City of Charlottesville wins state, national sustainability awards

The City of Charlottesville’s work to be “A Green City” is being recognized statewide and nationally.

The city was named a winner in the 2020-2021 Better Business Challenge, was approved as a Sustainability Partner in the Department of Environmental Quality’s Virginia Excellence Program, and was named a win of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2021 WaterSense® Sustained Excellence Award.

Better Business Challenge

The City of Charlottesville participated in the Better Business Challenge as part of a 16-month effort to reduce climate emissions and innovate around sustainability.  Charlottesville joined 75 local businesses, nonprofits, and schools who tool actions to reduce their environmental impacts and, over the summer, was announced as one of the winners. Efforts that contributed to winning included establishment of an energy and water management program that focuses on technology, operations, and behavior.

Virginia Environmental Excellence Program

This is the ninth year for the City of Charlottesville to be approved as a Sustainability Partner in DEQ’s Virginia Environmental Excellence Program.  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.

EPA WaterSense Award

And, most recently in October, the City of Charlottesville was recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a 2021 WaterSense Sustained Award, the highest level of program recognition, for its dedication to helping the community save water, even with the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

WaterSense, a voluntary partnership program sponsored by EPA, is both a label for water-efficient products and homes and a resource for helping consumers learn ways to save water.  WaterSense Award winners demonstrate their commitment to saving this precious resource by producing, building, and promoting labeled products and homes that are independently certified to use less water and perform well. WaterSense honored the City of Charlottesville as a Sustained Excellence Award winner for a fourth year in a row and seventh year of receiving a WaterSense award.

Highlighted programs and community engagement efforts by Charlottesville’s Water Conservation Program in 2020 include issuing 130 WaterSense toilet rebates, promoting water saving tips on social media with their #WaterTipWednesday, and holding a virtual “Imagine a Day without Water” art contest with the them “What Water Means to Me.”