In recent months, Mayor George Heartwell has been working to address climate change at the local level. In July, Heartwell attended the “Sundance Summit.” Dubbed a “Mayors' Gathering for Climate Change,” the conference featured over 47 mayors discussed ways that cities can work to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and examined current efforts to do so. Writing in The Grand Rapids Press after his return, Heartwell stated that “we cannot wait for the federal government to act” and argued that cities must begin to address the global warming problem.

At their June 28, 2005 meeting, the Grand Rapids City Commission unanimously adopted a resolution brought by Mayor Heartwell that signed on to the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. The agreement, which has been adopted by 174 municipalities as of August 1, 2005, encourages the federal government and state governments to enact policies that meet or surpass the Kyoto Protocol's goal of reducing emissions to 7% below their 1990 total by 2012. The resolution also calls for the United States Congress to pass bipartisan legislation that includes clear timetables and emission limits and sets up a market-based trading system for emitting industries. However, the most important part of the resolution is the steps that Grand Rapids will take to reduce emissions:

• Exclusive purchase of Energy Star equipment for City use
• Increase the average municipal fleet fuel efficiency
• Inventory global warming emissions in City operations, to be followed by setting reduction targets and creating an action plan
• Retrofit city facilities with efficient lighting
• Promote sustainable building practices

There are additional steps that will be taken if the resolution is followed by the City. The full text of the resolution is available for those who wish to read more.