The Sustainability Department invites you to join in the fun of making a cleaner, greener Asheville at home, at work, and in our community. Keep reading to find ways to get involved and have a positive impact, while enjoying the outdoors and our community. Earth Day is today, but if it snuck up on you [...]
If you’ve ever started a garden, you know that seeds, in addition to soil, water, and sun, are required for success. The City of Asheville is happy to share and support Seed Libraries for residents to access seeds for free! Seed Libraries are a great community resource that offer vegetable, flower, and herb seeds to help [...]
Learn more about the Less Plastic Asheville Challenge by checking out What's up AVL on either WRES 100.7 or the City of Asheville YouTube page
During the recent Council Retreat on February 22 & 23, 2024, Asheville City Council was able to establish 6 strategic priorities for the next fiscal year. The strategic priorities help guide City Council, City staff, and the City’s annual operating and capital budget and annual work plans. The 6 priorities for FY2025 are: Neighborhood and Climate Resilience Equitable, [...]
Participants who take the “Pass on Plastic Pledge” or play (and win!) “Less Plastic Bingo” can earn great prizes to assist them on their Less Plastic Asheville journey!
Today, 75 mayors – including the mayors of Asheville, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Durham and Greensboro in North Carolina – sent a letter urging the Biden administration to finalize the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) strongest proposed rule for the GHG Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles – Phase 3 rule (HDV rule). The HDV rule would [...]
Simplicity, the simplest way to get information you need from your local government, now has new Climate features!
This holiday season the City’s Sustainability Advisory Committee is supporting our community in finding alternatives for holiday gift sourcing. The Holiday Free Store is a fun “shopping” event that is good for your wallet and for the planet.
The Broadway Public Safety Station on Broadway Street, even though not officially open yet, it is producing solar energy. This is the seventh City facility to include renewable energy production. The Broadway Public Safety Station will produce approximately 77,386 kilowatt hours per year, enough electricity to power 7 homes.
Does the recent North Carolina state budget provision addressing the use of plastic bags impact Asheville's new leaf collection ordinance that went into effect August 1, 2023? The quick answer is no, but expand this article for a fuller explanation and a reminder of good practices.
In October 2022, following preliminary community-led engagement, sustainability staff were directed by City Council to conduct wide-reaching public engagement and research to inform a recommendation on single-use plastic reduction in our community.
On July 28th, the City of Asheville “flipped the switch” on the photovoltaic array, commonly known as solar panels, at the Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center on Livingston Street. Sustainable Energy Goals: This is the sixth City facility to include renewable energy production, the first being the Transit Station on Coxe Avenue. Installation of the solar [...]
Local nonprofit Bountiful Cities and Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council partnered with the City of Asheville to release an updated interactive map showing public edible plants around Asheville. Asheville is known for its vibrant food culture and commitment to sustainability. However, alongside a community of passionate foodies, there are individuals experiencing food insecurity. The Asheville Edibles [...]
The City of Asheville is committed to promoting environmental sustainability and reducing plastic waste. As part of these efforts, the City will be implementing a new ordinance, effective August 1, 2023, that prohibits the use of plastic bags for brush and leaf collection. This regulation is in accordance with the Asheville Code of [...]
Following the Climate Emergency Declaration by Asheville City Council in January 2020, city staff have been exploring strategies to incorporate Climate Justice in city operations. Initial engagement in the Climate Justice Initiative sought out community expertise and leadership through interviews, story circles, and lived-experience sharing. This expertise informed tools, priorities and [...]
Those of us who live, work, and play in and around Asheville know how magical our mountain city can be. We all have ideas and opinions on how to keep it that way – or even make it better. One way to share those ideas with City leaders is to take part in City issued surveys [...]
Earth Day is just around the corner! The Department of Sustainability invites you to join in the fun of making a cleaner, greener Asheville at home, at work, and in our community. There are many ways to make small changes with big impact to the health and quality of our environment. Below are a few examples [...]