2024 was a wonderful year for Sierra Club members and supporters working together in West Michigan! We coordinated & collaborated on events, stood together and worked for meaningful environmental action.
Highlights in West Michigan from 2024, spanning the lakeshore:
- The city of Grand Haven held visioning sessions for redeveloping Harbor Island, the former site of the J.B. Sims coal plant. The Sierra Club educated and turned out members and supporters.
- The Grand Haven Sustainability & Energy Commission surveyed residents this past year about energy issues and received significant community input. Seventy percent of participants support energy and climate planning. The Commission’s extensive draft “Northwest Ottawa County Community Energy Plan” focuses on renewable energy, energy efficiency, transportation issues, local economy and climate, environment and sustainability priorities.
- In Grand Rapids, the Grand Rapids Climate Coalition hosted a climate march this past fall. The march pulled in students from local colleges and universities and community members. The event spread awareness of the ongoing work of more than 80 coalition groups working on climate issues.
- Following through on the city commission’s climate resolution last year, the City of Muskegon completed a greenhouse gas inventory in early 2024. The inventory will be used to set target reductions and cut the municipality's greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.
- The Sierra Club MI Chapter also cohosted two engagement events for Muskegon county residents with JustAir on the topic of air quality monitoring. These events empowered community members with existing public health information about air quality impacts. We also explored how new, local air quality monitors might better inform neighborhoods and residents.
Events to look forward to in 2025:
- Saying farewell to Consumers Energy’s large (1,440MW) Campbell coal plant. The 2,000-acre plant on the shore of Lake Michigan is scheduled for closure in May 2025. The Michigan Sierra Club has worked for nearly 20 years for this plant’s closure.
You’re invited: Join Consumers Energy’s Open House on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. You’ll learn more about the decommissioning process and have a chance to share your thoughts on the site’s future. RSVP to the open house.
- This past summer, Consumers Energy began constructing their largest solar farm. The 250MW project will provide power to 40,000 homes. Project planning started in 2016 and the MI Sierra Club was instrumental in supporting and encouraging the large-scale solar array at the Muskegon county Resource Recovery Center. The 1,900-acre project is next to a wastewater treatment plant, which enables dual use of this property.
- MI Sierra Club will continue working to stop the reopening of the Palisades Nuclear Plant. Riddled with problems since opening in 1971, the plant is one of the worst-performing nuclear plants in the country.
Thanks for all your time and talents. It’s been a joy working alongside you in 2024, and we look forward to what we’ll do together in 2025!