Eco-City Alexandria

City of Alexandria, VA

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Page updated May 17, 2012 2:42 PM

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What's New

T&ES Office of Environmental Quality's Report on "2011 Eco-City Progress Report and Key Environmental Indicators" is Now Available
Under the direction of and with strong commitment from the Mayor and Members of City Council, the City of Alexandria, in partnership with its Environmental Policy Commission (EPC), Virginia Tech and the community, embarked on a new initiative – Eco-City Alexandria – early in 2007 which culminated in the Council’s adoption of the Eco-City Charter, the first of its kind in the Commonwealth, in 2008, as well as the Environmental Action Plan 2030 (EAP) in 2009. Since then, the City and its residents have collectively completed numerous actions aimed at fostering the goals of the Eco-City. This report is the first attempt to quantitatively measure the progress that the residents and the City government have accomplished in leading Alexandria further towards environmental sustainability. These quantitative measures are in the form of 20 environmental indicators developed by the EPC in consultation with City staff.
2012 Alexandria Earth Day
Ben Brenman Park on Saturday, April 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This year’s theme is Eco-City Alexandria, which includes a wide variety of activities and educational exhibits related to the ten sustainability principles outlined in Alexandria's groundbreaking Eco-City Charter and Environmental Action Plan 2030. This year’s event will include the following:
- 2nd annual Trashion Fashion Show, where Alexandria City Public School students will showcase upcycling through fashion, art, or song
- Green Building Informational Sessions entitled the ABCs of Going Green, Green Landscaping for You and the Bay, and Consumer’s Guide to Purchasing Green Vehicles
- Educational exhibits, demonstrations, and hands-on activities for children
- Annual Tree Sale
- As always, there will be exhibitor tables for non-profits, local organizations, local businesses, and City departments to showcase their particular Eco-City Alexandria merchandise.
Build Your Own Rain Barrel Workshop
Saturday, May 12, 10 a.m. to Noon
Nannie J. Lee Recreation Center
1108 Jeffereson St, Alexandria, VA 22314

Interested in conservation and protecting the Chesapeake Bay? The City, in partnership with other regional governments and organizations working as the Northern Virgina Rain Barrel Program partners, invites residents to learn about water quality issues and build a rain barrel to take home after the workshop. Registration is required and is easy through the website.
Alexandria's Top 10 Environmental Accomplishments of 2011
Get information about the City's top environmental achievements throughout the past year.
These include several of the following:
- GenOn PRGS Closure
- Increased City-wide Recycling Rate
- New Hybrid Dash Buses & King Street Trolleys
- Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Programs
- Green Buildings & Construction

View the following link for a detailed list of Alexandria's Top Environmental Accomplishments of 2011

Visit the Virtual Green Building Resource Center
The Green Building Resource Center (GBRC) is one of the City's latest Eco-City Alexandria initiatives, offering citizens and business owners information on how to reduce energy and water consumption and operating costs by offering practical solutions to design, build and maintain their spaces in an eco-friendly manner. We welcome all citizens to visit the Green Building Resource Center periodically for new technical articles, event updates, and local case studies.

What is an Eco-City?

Eco-Cities are places where people can live healthier and economically productive lives while reducing their impact on the environment. They work to harmonize existing policies, regional realities, and economic and business markets with their natural resources and environmental assets. Eco-Cities strive to engage all citizens in collaborative and transparent decision making, while being mindful of social equity concerns.

What is Eco-City Alexandria?

Beginning in spring 2007, the City of Alexandria partnered with Virginia Tech’s Department of Urban Affairs and Planning (UAP) to design and facilitate a new, strategic collaborative planning process, called Eco-City Alexandria, to create an Eco-City Charter and Environmental Action Plan to guide Alexandria toward sustainability.

Alexandria’s Environmental Policy Commission (EPC) is the project’s principal advisor along with representatives from the Alexandria City Council and City Staff. The Director of the Office of Environmental Quality serves as the City’s project manager.

In 2007, the Eco-City Alexandria team conducted an inventory of existing City programs and plans and examined best practices from across the country and around the world to create a Compendium of Model Programs and Practices.

Throughout 2008, the Eco-City Alexandria team consulted with Alexandria residents and business owners to determine what it will take to make Alexandria an Eco-City.

Eco-City Action Plan (Phase I) Open House

The Eco-City Environmental Action Plan Open House was held as a public forum to encourage residents to give comment and feedback regarding the Environmental Action Plan (Phase I). This document is currently being developed to establish short term (FY2009 - FY2011) policy objectives, identify programs and resources, set tentative timelines, and develop measures of success to fulfill the vision of the Eco-City Charter.

Eco-City Summit

The City held an Eco-City Summit at T.C. Williams High School on May 10. The Summit, which is part of the City’s Eco-City Alexandria Initiative, gave residents the opportunity to provide feedback, input, and discussion on the City's draft Eco-City Charter. Residents also assisted in the creation of a Environmental Action Plan. For more information, visit alexandriava.gov/tes and ecocity.ncr.vt.edu. News Release

Eco-City Café

The first-ever Eco-City Café hosted a series of roundtable discussions among various environmental issues facing Alexandria. More than 120 participants provided input and feedback that will be used to develop an Eco-City Charter and Environmental Action Plan. News Release | Slideshow

"Green-Ventory"

The "Green-Ventory" Report is an inventory of existing City programs, plans, and examined best practices from across the country and around the world to create a Compendium of Model Programs and Practices.

Eco-City Charter

The Alexandria City Council approved the first Eco-City Charter in the region at a public hearing on Saturday, June 14. The Eco-City Charter outlines the City’s guiding principles, vision, and overall environmental future. Public comments and feedback were solicited and incorporated into the draft Eco-City Charter, developed and approved by the Environmental Policy Commission on May 19.

Environmental Action Plan 2030

The Environmental Action Plan 2030 is a "road map" of action items for City leaders, staff, and residents to fulfill the Eco-City Charter. The Eco-City Environmental Action plan establishes short term and long term policy objectives, identifies programs and resources, sets tentative timelines, and develops measures of success to fulfill the vision of the Eco-City Charter.

What is Sustainability?

Sustainability is progress that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The central goal of sustainability is to provide the best outcomes for the human and natural worlds.

A sustainable community is an environmentally, economically, and socially healthy place where people can live, work and play for decades to come:

Ecological sustainability ensures that all parts of the natural and built environments work together as a single ecological system.
Economic sustainability ensures a healthy economy that supports and sustains people and the environment in which they live over the long-term.
Social sustainability ensures that a community meets residents’ basic health and social needs and has the resiliency to prevent and/or address problems in the future.