SUN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL ADOPTS CLIMATE ACTION PLAN 3/19/2026

300 East Main Street
Sun Prairie, WI 53590-2227
Website: https://cityofsunprairie.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –
March 19, 2026
Ashley Manthei
Communications Manager
amanthei@cityofsunprairie.com
(608) 608-0322
 

SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. – The Sun Prairie City Council adopted the Sun Prairie Climate Action Plan (CAP) at its March 17, 2026 meeting. This marks a significant milestone in the community’s commitment to sustainability and long-term resilience.

As municipalities regionally and nationally adopt Sustainability or Climate Action Plans to meet emission
reduction goals, Sun Prairie identified a federal funding opportunity to complete a comprehensive Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory and develop a CAP through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program. After being awarded the grant in 2024, the City partnered with Blue Strike Environmental, an expert consulting agency, to guide the technical development of the plan.

Sun Prairie’s CAP builds upon ongoing sustainability initiatives across City departments and incorporates
recommendations from the City’s 2021 Task Force on Sustainability Report. It establishes a scientific data-driven roadmap to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, advancing climate resilience, and aligning environmental action with community benefits, including improved quality of life, economic growth, and social equity. Designed as a living document, the CAP will evolve alongside advancements in technology and funding opportunities as it guides Sun Prairie’s sustainable growth and development over the next 25 years.

The CAP was developed collaboratively, involving Blue Strike Environmental, City staff, Sun Prairie Utilities, and WPPI Energy. This collaboration ensured the CAP’s alignment with the City’s 10-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and existing plans for transportation, housing, parks, and urban forestry.

Community engagement also helped shape this plan. A community-wide survey, along with in-person and hybrid engagement events, provided opportunities for residents to share input. Survey responses indicated strong community interest in renewable energy, waste diversion, and transportation improvements, which are reflected as key focus areas throughout the plan.

To establish a baseline and identify key impact areas, the City completed a 2024 GHG inventory covering both municipal and community-wide emissions. The inventory revealed that 66% of emissions stem from commercial and residential energy use, 31% from transportation, and 3% from solid waste and wastewater. This equates to 8.2 metric tons of emissions, or roughly the volume of two Olympic-sized swimming pools, per capita.

From this data, five focus areas for emissions reduction are identified in the CAP: Municipal Operations;
Buildings & Energy; Urban Design & Transportation; Resource Conservation; and Parks & Greenspace. Within these focus areas, the plan lays out twelve targeted strategies that together represent the most effective, high-impact, and achievable pathway for Sun Prairie to reduce emissions by 63% by 2035 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The strategies are detailed in the CAP document at
www.cityofsunprairie.com/climateactionplan.

Over the coming decades, the City will continue to replace vehicles, HVAC systems, and major equipment as they reach the end of their useful life. Under the guidance of the CAP, these routine replacement decisions will include evaluation of the most cost-effective, energy-efficient, and sustainable options available. By integrating electrified and energy efficient options, the City can reduce long-term operating expenses related to fuel and maintenance while striving towards its emission reduction targets and meeting clean energy goals.

With the adoption of the Climate Action Plan, Sun Prairie reaffirms its commitment to sustainable growth,
climate and energy resilience, and community wellbeing. To learn more and view the CAP, visit
www.cityofsunprairie.com/climateactionplan.
 
About City of Sun Prairie
Sun Prairie is a vibrant and thriving community located in northeastern Dane County, just east of the City of Madison. The City of Sun Prairie has experienced strong population growth since its incorporation from a village to a city in 1958, undergoing a transformation from a relatively small community of less than 4,000 to an estimated 39,419 today.