Resource Recycling Systems Inc. (RRS) led the development of a Climate Action Plan, Resilient Washtenaw, for Washtenaw county, Michigan. The plan was a collaboration between RRS and other consultants who worked together to create a roadmap to help the county reach their carbon neutrality goals by 2035.听 Partner consultants include Michigan-based Wade Trim, EcoWorks, Elevate, Center for Neighborhood Technology, as well as independent consultants.
Washtenaw County is the first county in Michigan to adopt a climate action plan. The plan outlines actions to be taken by government operations, and county-wide along with timing, goals and metrics, costs, and anticipated level of global greenhouse gas (GHGs) that each action can reduce.听The RRS team developed a multi-faceted community engagement process that provided a detailed greenhouse gas inventory, a vulnerability assessment, and a strategy for achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 for county operations and 2035 county-wide along with recommendations for implementation.
RRS also helped lead the public engagement alongside Detroit-based, EcoWorks which directed public meetings with multiple communities to identify areas most effected by the impacts of climate change and identify potential mitigation and adaptation projects.听RRS is currently supporting Ann Arbor Township on an implementation plan within the county Resilient Washtenaw framework. Previously, RRS amended Washtenaw County鈥檚 solid waste management plan to limit the amount of waste requiring disposal with a focus on waste as resources through reduction, reuse and recycling.
鈥淩RS brought a strong team of national and local experts to identify ways the county could meet their carbon neutrality goals with a focus on resilience and equity,鈥� said Matthew Naud, Senior Consultant, RRS. 鈥淭he county is now better prepared to apply for new grants and begin to implement these strategies with new state and federal funding opportunities and we anticipate initiatives will move along quickly.鈥�
RRS staff supported several circular economy recommendations that recognize the often-missed role of recycled materials in making communities more resilient.听 Some of the recommendations include a county-wide compost program to move organics out of landfills and into compost and other productive uses and investing in NextCycle Michigan companies that use local recycled content as part of their manufacturing.
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