For more than a decade, the City of Knoxville has worked to make Knoxville a greener, more sustainable city – one where the economy, environment, and community can thrive today and in the future. Thanks to our forward-looking, pragmatic, and effective approach, Knoxville is a regional and national leader in sustainability.

Since our first Energy & Sustainability initiatives, the City has saved taxpayer money through efficient operations, improved public services, increased renewable energy capacity, and invested in energy efficiency for homes and businesses. 

The City's Office of Sustainability focuses on high-emission sectors, and leads initiatives to drive down energy, emissions, and environmental impact.

HISTORY OF LEADERSHIP

	View the Energy & Sustainability Work Plan

For more than a decade, the City of Knoxville has worked to make Knoxville a greener, more sustainable city – one where the economy, environment, and community can thrive today and in the future. 

Since our first Energy & Sustainability initiatives, the City has saved taxpayer money through efficient operations, improved public services, increased renewable energy capacity, and invested in energy efficiency for homes and businesses. 

Learn more about the City’s history of sustainability and our current Energy & Sustainability Work Plan here.


FOCUSED ON CLIMATE

The City of Knoxville is committed to doing our part to fight climate change.

We’ve tracked greenhouse gas emissions since 2005 to identify the sources of emissions from both municipal operations and the community as a whole.

We set our first climate goals in 2008 - and updated them in 2019 - to ensure a sustainable future that protects our environment while also creating economic opportunities and improving quality of life for all our residents.

In 2011, we adopted the first Energy & Sustainability Work Plan as the guiding document to lower emissions and combat climate change.

In 2020, Mayor Kincannon convened over 65 community leaders and technical experts as the Mayor’s Climate Council to identify climate strategies that work for Knoxville. Their recommendations formed the City's current Energy & Sustainability Work Plan.