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Eco-conscious Citizens of Ethica, New York secured a $100 million investment to climate-proof their buildings, with the aim to offset climate emissions by 2030.

Ithaca, New York, could soon become the poster for organizing huge investments in starting major retrofit projects to climate-proof buildings. With a total of $100 million of investments secured, the city is now setting goals of taking positive climate actions on thousands of buildings. 

It all started when a man named Fred Schoeps bought an ancient building and introduced the latest energy-efficient technology. It made the building less reliant on fossil fuel and thereby reduced its natural carbon footprint. 

The Guardian had some details of what Fred managed to do in his personal project. 

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“His three-year renovation of the building, comprising three apartments above a skate store, included installing energy-efficient windows and insulation, plus fully electric appliances, heating and cooling systems. ”

Now, Luis Aguirre-Torres, Ithaca’s director of sustainability, wants to bring the same ideas to the rest of the city that is home to 30,000 residents. The goal is to limit and offset all climate emissions by 2030, and that will largely depend on making the entire city less dependent on energy. 

Doing this will require funding and encouragement so that private home and business owners take those first steps. And by securing $100 million dollars, this should become a low-risk project for many investment partners.

Chris is one of GreenCitizen’s writers who has been a long-time advocate of individual responsibility when it comes to the environment. He shares GreenCitizen's passion for making the world a better place every day of the year.

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