Chicago—the Windy City, home of the Bulls, and the birthplace of deep-dish pizza—now powers its city buildings with 100% clean energy! WAHOO!!

Decarbonizing Chicago’s more than 400 municipal buildings will reduce emissions equivalent to removing 62,000 cars from the road. This achievement marks powerful progress toward the city’s goal of a fully decarbonized building sector by 2035.

Currently, 70% of the energy needed will be bought from a 500-megawatt solar farm in Illinois, and the other 30% will come from renewable energy credit purchases. Chicago’s leaders are optimistic that the shift to 100% renewable city buildings will spur further clean energy development locally, allowing them to say “bye-bye” to the credits altogether and purchase the energy they need right at home. The workforce needed to support this transition will also be home-grown, thanks to the city’s annual financial commitment toward local clean energy workforce development programs.

At the end of the day, this decision is doing more than just supporting Chicago’s climate goals: It’s driving a shift in the market, actively supporting community growth and development, and making the journey to complete building decarbonization a little less daunting. It’s a powerful model for change!

Other municipalities may not be making Chicago-style commitments, but several are taking their own steps toward a future with better buildings. Any building decarbonization initiative helps reduce the 35% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions that buildings are responsible for.

New York City, St. Louis, and seven other cities have established building performance standards that will only get stricter over time. According to the Building Decarbonization Coalition’s policy tracker, 130 local governments have zero-emission building ordinances. A 2022 World Resources Institute report found that more than 700 cities have some kind of renewable energy deal like Chicago’s.

Now, we haven’t forgotten about tomorrow: the inauguration is happening, and what lies ahead is about as scary as it gets. But we share this story to keep the focus on what we can do. The Chicago story is more than just good news—it’s a powerful reminder of what cities can accomplish and the bold commitments they will continue to keep regardless of the actions Congress and the President take.

Cities aren’t giving up the fight for a net-zero future, and neither are we. Let’s follow Chicago’s example and encourage cities and states around the country to decarbonize their buildings!