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A Green City
What Does It Mean to Be a Green City?
The City Council Vision Statement - 2025 includes 9 parts, one of which describes the vision for Charlottesville to be A Green City.
City Council Vision 2025: A Green City
Charlottesville citizens live in a community with a vibrant urban forest, tree-lined streets, and lush green neighborhoods. We have an extensive natural trail system, along with healthy rivers and streams. We have clean air and water, we emphasize recycling and reuse, and we minimize stormwater runoff. Our homes and buildings are sustainably designed and energy efficient.
What Is Sustainability?
Sustainability is essentially defined as being a process or a state that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely. In other words, it means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
A sustainable community means to work together within our community to create an attractive, clean area in which to live, and to protect the natural resources upon which all life is dependent - for example using energy and water more efficiently, managing our waste through recycling and composting, producing less waste, and reducing pollution.
In the side navigation menu on the left, you can find links about ways to help make Charlottesville a more sustainable city and community.
CityGreen Map
The CityGreen Map shows projects and resources around Charlottesville that contribute to making us A Green City. The map includes six themes, icons linked to specific project/site details, and several base maps to toggle between.
View the CityGreen Map
University of Virginia’s Green Guide
The University of Virginia (UVA) has created a Green Guide interactive map for sustainability projects on grounds.
Green City News & Program Highlights
City of Charlottesville Approved as VEEP Sustainability Partner for 11th Year!
The City of Charlottesville is honored as a Department of Environment Quality (DEQ) Virginia Environmental Excellence Program (VEEP) Sustainability Partner. The City received this recognition for accomplishments in 2022 for upholding a strong environmental record going beyond legal requirements.
The VEEP Sustainability Partners track is designed to encourage organizations across Virginia to make environmental sustainability part of their culture through leadership, innovation, and continual improvement. Organizations must demonstrate this commitment through measurable and verifiable conservation efforts, leading to direct and indirect improvements in energy usage, water usage, waste generation, and other environmental benefits.