Did you know Newport News was named in America’s Top 50 Green Cities? According to Popular Science Magazine (2/08) we are leading the way in successful and rapid environmental action.

In fact, sustainability was one of the eight strategic initiatives unanimously endorsed by the Newport News City Council in September 2010. The City had award-winning, pro-environmental programs ranging from recycling to environmental management and City Manager Neil Morgan committed to redouble and consolidate efforts and launch new green initiatives that City Council, citizens, and employees have come to expect.

The City established the Sustainability Team to determine its own definition of sustainability and develop a comprehensive, cross-departmental mission and understanding of sustainability for Newport News. They adopted the Brundtland Commission’s definition of sustainability: "meeting the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs."

The Sustainability Team has made substantial strides in creating environmentally sustainable practices, and has been recognized by the state for its efforts. The City’s Sustainability initiative is fairly robust and far reaching. Its focus is on environmentally sustainable local government practices/policies and reducing the carbon footprint of the City as a whole. The success of the program has been accomplished by combining and integrating guiding principles such as The Natural Step (TNS) and the Environmental Management System.

Most recently, NNGreen, a public awareness campaign, was launched by the Sustainability Team to provide the community a gathering place to learn about everything from energy conservation and recycling and water conservation to events and programs and projects that you can do to make a difference.

Some of the City’s sustainability accomplishments include:

1. Recipient of the Green Government Challenge award four years in a row from the Virginia Municipal League (VML)
2. Grant recipient for the Southeast Propane Autogas Development Program
3. Recycling rate exceeds state mandate
4. Buy Green Purchasing Policy
5. L.E.D. Traffic Light Conversion Project
6. Launch of the NNGreen web pages, Facebook and Twitter