The West MI Healthy Climate Plan
GVMC Receives $1 Million from U.S. EPA's Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) Program
With funding from the Inflation Reduction Act through the US EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG), GVMC and KERAMIDA are developing a comprehensive plan, known as the West Michigan Healthy Climate Plan (WMHCP), to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions throughout Ionia, Kent, Montcalm, & Ottawa Counties.
The goal of the WMHCP is to connect and uplift existing state, regional and local plans for the policies and programs it identifies.
Our Process
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![Kent County Engagement Session]()
Phase 1: Priority Climate Action Plan
The West Michigan Healthy Climate Plan (WMHCP) is organized into two phases.
We started with the Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP), which included a greenhouse gas inventory, three advisory committees, and public engagement sessions that helped to identify high-priority, implementation-ready measures to reduce harmful emissions across Kent, Ottawa, Ionia and Montcalm counties.
The PCAP was completed in March 2024.
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Phase 1: 2019 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
During the PCAP’s development, our team created a Greenhouse Gas Inventory using data from 2019.
This inventory helped us better understand how activities, from heating homes to driving vehicles to managing waste are contributing to climate change in West Michigan. We categorized emissions in four sectors: Stationary Energy, Transportation, Waste, and Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU).
Identifying our largest sources of emissions helped us set goals, track progress over time, and prioritize measures to reduce emissions.
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![Working Group Members Covening]()
Phase 2: Comprehensive Climate Action Plan
The second phase of the WMHCP, the Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP), focused on quantifying the initial measures identified in the PCAP.
Throughout this phase, policies and programs were refined through researching more funding opportunities, which entities would have the authority to implement these programs along with community action guides and more community engagement through the Community Ambassador Program.
The CCAP was completed in December 2025, marking the completion of the West MI Healthy Climate Plan.
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Phase 2: Community Ambassador Program
Community engagement is one of the center pieces of this phase, facilitated through our Community Ambassador Program.
15 Ambassadors were recruited to distribute surveys throughout the four-county region while the CCAP was being developed to gather feedback from the public to rate accessibility, affordability, interest, participation, and equity for programs and policies included in the CCAP.
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Phase 3: 2024 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
In 2026, our team is updating the region’s GHG inventory using 2024 data - the most current and comprehensive snapshot we’ve ever had for the four-county region.
This updated inventory is a critical benchmark, showing where we stand today and how emissions have changed since 2019.
With this new data, we can make more targeted decisions and update our priorities as we continue advancing climate action across the region.
The 2024 GHG Inventory will be made available in Spring 2026.
See the Development of the WMHCP
Interested in how the West MI Healthy Climate Plan was created? See this short documentary about what went into creating this Plan and how West Michigan can use it!
Community Ambassador Program
Community Impact
To ensure broad and inclusive participation, GVMC launched the Community Ambassador program from May - June 2025, where Ambassadors from Kent and Ottawa counties helped share the community impact survey to gather input from their unique communities on the sustainable programs and practices related to waste, energy, transportation, and agriculture.
Ambassadors worked hard to collect survey responses from residents of Kent, Ottawa, Ionia, and Montcalm counties through sharing the survey at events, through social media, through flyers, and through one on one conversations with friends and family.
Neighbors Reaching Neighbors: How Ambassadors Helped Gather Community Voices
Community Survey
Thanks to their outreach and dedication, we received over 570 survey responses from across Kent, Ottawa, Ionia, and Montcalm counties. These responses were incorporated into the final version of the plan and ensure it reflects real community input.
Survey Results
Engagement Sessions
As GVMC moves forward, it is essential to prioritize low-income and disadvantaged communities, who are often the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This process will actively involve and empower these communities to help shape the actions and policies that will directly affect them across the four counties.
GVMC is committed to engaging the public through a series of meetings, starting in January 2024 and continuing throughout the planning process. These meetings allow stakeholders to share feedback and help shape our region's plan. Below, you'll find photos, videos from past meetings in Kent, Ottawa, and Ionia Counties, and an update on next steps.
Stay updated on future meeting dates, locations, and more ways to get involved on this page!
January 2025
Participants participating in an engagement activity at the Ottawa County engagement session.
Photo from Ottawa County Engagement Session
Photo of all Ottawa County engagement session participants.
GVMC’s Cara Decker leads a discussion at the Kent County engagement session.
2024 Community engagement highlight
Photo of all participants at Kent County engagement session
Photo of participants at Kent County engagement session.
Consultant Amber Greaney leads a discussion at Ionia County Engagement session.
Photo of all participants at Ionia County engagement session.
Key Milestones:
July 2023: EPA awarded grant money to GVMC
January 2024: First Public Engagement Meeting
March 1, 2024: Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) due to EPA
April 2024: Implementation Grant application due to EPA
August 2024 Working Group Kickoff
April 2025 Community Surveys Launch
Fall 2025: Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) due to EPA
Summer/Fall 2027: Status Report due to EPA
More Information
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The EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program gives funding to states, local governments, and tribes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The program focuses on cutting pollution, creating good-paying jobs, lowering energy costs, and improving air quality, especially in communities that are most impacted. The State of Michigan received $3 million for the Michigan Healthy Climate Plan and Large metro areas like Grand Rapids and Detroit received $1 million each. Regional partners are working together to bring more funding into the state.
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The MI Healthy Climate Plan is Michigan’s roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building a more sustainable future. It sets a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 while creating jobs and protecting public health. It also emphasizes equity, aiming to ensure that all communities benefit from climate solutions and have a voice in the process
The West MI Healthy Climate Plan aligns goals and targets with the State’s Plan.
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Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are gases in the atmosphere that trap heat and keep the Earth warm enough to support life. They matter because adding more of them, mainly from human activities, traps extra heat, causing global warming and climate change that affect people, ecosystems, and weather patterns.
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You can reach us anytime via our contact page or email. We aim to respond quickly—usually within one business day.
