Walnut Creek's Sustainability Accomplishments

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The City of Walnut Creek is proud to be a leader in sustainability and is committed to taking action to preserve the quality of life for future generations.

City Sustainability Awards (800 x 300 px) (1)

Awards & Recognition

In 2024 and 2018, the City of Walnut Creek was honored with the Beacon Award from the Institute for Local Government (ILG). The Beacon Program recognizes local governments for their achievements in environmental stewardship and sustainability. It highlights cities and counties that have made significant strides in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving energy efficiency, and promoting sustainable practices.

2024 Beacon Award(s)
- Platinum Level: Sustainability Best Practices
2018 Beacon Award(s)
- Gold Level: Community GHG Reduction
- Gold Level: Sustainability Best Practices
- Silver Level: Agency Energy Savings
LEED Gold Certified Library: Features energy-efficient design, daylight controls, and sustainable building materials.
SolSmart Gold Designation: Official recognition that the City of Walnut Creek has made a commitment to solar energy and removed obstacles to its growth.
ChargingSmart Gold: The City is designated ChargingSmart GOLD for its commitment to making electric vehicle charging more accessible for residents and businesses.

Sectors & Projects

Buildings and Energy

The City’s municipal facilities participate in MCE’s Deep Green 100% renewable energy plans.

96% of Walnut Creek’s 1,650 streetlights have been converted to LEDs.

Energy-efficient HVAC, lighting, and "cool roofs" are used at major city-owned facilities.

Solar panels at Heather Farm Park and Boundary Oaks Golf Course are expected to save $2.8 million over 20 years.

City Hall has had rooftop solar panels installed since 2012.

Transportation and Land Use

In 2019, the City passed its first local building reach code requiring private developers to install EV chargers during certain types of new construction.

39 public EV chargers have been installed in City-owned parking lots and garages since 2016.

The City leveraged $41,000 in rebates and PG&E infrastructure support to expand EV charging at key locations.

The City’s fleet now includes 35 hybrid and electric vehicles.

Walnut Creek’s street sweepers, dump trucks, and other large vehicles now run on biodiesel.

Over 1,200 smart parking sensors reduce circling and emissions downtown.

The City has expanded Walnut Creek’s bike network with 12% more facilities from the 2017 base line.

The City supports safer routes to school and funds a crossing guard program.

Waste

Water and Outdoor Equipment

Community Health and Resilience

City purchasing standards now prioritize local, green-certified goods and comply with SB 1383. This state law requires jurisdictions to reduce organic waste disposal, increase edible food recovery, and purchase recycled-content paper products.

Public art projects, like BigBelly bin installations, give artists space to share eco-educational messages.

The new Aquatic and Community Center at Heather Farm Park is being designed to meet LEED-silver equivalent standards.

Community Events & Outreach

Did you know that about 35% of the strategic actions in the City’s Sustainability Action Plan involve an element of education, outreach, or community engagement? To meet these goals the City has...

Implemented sustainability communications through 11 different mediums to reach broad audiences.
- Covered subjects such as MCE’s Deep Green program, Bay Area Sunshares, The Switch is On energy saving, rain runoff, water-wise gardening, composting, and much more.
- One of these mediums is our ECO Newsletter which goes out once a month, containing information on upcoming events, rebates, and more! Sign up for the newsletter here.
Partnered with Sustainable Rossmoor, Sustainable Contra Costa, RecycleSmart, and Republic Services to host a Repair Cafe event at the Civic Park community center in January of 2025.
Partnered with Sustainable Walnut Creek and Sustainable Contra Costa to host annual Earth Day festivities in April at Civic Park.
Worked with 350 Contra Costa on a local “Electrification Fair” to promote education around home building electrification.
Tabled at community events to share information and awareness on environmental and sustainability actions, including Trunk or Treat, Locust Street festivals, farmers markets, and more.

Want to collaborate with us on a sustainability event or tabling opportunity? Reach out to sustainability@walnutcreekca.gov.

Looking Ahead

The Sustainability Action Plan outlines 125+ actions through 2045, targeting:

40% GHG reduction by 2030
85% GHG reduction by 2045
Infrastructure adaptation & emergency preparedness
Public engagement focusing on resource sharing and education
Clean energy & transportation initiatives

Join the Effort

Want to get involved in local sustainability action? Some personal actions you can take to support Walnut Creek’s environmental goals include:

Opt into MCE Deep Green

Reduce single-use plastics

Bike, walk, or use public transportation

Transition to an electric vehicle

Use clean or electric landscaping equipment

Create a Cleaner Contra Costa account to track your sustainability goals and compete with neighbors and friends

Feel free to reach out to our team at sustainability@walnutcreekca.gov if you have any questions.