A2ZERO celebrates six years of impact

A²ZERO, Ann Arbor’s aggressive climate and sustainability plan and framework, just rounded out its sixth year and is celebrating with A²ZERO Week, a weeklong series of events, and the release of an annual report (PDF) looking at major activities and accomplishments achieved in the sixth year of the plan. The six-year report highlights the work of the Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovations, collaborating City departments and dozens of community collaborators over the July 2025–May 2026 period. Some notable highlights within the annual report include: 

• Ann Arbor Sustainable Energy Utility (A2SEU) began its first pilot project installations of solar plus battery storage systems in the Bryant neighborhood this spring.
• Over 75 City sites enrolled in a program that provides 100% of their electricity needs via wind and solar energy. Between this and the on-site solar systems at the City, over 75% of the electricity powering City facilities comes from renewable energy sources.
• Over 32% of the community’s electricity is now from renewable energy thanks to a series of strategies. See more and track progress on the A2ZERO Dashboard.
• The Green Rental Housing Ordinance was into effect in January 2026, with hundreds of properties already in compliance.
• The A²ZERO Home Energy Advisor has now helped over 600 Ann Arbor residents obtain “Path to Zero” decarbonization plans, understand their home energy use, evaluate bids and estimates and plan projects.
• Over 1,000 A²ZERO Home Energy Rebates have been claimed with nearly $2 million committed to residents since the program launched in 2024.
• OSI launched Insulate Ann Arbor, a pilot between the City of Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovations and DTE Energy offering up to $1 million in combined rebates to qualified multifamily rental properties installing energy efficiency upgrades.
• Around 31,500 pounds of electronics were collected at electronics collection events.
• OSI completed and published the A²ZERO Community Cookbook, a practical guide to sustainable eating in the Ann Arbor area, featuring 70+ recipes and 20 inspiring stories from local farmers, chefs and community leaders working to make our food system more sustainable and equitable.
• OSI installed eight additional air quality monitors, for a total of 10 in the community network.
• Over the last year, the City’s Sustaining Ann Arbor Together (SA2T) program awarded more than $80k in small grants supporting community, sustainability and climate action in Ann Arbor.
• On Earth Day 2026, OSI launched the “I Am A²ZERO” storytelling campaign, with videos showing just some of the variety of actions the Ann Arbor community is taking to become more sustainable. Celebrating things both big and small, this campaign highlights the impact of climate action in the Ann Arbor community straight from the members of the community themselves. Hear their stories and submit your own at a2zero.org/IAm. 
• And so much more! 

“This has been a year of incredible achievement, and I couldn't be more proud of our team, our residents and everyone who is helping us institutionalize sustainability into the fabric of Ann Arbor,” said Dr. Missy Stults, director of the City of Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovations. “All of this and more is possible because of our community — the ones who make this work possible, who rise to this moment and help us do the terribly challenging work of equitably addressing the climate crisis.”

For more information about A²ZERO, activities underway or ways to get involved, visit www.a2gov.org/sustainability or email sustainability@a2gov.org. To view the year one, two, three or four reports on A²ZERO activities, visit a2zero.org. 

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Media Contact: 

Dr. Missy Stults, Director of Sustainability and Innovations, mstults@a2gov.org