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Goshen City Council Commits To Carbon Neutrality By 2035

Screenshot captured via Zoom

Two years ago, the city of Goshen committed to draft a plan to reach zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035. It was one of several environmental goals set by the city’s youth caucus back in 2019.

 

At its meeting on Tuesday, the Goshen City Council voted unanimously to adopt the plan, which lays out nine primary strategies to reduce emissions from city operations. Those include increasing the city’s tree canopy and finding ways to make its land use, energy use, transportation and infrastructure more sustainable.

 

“Some of these topics were well on the way. Some of them are going to be a big climb, and we’re going to have to have some serious budget discussions in three, four, five years,” Goshen Mayor Jeremy Stutsman said at the council’s meeting on June 1. “We’re definitely going to get that low-hanging fruit right away and keep pecking away at the bigger things.”

 

The plan also includes target goals for 2026 — at the June 1 meeting, Environmental Resilience Director Aaron Sawatsky-Kingsley said the city aims to reduce emissions from natural gas consumption by 20 percent, from electric consumption by 30 percent and from gasoline transportation by 25 percent.

 

He said since the city receives the majority of its energy from NIPSCO, its emissions goals will also be aided by the provider’s decision to retire its coal-fired plants by 2028 and build out its wind and solar energy infrastructure.

 

The board of public works approved the climate action plan back in May, and the council first introduced a supporting resolution last month. 

 

Ashley Garcia Coto, youth advisor for the city’s parks and recreation board, said at the meeting on Tuesday that the council’s added support will help communicate the importance of combating climate change — not only to the Goshen community, but also to cities around the state.

 

“You guys would be the leaders, and you’re playing the role and helping the community,” Garcia Coto said. “And that’s really important to us.” 

 

City officials said the plan is meant to be a living document that can be adjusted as climate technology changes. The resolution says city departments will “sharpen and refine” the nine strategies over time “toward the express goal of zero emissions.”

 

Contact Gemma atgdicarlo@wvpe.orgor follow her on Twitter at@gemma_dicarlo.

 

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Gemma DiCarlo came to Indiana by way of Athens, Georgia. She graduated from the University of Georgia in 2020 with a degree in Journalism and certificates in New Media and Sustainability. She has radio experience from her time as associate producer of Athens News Matters, the flagship public affairs program at WUGA-FM.