The Climate Justice Initiative includes a community led definition of Climate Equity and Climate Justice, as well as the creation of the Climate Justice Data Map for staff and public to visualize and understand local climate threats alongside compounding social and economic stressors. A Climate Justice Guide and Screening Tool for internal operations are also included.
Whether you keep your tree up through the new year or take it down the day after Christmas, there is still the question of how to dispose of it properly. Christmas trees will be collected by the City of Asheville according to the routine brush collection schedule. Residents are asked to remove lights, [...]
Tis the season - to be eco-friendly! The next few weeks will be full of friends, family, events - and a lot of STUFF. Take care, Asheville, to follow some of these tips to reduce landfill waste and keep Asheville green!
The City of Asheville, in partnership with Buncombe County and Natural Resource Defense Council’s Food Matters program, launched a pilot food scrap drop-off program earlier this year and we are pleased to report it has been amazingly successful. Two food scraps drop-off sites at Stephens-Lee Recreation Center and Buncombe County Landfill Convenience Center [...]
The City of Asheville is proud to celebrate America Recycles Day November 15 which promotes the importance of recycling and recognizes the efforts of Ashevillians to recycle right. Taking the time to properly recycle improves our quality of life by supporting a clean, economically vibrant, and sustainable environment. More than 24,000 tons of trash are generated [...]
On September 30, the City of Asheville “flipped the switch” on the photovoltaic array, commonly known as solar panels, at Fire Station 10 on Old Haywood Road. This is the second City facility to include renewable energy production, the first being the Transit Station on Coxe Avenue. This is also part of [...]
In fiscal year 2019/2020, the City saw a 2.3% reduction in carbon emissions as compared to the FY2008 baseline despite an increase in services.
From the Office of Sustainability The smells and colors of fall are starting to creep in with crisp mornings and the full flavors of the late season. Fall is a great time to support local farmers, enjoy fresh food, and bolster Asheville’s local food economy at our many farmers markets. Local farmers markets, or tailgate markets, [...]
Earlier in July, a group of representatives and senators introduced the Zero Food Waste Act to Congress. This legislation would advance the federal goal of halving US food loss and waste by 2030 and reduce the climate, resource, economic, and social impacts of food waste. This bill would help communities meet local, regional, and [...]
Did you know that in the US nearly 40% of food is wasted, clogging our landfills and costing us over $408 billion annually?! The City of Asheville is working hard to think of solutions to reduce our waste and save our food. The City of Asheville’s Office of Sustainability, in partnership with Sanitation and Buncombe County, [...]
At the June 8 City Council meeting, City Council voted unanimously to enter into a contract with environmental strategy firm AECOM to update the City’s Sustainability Management Plan into a Municipal Climate Action Plan [MCAP]. The purpose of the Municipal Climate Action Plan is to update the [...]
Here are some ways our Asheville community can celebrate Earth Month locally — leading up to Earth Day on April 22! Participate in Food Waste Reduction Month — Asheville City Council proclaimed April as Food Waste Reduction Month. More than 57,000 tons of food waste is generated in Buncombe County [...]
This week, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer signed a proclamation declaring April “Food Waste Reduction Month.” The City’s Office of Sustainability is working with our local Food Waste Solutions group alongside other innovative cities in the Southeast to develop and implement food waste initiatives. This “Food Matters” project is facilitated through [...]
The City and the community have demonstrated leadership in mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change locally but we recognize that climate change is a global issue. Due to this complexity the City continues to advocate for clean energy and climate mitigation policy at all levels of government and we are excited to [...]
On Jan. 28, 2020, Asheville City Council passed a Resolution Endorsing Declaration of a Climate Emergency and Emergency Mobilization Effort to Restore a Safe Climate. You can read a copy of the resolution at this link. The City’s Office of Sustainability would like to provide a community update on work related to [...]
Asheville residents can look upon the new year with optimism. Together, we’ve weathered a pandemic and a vaccine will be available this year. Even so, the City of Asheville’s response to COVID-19 will continue in the new year, in coordination with the state of North Carolina and Buncombe County. Residents can look forward to advances in [...]
Dec. 12 marks the five-year anniversary of the world coming together to sign on to the Paris Agreement and the City of Asheville is marking the moment by committing to a national mobilization for a clean energy economy and centering their own operations in pursuit of climate action. In doing so, Asheville joins over 1,000 [...]