Sterling Heights partners with sustainability group to measure greenhouse gases

STERLING HEIGHTS — Sterling Heights has acquired a new partner in its quest to be more environmentally responsible with its greenhouse gas emissions.

During an Oct. 3 meeting, the Sterling Heights City Council unanimously approved via its consent agenda to become a member of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability USA,  and to have the organization do inventories of Sterling Heights’ community and municipal greenhouse gases.

ICLEI is a network of many local governments, and its programming aims to reduce greenhouse gases and protect the environment. According to city officials, Michigan governments that belong to ICLEI include Ferndale, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Oakland County and Ann Arbor.

During a presentation, Sterling Heights City Planner II Alexis Richards said ICLEI gives member municipalities access to software, such as the ClearPath emissions management tool, which handles greenhouse gas inventories, forecasting, tracking progress in emission reductions and more.

ICLEI members can use the group’s software to do their own inventories, or they can pay ICLEI to use its expertise to do them and summarize the findings in a report. Richards said Sterling Heights is choosing the latter option.

“The bulk of our request here tonight is to allow ICLEI to conduct a greenhouse gas emissions inventory of our city operations, a communitywide greenhouse gas emissions inventory, and lastly to write a narrative report outlining the findings of the two inventories,” Richards said.

Richards said the emissions inventories will help the city understand where it’s at so it can progressively curb its emissions via future policies.

“There’s a common saying that you cannot manage what you don’t measure, which is particularly true in the case of greenhouse gases,” she said. “As Sterling Heights continues its journey to become a more sustainable community,  it is important to ensure the city staff have the resources and capacity necessary to undertake the work required.”

According to city officials, the city previously allocated $25,000 in the 2023-24 budget toward taking stock of its city operations’ carbon footprint and greenhouse gases. A city document said the city will pay $7,200 for a four-year ICLEI membership, and the inventories with the accompanying report will cost $11,750.

Sterling Heights City Manager Mark Vanderpool said he expects the process to take place over the rest of the 2023-24 fiscal year. He added that the Sustainability Commission will also be involved, and he thanked Councilman Henry Yanez for initially bringing up the idea.

“I think this is far more robust than what we initially talked about at the budget hearing, so I’m pleased about that,” Vanderpool said.

Learn more about Sterling Heights by visiting sterlingheights.gov or by calling (586) 446-2489. Find out more about ICLEI USA by visiting icleiusa.org.