Asheville, NC

At a glance

Population: 30,000-100,000

City Leader: City Manger Gary Jackson

Sustainability Officer:
Maggie Ullman

Office Contact Information:
P.O. Box 7148
Asheville, NC 28808

Three Greatest Accomplishments to Date:
1. 2.5% carbon reduction for municipal operations last year
2. 20% of municipal employees work the 4/10 work schedule
3. Creating a competetive grant program for local organizations through EECBG funding

City Sustainability Board: YES
It is a multi-stakeholder public board appointed by the City Council for 2-3 years.

City Sustainability Plan: YES
Combined with the Climate Action Plan

Climate Action Plan: YES

Green Building Ordinance: YES
In place for city funded buildings only. LEED Gold for all new municipal buildings, buildings less than 5,000 square feet need to be LEED silver and buildings above that square footage need to be LEED Gold.

City Tracking & Results

Annual report including energy, carbon footprint and energy cost analysis broken down by city department.

Division of Sustainability Facts

Reports to the City Manager and sits within the City Manager's Office

City of Asheville Sustainability Website

Program Funding

The Sustainability Officer's salary is funded through the general fund with a $25,000 annual budget. Through EECBG funding we had an influx of $804,700 with an additional $500,000 of other stimulus grants supporting our efforts.

Sustainability Officer Duties

Support city executive and senior management team in the design of overall strategy and process for the project
Develop criteria, policies and procedures for sustainable programs
Develop Sustainability Plan and Climate Action Plan
Track and report about sustainability programs underway on a regular basis through the City's performance management program
Draft procedural and training manuals, process flow charts, and implementation plans
Maintain updated Sustainability Plan and Climate Action Plan
Oversee and maintain sustainability budget
Coordinate and lead City's Green Team
Identify and secure funding resources from outside sources (ex. Federal grants) for projects
Perform financial analysis on ongoing and new projects
Track, monitor, and report utility usage and greenhouse gas emissions of city operations
Track, monitor, and report greenhouse gas emissions at the community level
Represent the City at key meetings
Develop a multi-faceted communication strategy within the organization and the community to promote the City's efforts locally, statewide, and nationally to gain recognition
Foster, develop, and launch projects in partnership with city departments and external stakeholders

Mechanisms in Place for Long-term Sustainability

This position is in the general fund and therefore secured through leadership changes. Our current council adopted a resolution to reduce the municipal carbon footprint 80% by the year 2050 at a rate of 25 each year. This policy was further supported by the council approval of a strategic sustainability management plan.