Climate Change Strategies for Detroit Small Businesses
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Introduction Background The Detroit Climate Action Collaborative has teamed up with the University of Michigan’s Erb Institute for Sustainability in Business to create this toolbox for use by Detroit-area small businesses.1 The collaborative recently prepared a Climate Action Plan for Detroit—a road map for combating climate change and adapting to its likely effects. The plan addresses several different Detroit stakeholder communities, including small businesses. Although it’s focused primarily on climate change, the plan is part of a
Social
larger sustainability initiative for Detroit. It sees Detroit as a global model of a vibrant urban center, where business and community thrive in environmental, economic and social
Bearable
health. This “triple bottom line” aspect of the plan is the
Equitable Sustainable
essence of true sustainability.2
Environmental
Economic Viable
The Plan’s Goals The plan lays out four broad climate change goals that apply to all businesses and institutions, large and small alike:
GHGs Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation, energy sources and the built environment 10% from 2012 levels by 2022, 30% by 2032 and 80% by 2050.
B2B Create resilient business and institutions and a green businessto-business (B2B) culture.
H2O Preserve and conserve water and water quality.
JOBS Increase awareness of career options in fields that lead to reducing GHG emissions.
1 A small business is one that has annual revenues less than $1 billion and/or employs fewer than 500 people. 2 Throughout this toolbox, we think of “sustainability” initiatives as the broad group of efforts intended to achieve the triple bottom line. Addressing climate change is one part of work in sustainability.
CLIMATE CHANGE STRATEGIES FOR DETROIT SMALL BUSINESSES | AUGUST 2017
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