Sustainability Action Plan

Overview

The City of Walnut Creek has adopted a new Sustainability Action Plan in 2023. The Sustainability Action Plan focuses on the actions that our community will take in order to address climate change and improve the health and wellbeing of everyone in Walnut Creek. The Sustainability Action Plan will continue the City's efforts to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 40% below 1990 GHG emission levels by 2030 and 85% below 1990 GHG emission levels by 2045.

The final Sustainability Action Plan incorporates the feedback received from the public and the City Council from April 20-June 20, 2023. It was adopted by the City Council, by a unanimous vote, at the July 18 City Council meeting.

A one-page handout summarizing the timeline for the top sustainability goals included in the Sustainability Action Plan is also available.

With over 125 actions spread across near-term (by year-end 2023), mid-term (by year-end 2026), and long-term (by year-end 2030) timeframes, we're working diligently to meet our goals. In the near term, we've made significant progress in waste diversion, reducing the impacts of poor air quality, and establishing local resilience hubs. If you want to dive deeper into our progress on the short-term actions, check out the new Short-term Action Tracker.

Learn more about the Short-term Action Tracker

Get Sustainability Updates

Ready to stay informed and make a difference? Sign up now for our sustainability newsletter! Stay in the loop on all things eco-friendly and sustainable, receive the latest news on City sustainability efforts, and get valuable tips for making a positive impact on our community.

Empty heading

Community Feedback

Community Feedback and Engagement

Throughout the development of the Plan, the City undertook a comprehensive engagement strategy, soliciting feedback from the community across three phases. This involved raising awareness of the project, facilitating online activities, and initiating early discussions on reduction strategies to encourage active participation and collaboration from community members.

Community Workshops

A workshop hosted by the City's Community Development Department was held virtually on July 29, 2020. Due to technical difficulties, opening remarks given by the Mayor at the workshop were not recorded, so the Mayor's remarks are available below.

On April 7, 2021, the Sustainability Action Plan Virtual Community Workshop was hosted by the City of Walnut Creek’s Community Development Department. Watch the recording of the presentation portion of the workshop below. You can also view a summary of the input received during the breakout discussion rooms.

The City held another community workshop on May 3, 2023 on Zoom. The workshop allowed interested Walnut Creek community members to learn more about the contents of the Sustainability Action Plan and provide feedback on the Plan to City staff. A recording of the workshop is available on the City's YouTube Channel.

Additional Documents

Phase 1 Outreach and Engagement Summary

Staff Reports

Staff Reports and Additional Documents

Phase 1:

City Council – Review of Vision, Engagement Plan, and Stakeholder List – 2/4/20 (Agenda Item 5b)
Planning Commission – 7/9/20 (Agenda Item 4a)
Transportation Commission – 7/16/20 (Agenda Item 5e)
Council Priorities Update - Completed, 2/4/20 (Agenda Item 2d)
Council Priorities Update - Completed, 10/20/20 (Agenda Item 5b)
Council Priorities Update - Completed, 2/16/21 (Agenda Item 6b)

Phase 2:

City Council - Policy & Strategy Development, 3/16/21 (Agenda Item 5a)
Joint Planning and Transportation Commission meeting, 5/20/21Agenda Item 2a)
City Council - Introduce greenhouse gas reduction strategies, 8/2/22 (Agenda Item 2a)
City Council - Discuss New State-Mandated Goal of Carbon Neutrality by 2045 & Select strategies for environmental review, 11/15/22 (Agenda Item 6b)

Phase 3:

City Council - Introduction of Draft Plan and Summary of Phase 3 Community Outreach, 6/20/23 (Agenda Item 6a)
City Council - Final Sustainability Action Plan adopted by the City Council, 7/18/23 (Agenda Item 5a
July 18 City Council meeting (Plan adoption)

You can find the agenda packets and view the videos for past Commission and City Council meetings by scrolling down to the Archives on the City of Walnut Creek's Public Meetings webpage.

Greenhouse Gas Inventories:

Community Greenhouse Gas Inventory for 2017 - This inventory analyzes the sources of the City's greenhouse gas emissions across the entire community using data from relevant sectors and helps the City track progress over time.
Government Operations Inventory for 2017 - This inventory evaluates emissions from energy usage at City buildings and facilities, transportation-related emissions from City employee commutes and City fleet vehicles, emissions from waste generated at City properties, and other sources.

Environmental Documents

The Sustainability Action Plan is categorized as a qualified plan under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In order to show that the Plan complies with CEQA requirements for qualified plans, the City prepared an addendum to the Walnut Creek General Plan's original Environmental Impact Report during Phase 3. This addendum is separate from the addendum that was created for the 2012 Climate Action Plan.

The Addendum that was created for the Sustainability Action Plan, as well as the Addendum created alongside the 2012 Climate Action Plan, and the Walnut Creek General Plan's Environmental Impact Report, are accessible below.

Sustainability Action Plan: Addendum to the Walnut Creek General Plan Environmental Impact Report

Climate Action Plan

Climate Action Plan (2012)

Since the adoption of the City's first Climate Action Plan (CAP) in 2012, Walnut Creek has been actively working to reduce its GHG emissions. The CAP served as the first blueprint for the City's sustainability efforts and policies. The documents below provide more detailed information on the CAP and the City's sustainability efforts from 2012-2020.

The documents below provide additional information relevant to the CAP.