Oakland County has a bold vision to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To reach that goal, Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter’s administration has asked the Board of Commissioners to approve the creation of a campus-wide sustainability plan as well as a new executive office role of chief sustainability officer.
“Oakland County has a quality of life that endures because of its 1,450 lakes, 138 miles of trails, 90,000 acres of parks, and headwaters of five watersheds that flow throughout Southeast Michigan,” Coulter said. “We have a responsibility to address climate change so future generations can enjoy better public health, a stronger economy, and our beautiful natural resources.”
Through a competitive bidding process, Oakland County has selected AECOM to cultivate the sustainability plan. The company has led the development of more than 30 city and county resilience plans around the globe. It will team up with Thomas Consulting Group and Eminence Partners to assist in this large and comprehensive project.
“The primary goals of this plan are to assess where Oakland County is in our environmental sustainability efforts and focus on areas of improvement and resources,” Deputy County Executive April Lynch said. “The focus will include ensuring we have a strong plan moving forward that can be in tandem with our capital improvement planning and adjustments in our operations.”
The sustainability plan will focus on four areas: campus operations, emissions and energy, nature and ecosystems, and health and well-being.
A parallel goal will be to help local communities as they develop their own plans to protect the environment.
To oversee the creation and implementation of Oakland County’s sustainability plan, county executive administration has asked the board of
commissioners to use a vacated position for the chief sustainability officer. This person will serve as a strategic advisor to the county executive on environmental sustainability initiatives, develop the county’s sustainability initiatives, and lead the countywide climate action plan. The base pay will be $129,817.
"We are committed to addressing climate change, and these actions show that the board and county executive are moving swiftly to protect our environment," Commissioner Gwen Markham of Novi said. "The new sustainability officer will bring together all aspects of sustainability across our parks, operations and future planning, and the energy audit and sustainability plan will deliver changes we can make to reduce the county campus's carbon footprint."
"The creation of the chief sustainability officer position is critical and will be an important new role at the county," Commissioner Kristen Nelson of Waterford said. "Having a green initiative expert join our team is a bold step forward in our commitment to climate protection, and it is key to executing Oakland County's sustainability initiatives and countywide climate action plan."
The sustainability plan will begin in April of 2021 with background research, stakeholder engagement, and a sustainability asset management study. The county expects to have the final sustainability plan developed by spring of 2022. The total cost to create the plan is $575,000.
Board of Commissioner committees have approved the county sustainability plan and the chief sustainability officer position. The full board will vote on both on Thursday, March 25.
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