It all started when…

Climate Action Plan

Click to view Chattanooga’s Climate Action Plan

Chattanooga’s transformation from a city once plagued by industrial pollution to a leader in green energy is a story of renewal and resilience. In 2009, the city’s first Climate Action Plan was adopted, focusing on energy, healthy communities, natural resources, and policy. This effort helped reduce citywide carbon emissions by 25%. Building on this foundation, in 2019, green|spaces drafted the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (ICSP), engaging over 100 community leaders and experts to research global best practices. This document inspired the 2023 Chattanooga Climate Action Plan (CAP), which was adopted by City Council and formalized a vision for a sustainable, resilient city, setting ambitious goals for the future.

Why does it matter?

Chattanooga’s Climate Action Plan is more than just an environmental initiative; it is a blueprint for a sustainable, equitable, and thriving city. The plan addresses key challenges such as social and economic disparities, climate resilience, waste reduction, and green economic growth. By aligning resources and engaging the entire community, Chattanooga is creating a model for other cities to follow—demonstrating how local action can lead to meaningful, long-term change for people and the planet.

What do we do?

The 2023 Chattanooga Climate Action Plan outlines six major goals, including reducing carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050, achieving zero waste, and fostering a green economy. The plan is a collaborative framework, with action steps that involve city staff, community leaders, and residents. Key initiatives focus on improving sustainability, preserving natural resources, and addressing community disparities. By leveraging partnerships and resources, Chattanooga is committed to achieving these goals and becoming a global leader in sustainability and resilience.

To facilitate meeting these goals, the city chartered an internal team, comprised of staff. Additionally, a Community Committee has also been formed to partner with the city and focus on goals outside the municipal scope. That’s where you come in.

Together, we can become one of the “greenest” cities in the world, but we need your help.

 

CAP Project Teams:

The Chattanooga CAP Community Committee is comprised of local Chattanooga citizens that care about the pursuit of sustainability in our city. We have further organized ourselves into “CAP Project Teams” to pursue specific goals of the Climate Action Plan. Below are descriptions of the teams. Please consider joining any area that interests you!

 

  • STRATEGY | Focus community-wide implementation of the Climate Action Plan in areas of greatest health, income, and other disparities.

    ACTION | Establish process for continual and sustained public input and engagement.

    TEAM LEADER | Sandy Kurtz

  • STRATEGY | Develop and implement Community Resilience and Response plans for at-risk populations.

    ACTION | Establish Community Resilience Hubs in publicly accessible facilities, establish community-wide emergency response and communication plans to ensure safety, communication, and continuation of necessary services, establish evacuation routes for at-risk neighborhoods and population centers, and establish public water fountain/bottle refill stations in key areas such as heat islands, parks, unshaded streets and sidewalks, etc...

  • STRATEGY | Encourage energy efficiency improvement in privately owned buildings.

    ACTION | Invest in and incentivize existing and new home energy-efficiency, weatherization, and workforce development programs for low-income and vulnerable communities.

  • STRATEGY | Decarbonize the transportation sector.

    ACTION | Encourage and incentivize non-motorized vehicle trips and establish transportation demand management incentives and policies.

    TEAM LEADER | Bruce Blohm

  • STRATEGY | Increase recycling

    ACTION | Work with material recovery facility (MRF) and industry partners to identify waste stream capture and upcycling.

    TEAM LEADERS | Mackenzie Tapley & Pat Smith

  • STRATEGY | Restore recreational use to all major tributaries.

    ACTION | Support community cleanups.

  • STRATEGY | Establish and implement a master community forestry and tree canopy plan.

  • STRATEGY | Establish Chattanooga as a zero-extinction zone.

    TEAM LEADER | Lauren Hurley

  • STRATEGY | Support community efforts to establish and advance access to reliable, sustainable, and healthy food sources.

    TEAM LEADER | Gabe LePage and Nikki Lake

“A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.”
Aldo Leopold