Asheville Sustainability

Sustainability in Asheville is Driven by the Community

An Interview with Asheville’s Office of Sustainability

Joe Thomas
Climate Conscious
Published in
4 min readAug 10, 2020

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Image by Sean Pavone

Asheville has become a thriving example of sustainability planning in North Carolina and the Southeastern United States. The City’s Office of Sustainability has been leading efforts to shape an ambitious agenda, and the community is driving the work forward.

How was Asheville’s Sustainability Management Plan developed? Do you see the plan changing over time?

The Sustainability Management Plan was developed after the City had adopted an ambitious carbon reduction goal and it was clear that it would only be achieved through a series of bold and strategic actions. The plan has and will continue to change as our community decides to tackle different areas affecting climate change and our understanding of the connectivity of systems evolves.

How do you think about setting ambitious goals while also setting achievable targets?

The vision and goals are determined by the community and approved by the City Council. As practitioners, we believe it is important to set achievable…

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Joe Thomas
Climate Conscious

EV traveler, writer, futurist. Author of The Wealth of the Planet, While We Were Charging, and Martian Economics --> https://a.co/d/3z6f4CC