Mayor Michael Coleman and Columbus, OH officials studied the baseline greenhouse gas emissions in 2005. With an initial inventory totaling 317,926 MT eCO2, the city has taken actions to reduce its demand on natural resources by upgrading inefficient lighting, monitoring and adjusting building temperatures, improving HVAC systems, and weatherizing buildings.

The city has set a goal to reduce emissions by 2% each year until 2030. In order to reach this goal, the city uses the Energy Star Portfolio Manager, an interactive management and benchmarking tool, to gather ongoing data about the contribution each of the city’s buildings makes to emissions.