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About Sustainability

The Sustainability Office advances Albuquerque as a leader in equitable, long term environmental solutions.

 The Sustainability Office collaborates across department, with community organizations, and with residents to mitigate climate pollution and foster equitable, resilient communities. Focus areas include: renewable energy, sustainable transportation, sustainable waste reduction, energy efficiency, and nature-based climate solutions. 

Mayor Tim Keller's pledge to meet Paris Climate Agreement

The Sustainability Timeline graphic, featuring a snaking line with years and icons and notable events during that year, including: 2018 - Mayor Tim Keller signed Paris Climate Agreement, 2019 - Mayor Tim Keller creates the Sustainability Office, 2019 - City of Albuquerque awarded US Green Building Council grant, 2020 - Climate Action Plan task force created/started, 2021 - Climate Action Plan draft created, 2021 - City of Albuquerque Climate Action Plan released, 2020 - Green House Gas Inventory published, 1st in more than 10 years, 2020 - Albuquerque achieves LEED for Cities Silver Certification, 2022 - Completed Bloomberg American City Climate, Challenge, 2022 - Hired full time staff for the Sustainability Office, 2022 - Advanced 100% renewable energy to 2025, 2022 - Mayor Keller puts ABQ on the path to become  top 10 US city powered by renewable energy, 2022 - Climate Action Plan Implementation Report #1, 2022 - Solar Act, Community Solar, NM PRC, 2022 - ABQ 3rd place city in US with the most solar, 123 deep retrofits to City buildings, 2023 - Climate Action Plan Implementation Report #2, 2024 - Climate Action Plan Implementation Report #3, 2024 - Updated Sustainability Resolution passed City Council 9-0, 2025 - Mayor re-commits to Paris Agreement to tackle climate change, 2025 Mayor Keller signed two executive orders transitioning away from fossil fuels in municipal buildings, 2025 - City receives A- from CDP's Environmental Disclosure Program

Thanks to support from our City leaders and residents, Albuquerque has already made some huge strides and achieved some major environmental goals.

SolSmart Gold Designation

SolSmart Gold Designation

The City of Albuquerque was awarded SolSmart’s Gold Designation for their strides in solar energy use. SolSmart is a national designation program that recognizes cities, counties, and regional organizations that foster the development of mature solar markets.

SolSmart reviewed Albuquerque’s performance in speedy solar permitting reviews, amount of solar installed at city facilities, solar inspection and training processes, and accessible solar resources to residents in its qualification criteria.

LEED 2020 Silver

LEED for Cities

In May 2019, the City of Albuquerque was awarded a grant from the U.S. Green Building Council valued at $25,000 to support community-wide Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The LEED certification program is the leading international achievement for sustainable facility design and demonstrates Albuquerque’s commitment to environmentally responsible building practices.

The LEED certification process helps local governments develop a framework and develop plans for a wide variety of citywide factors, including green infrastructure, public health, energy, water, waste, social equity, transportation and others. Efforts towards certification are currently underway, and once completed, Albuquerque will join over 90 LEED certified cities throughout the world. Read more about LEED for Cities Certification.

EPA Green Power Partner

We’ve gone green! We’ve joined the EPA Green Power Partnership and have committed to using green power. Find out more about the benefits of using green power and becoming a Green Power Partner. See our certificate. #EPAGreenPower

Contact Us

To stay informed about the City’s sustainability projects and opportunities to provide input, please sign up to receive updates. If you have a general question regarding sustainability efforts, please email us at [email protected].