with free programs to provide guidance and support compliance with the Ann Arbor Energy and Water Benchmarking Ordinance, which requires businesses to track their energy and water usage and report them to the city. Scholars developed marketing recommendations to extend the reach of these programs. The team’s recommendations included tailoring outreach to focus on the needs of tenants and furthering the partnership between building managers, the city of Ann Arbor, and the Graham Sustainability Institute to support the sharing of information.

Team: Sydney Barnes, Izzy Beshouri, Chase Dautrich, Anthony Marx, Anant Sinha

Partner: City of Ann Arbor

Project Report