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 [...]
The City of Asheville has partnered with local organizations to host neighborhood cleanups over the next few weeks to keep litter off our streets and out of our streams. We invite you to lend a hand and enjoy physical and mental health benefits such as feeling a sense of accomplishment, getting exercise, enjoying the fresh air, meeting [...]
Climate Justice tools and resources can help operationalize lessons and information gathered in “clear skies” times to react and respond with informed, data driven actions during times of stress and crisis. Reports and data sets from the multi-year process of analyzing Asheville’s climate threats and assets, interviewing community members and hosting community conversations culminated in [...]
City of Asheville partners with Food Waste Solutions WNC to celebrate and promote food waste reduction with a month-long social media campaign and Taste It, Don’t Waste It! chefs cook-off event Each year, an estimated 57,500 tons of food is wasted in Buncombe County — that’s about one-quarter of the county’s commercial and residential landfill waste. To [...]
At the March 28 City Council meeting, City Council voted unanimously to adopt the Municipal Climate Action Plan (MCAP). The Municipal Climate Action Plan officially updates the City’s 2009 Sustainability Management Plan with updated and newly adopted resolutions around climate mitigation and adaptation. This plan supports City Council’s 2036 vision to create [...]
The City of Asheville wants to hear from you! The City is considering actions to curb the consumption of single-use plastic bags at point of sale and expanded polystyrene (aka StyrofoamTM) foodware containers. This short survey should take less than ten minutes to complete and will ask residents and businesses to share their experiences with [...]
Over the past 16 months our community has successfully diverted nearly 400,000 pounds of food scraps saving landfill space and reducing greenhouse gas emission! That’s equivalent to ~450 cars taken off of the road, good work Asheville! The City of Asheville, in partnership with Buncombe County, is excited to announce two new food scraps drop-off options at [...]
The City of Asheville is celebrating the results after one year of the free residential food scraps drop off pilot program. In 2022 so far, over 200,000 pounds (155 tons!) of organics has been diverted from the landfill. Thanks to the participation of nearly 4,000 residents, this pilot program is reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions and saving [...]