City of Ann Arbor Recognized as 2025 Michigan Sustainable Business of the Year Honoree
December 1, 2025
Michigan Sustainable Business Forum named City of Ann Arbor the winner of its inaugural Public Sector Award at its 12th Annual Triple Bottom Line Bash last week at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids. The Public Sector category of the Michigan Sustainable Business of the Year Awards recognizes a local or regional government for its efforts to advance community sustainability and sustainable business practices.
The Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovations is leading an effort to achieve community-wide carbon neutrality through a just transition by 2030. It is currently working to implement more than 90 different actions to achieve that goal. In the last year alone, it has:
- Distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars in rebates to help residents advance sustainability in their homes,
- Created the State’s first green rental housing ordinance, which requires rentals to advance sustainability-related activities,
- Launched a new 100% renewable Sustainable Energy Utility,
- Designed and secured initial funding to develop the State’s first large scale district geothermal installation, which will provide heating and cooling services for 262 low-income households, a school, and a community center – all while serving as a model for other neighborhoods in the City and state.
- Initiated a planning process to develop a circular economy strategy for the entire community, and initiated designs to launch a returnable container program to reduce single-use foodware,
- Created three, and working on two more resilience hubs in the Community.
Adopted on June 1st, 2020, A2ZERO is the City of Ann Arbor’s plan for achieving a just transition to community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030.
“Ann Arbor’s audacious goal of community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030, requires an all hands-on-deck approach to sustainability and climate action. We are so thankful for this award and its recognition of the tireless work of our community, our residents, and our collaborators in helping us move this goal one step closer to success,” said Dr. Missy Stults, Sustainability and Innovations Director for the city of Ann Arbor.
The signature event of the state’s sustainability community, this year’s Triple Bottom Line Bash hosted more than 350 professionals, supporters and their families to recognize businesses, institutions and professionals from around the state. This was the first year for the Michigan Sustainable Business of the Year Awards program, which had previously been organized as a regional event focused on western Michigan. Award winners and finalists were nominated by Forum members and selected by a committee of their peers.
“The City of Ann Arbor’s work in sustainability is an inspiration for the rest of the state. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with them, learn from their leadership, and carry their lessons forward,” said Daniel Schoonmaker, Executive Director of the Michigan Sustainable Business Forum.
The Triple Bottom Line Bash began in 2014 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum. The organization rebranded as the statewide Michigan Sustainable Business Forum at the event in 2024.
Other winners included Meijer (Large Company), Revolin Sports, (Small Business), Michigan Dining (Campus), Green Living Science (Community Organization, Supermercado Mexico (Food Systems) Edison Community Partners (Services & Consulting), Recycler of the Year Unlimited Recycling, Inc. and Manufacturer of the Year Vantage Plastics.
Michigan Sustainable Business Forum promotes business practices that advance climate leadership, social justice and the creation of a circular economy. Through its membership program, the Forum is Michigan’s leading organization for beyond-compliance sustainability practitioners, serving its most recognizable brands, largest employers and most innovative entrepreneurs, advocates and educators, as well as the public sector. Through its campaigns and advocacy, it is contributing to a future where greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere are declining and Michigan is a center of expertise for sustainable business.
Learn more about City of Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovations here.