The City of Asheville has a strong record and long-standing commitment to sustainability. The Sustainability Department was created in 2008 to integrate sustainable design, technology, and practice into municipal operations, infrastructure, and services. The Sustainability Department is responsible for incorporating City Council’s Strategic Goals and City Resolutions pertaining to sustainability within the organization.
Doing the Work
Listed below are the plans, assessments, and policies that guide the work of the Sustainability Department.
Guiding Documents
- Municipal Climate Action Plan
- The Sustainability Management Plan
- Climate Resiliency Assessment
- Moving to 100 Percent: Renewable Energy Transition Pathways Analysis for Buncombe County and the City of Asheville
Policies
- 4% annual carbon reduction goal for municipal operations
- 2% annual carbon reduction goal for municipal operations
- Food policy action plan
- 50% municipal solid waste reduction goal by 2035
- 100% renewable energy goal for municipal operations by 2030
- Climate Emergency and Emergency Mobilization Effort to Restore a Safe Climate
Updates
The Sustainability Department provides annual updates to the department’s work, which can be found below:
Asheville Community Carbon Footprint
In 2021 the Sustainability Department worked with a student from the Lenoir Rhyne Masters of Sustainability Studies program to measure the carbon footprint of the city at large. The carbon emissions from 2019 for the city of Asheville are summed up in this infographic.
Community Partners
The Sustainability Department partners with the following local nonprofits to implement community programs:
