In 2018, Major Schember and Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper partnered with the Green Building Alliance to bring the 2030 District to Erie.

The 2030 District is a national initiative to reimagine the city’s infrastructure in a more environmentally sustainable way, achieving a 50% reduction of carbon emissions by 2030.

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“We work all across Western Pennsylvania and actually into the center of the state a little bit. We try to bring coaching, advice, inspiration, celebration, education for building owners, facilities managers, architects, engineers to help them think about how the built environment can contribute to community resilience and sustainability,” said Chris Cieslak, the COO of the Green Building Alliance.

The 2030 District is a national plan to reimagine infrastructure in a more environmentally sustainable way, with the goal of a 50% reduction of carbon emissions by 2030.

“My team and I were lucky enough to be involved with this right from the very beginning and it was really nice to see today all that they’ve accomplished over the last several years and we want to keep being involved and keep helping to move things forward,” said Mayor Schember.

Representative Bob Merski emphasized that how despite skeptics, efforts towards sustainability, like the 2030 District, are proven to work, “We already know from the success that we’ve had, that these green initiatives work. They save money, they create jobs. We’re not an early adopter here in the United States; this is already being done in Asia and Europe.”

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Merski said that this initiative will not only help with efficiency but will also create a new generation of buildings that will be the next great success story in America.

The results of Wednesday’s annual progress report, which reviews 2024, were that the city of Erie reduced its carbon emissions by 37.5 % which is the equivalent of 6 million car trips around Presque Isle State Park. This makes Erie halfway towards the 2030 vision.

Next steps for the Green Building Alliance are to begin measuring the internal air quality of buildings, finding ways to improve their air quality and to also begin studying the impact of construction and demolition waste on the environment.

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