About Sustainability

We support City government and the community in reducing greenhouse gas emissions while growing our economy and protecting resident health. Our projects focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency, low-carbon transportation, climate adaptation, and reducing waste. The Office is part of the City’s Office of Policy.

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

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 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