Grand Valley Metropolitan Council (GVMC) teamed up with the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum and KERAMIDA for the West Michigan Climate Action Forums, which consisted of three separate community engagement sessions spread out across West Michigan. Residents, leaders, and stakeholders came together to shape GVMC’s Preliminary Climate Action Plan. We discussed ideas and strategies to cut down on greenhouse gases in the region that will help to develop a Preliminary Climate Action Plan slated for submission to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2024. The plan will cover the four-county region of West Michigan, including Ionia, Kent, Montcalm, and Ottawa Counties.

KERAMIDA compiled and shared the input we received from the public engagement sessions with the three advisory committees that are assisting GVMC in creating the West Michigan Climate Action Plan. The valuable input received from all the attendees of the community engagement sessions has helped shape the Preliminary Climate Action Plan. We want to express our gratitude to the US Environmental Protection Agency for their funding and guidance, without which this plan would not have been possible.