Mayor John Cooper’s 2022 sustainability agenda is out + it comes with a number of goals: reducing Nashville’s greenhouse emissions, growing the city’s tree canopy, and expanding solar energy.

Here are the key takeaways:

Greenhouse emissions

On Tuesday, Metro Council adopted a resolution to reduce Metro’s greenhouse emissions by 80% — relative to its 2014 levels — by 2050. The mayor’s office will work with city departments and agencies on an implementation plan for targeting the biggest sources of emissions.

This isn’t the first time we’re hearing of this initiative. The sustainability advisory committee — a group established in 2019 to review environmental legislation + advise on a climate action plan — recommended this in its first report released in 2021.

Tree canopy

Root Nashville is the citywide tree initiative to plant 500,000 trees by 2050.

The goal is to plant 9,500 trees in 2022 + 12,000 in 2023 — adding to the 21,000 trees planted since the program began in October 2018.

You might be wondering, “how does the city track this goal?” This online mapping tool called TreePlotter keeps inventory of new trees planted in Davidson County, and trees planted by residents count towards the goal.

Solar energy

In 2019, Metro Council passed legislation pledging to power all city facilities with 100% renewable energy by 2041. Now, government employees are working to determine how ready 600+ city-owned sites are for solar installations. The city hopes to begin installations as early as next year following a feasibility study.

With plans in motion to reduce the city’s carbon footprint, what other measures might we expect in the coming years? Click the button below to read the sustainability advisory committee’s full report, which breaks down recommendations related to transportation, green buildings, and waste reduction.