Our Work

Our Work

Emission Reduction Goals, relative to 2005, for Knoxville City government and community, adopted by City Council in 2019.

Reducing the City of Knoxville's emissions is a shared effort that extends beyond the Office of Sustainability. Many City departments integrate sustainability into their daily work, helping advance Knoxville's climate goals through increased efficiency and long-term planning across City operations. Visit our Sustainability Across City Departments page to learn more.

Over time, the Office of Sustainability has led initiatives that were later transitioned to other departments or concluded as priorities evolved and goals were achieved. Visit our History page to learn more about this work and how Knoxville's sustainability efforts have grown.

Current Scope

	Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories Knoxville has tracked greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and published inventories for both municipal operations and the community as a whole since 2005. View our inventories and progress made towards our city and community goals.

	Renewable Energy Knoxville currently owns and operates seven solar arrays on City facilities. These arrays provide renewable power to City facilities and the local grid, saving taxpayer money on utilities while reducing our emissions.

	EV Charging Knoxville provides 43 Level 2 EV charging ports at 15 publicly accessible sites throughout the City. These chargers are available for public use at no cost, allowing drivers to charge their vehicles while visiting parks, shopping or dining, or attending events.

	City Building Performance View utility data for City-owned and leased buildings to understand our energy use, costs, and emissions. This data supports our greenhouse gas emissions inventories, energy efficiency projects, and planning efforts across City departments.

	Knox BREATHE The region's first climate planning initiative led by the City of Knoxville, in partnership with other local municipalities in the nine-county region. This initiative is part of the U.S. EPA's Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program, a two-stage grant program that provides funding for planning and implementation grants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollutants.

	Mayor's Climate Council In 2020, Mayor Kincannon convened over 65 community leaders and technical experts as the Mayor’s Climate Council (opens in new window)to identify climate strategies for Knoxville. Their recommendations formed the City's current Energy & Sustainability Work Plan, which establishes multi-year priorities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions while addressing community-identified needs. Priorities reflect public input, lived experience, and subject matter expertise to guide City departments toward shared climate goals.

	Staff and Work Plan View our staff directory and our current and historical Energy & Sustainability Work Plans.

Current Reporting and Recognition

The City of Knoxville participates in external reporting programs to track progress, ensure transparency, and benchmark our sustainability efforts. A historical list of reporting and recognition is available on our History page.

	U.S. Department of Energy Better Buildings Challenge Knoxville joined the Better Buildings Challenge in 2012 with a goal to reduce energy intensity across our municipal building portfolio by 20 percent by 2022 from a 2010 baseline. The City achieved this initial goal in 2021 and has resumed reporting to the program as of 2025 to continue our progress. Visit Knoxville's Better Buildings Challenge profile for additional details.

	Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) CDP is an independent global environmental disclosure system, with more than 1,000 cities, states, and regions reporting each year. Knoxville received a B on its 2025 CDP disclosure. A B score reflects clear climate plans, policies, targets, and actions to reduce emissions and address climate risks. Our score reflects meaningful progress and offers a roadmap towards an A. See the full 2025 Cities 'A' list on CDP's website.

	U.S. Department of Energy Charging Smart Knoxville achieved Charging Smart Bronze designation in 2025. This honor recognizes our hard work to make it faster, easier, and more affordable for residents and businesses to use electric vehicles in our city. This program was led by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Drive Electric TN, and East Tennessee Clean Fuels. Learn more about the program and what we accomplished to receive this designation.

Our Work

Sustainability Director