Green Grand Rapids

City Leadership

The City of Grand Rapids identifies sustainability as one of six core values in its Strategic Plan. The Office of Sustainability helps ensure that environmental impact is factored into all decisions made by the city while working to achieve continued measurable progress toward five key objectives – including reducing carbon emissions, protecting and preserving water resources, and minimizing waste generation.

These environmental initiatives build on a record of significant progress since 2005, when the Office of Sustainability was formed. In 2009, Grand Rapids became the first U.S. city recognized by the United Nations as a Regional Centre for Sustainable Development. Ten years later, Site Selection Magazine ranked Grand Rapids the nation’s #1 metro for sustainable development on the basis of such criteria as LEED and Energy Star buildings, renewable energy generation and green industry projects.

In the fall of 2021, Grand Rapids adopted the city’s first municipal greenhouse gas emissions (GHG)  reduction goal: an 85% reduction by 2030 in comparison to the 2008 baseline, and carbon neutrality by 2040. Based on such investments as converting 18,000 streetlights to LEDs, powering our wastewater treatment facility with renewable natural gas produced onsite and installing a solar array to help power water operations at the Lake Michigan Filtration Plant, the city projects at 47% GHG reduction in 2025.

Climate Action and Adaptation Plan

The city partnered with community stakeholders to create the first Grand Rapids Climate Action and Adaption Plan (CAAP) in 2025. The CAAP will act as a road map for what we hope to accomplish in the near-term (by 2030) and longer-term (by 2025) to prepare for the impacts of climate change on our people, environment and infrastructure. There are six key areas of focus:

• Energy Systems
• Residential Homes
• Buildings & Industry
• Transportation & Vital Streets
• Nature-based Solutions
• Food Systems

Grand Rapids 2030

The city has partnered with local professionals, building owners and community organizations to achieve 50% net carbon emission reductions by 2030, and zero net carbon by 2050. The Grand Rapids 2030 District encompasses 20.5 million square feet, 305 buildings and hundreds of community stakeholders working together to reduce carbon and increase economic viability.

Community-Wide Effort

Many other local municipalities and groups are involved in sustainability efforts, from East Grand Rapids, Grandville and Rockford to the Center for Sustainability at Aquinas College, the Office of Sustainability Practices at Grand Valley State University, the West Michigan Community Sustainability Partnership, the West Michigan Environmental Action Council and the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum.

Sustainability Highlights

• The Rapid , our public transit system, features the first “green roof” installed on a transit facility in the U.S. and uses EPA-certified renewable natural gas to power a large portion of its fleet.
• The Grand Rapids Downtown Market, a multi-use food hall featuring restaurants, artisan vendors and year-round public events, was the first LEED-certified market in the U.S.
• The owners of Brewery Vivant and Broad Leaf Brewery & Spirits – who release annual sustainability reports on their operations – have signed on to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Climate and Better Plants Challenges, which promote emission reduction and energy efficiency goals.
• In 2022, the city of Grand Rapids opened a new biodigester that turns bio-waste from Founders Brewing Company and other sources into renewable energy and fertilizer
• Grand Rapids was named America’s Best River Town (Outside Magazine), the #6 U.S. Fishing City (Field & Stream) and a 2025 River Champion (American Rivers), and it has embarked on an ambitious project to revitalize the Grand River in the city’s downtown.
• Outside magazine recognized Grand Rapids as the Best Town for Mountain Biking – and the city has implemented a Bicycle Action Plan to support year-round bicycling.

LEED by Example

Our local building and design industries have long been at the vanguard of environmental progress with their dedication to LEED principles. An acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, LEED spells out in detail what constitutes a "green building."

Grand Rapids is one of America’s leading cities in LEED-certified buildings per capita. Among our accomplishments:

• Most LEED buildings per capita in the U.S. (American Institute of Architects)
• World's 1st LEED Gold art museum (Grand Rapids Art Museum)
• World's 1st LEED-certified YMCA (Downtown YMCA)
• World's 1st LEED-certified transit station (Rapid Central Bus Station)
• World's 1st LEED-certified school (Goodwillie Environmental)
• World's 1st LEED-certified Habitat for Humanity Home
• World's 1st LEED-certified residence (St. Anthony of Padua rectory)
• World's 1st LEED-certified church (Keystone Community Church)
• World's 1st LEED-certified healthcare project (Lacks Cancer Center)
• World's 1st LEED Double Gold building (East Hills Center of the Universe)
• World's 1st LEED-certified municipal building (Water & Environmental Building)
• World's highest LEED rating (Catalyst Partners/M Retail Solutions, 2012)
• America’s 1st LEED-certified microbrewery (Brewery Vivant)
• America's 1st LEED-certified market (Grand Rapids Downtown Market)
• Michigan’s 1st LEED Platinum library, one of 25 total LEED structures on campus (Grand Valley State University)
• Michigan’s 1^st (CityFlats Holland) and 2^nd (CityFlats Grand Rapids) LEED Gold-certified hotels.
• Michigan's 1^st LEED-certified full-service hospital (UM Health-West Hospital)
• America’s 1^st affordable LEED-certified home (built by Habitat for Humanity Kent County) and 190+ LEED Habitat homes since

Additional Sustainability Recognitions

• Nation’s Most Sustainable City, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• 1st Place, Mayor’s Climate Protection Awards
• 1 of 5 Model Cities for Sustainability, Earth Day Network
• 1 of 8 inaugural cities for the Climate Resilient Communities program
• 1 of 12 Cities Leading the Way in Sustainability, billmoyers.com
• 1 of 12 Cities Connecting Children to Nature
• Michigan Sustainable Development Goal Award, Greater Lansing United Nations
• Gold Award, Michigan Green Communities Challenged, Michigan Green Communities Challenge