Sustainability

J. County Role in CAP

Washoe County established its Sustainability program in 2022 to support the County's strategicy priority to achieve Net-Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 in County Operations and community wide. This Climate Action Plan (CAP) demonstrates the County’s commitment to sustainability best practices in support of the County’s mission, “Working together regionally to provide and sustain a safe, secure, and healthy community.”

The CAP supports the County's strategic priority: Economic Impacts - Support a Thriving Community. Sustainability has roles to play in other County priorities as well: Fiscal Sustainability, Vulnerable Populations and Innovative Services. Learn more about the County's Mission, Vision, and priorities here.

The first priority for Washoe County’s new Sustainability Program was to create this plan, the County’s first-ever Climate Action Plan. The CAP includes calculations of GHG emissions, a list of actions that can reduce those GHG emissions, and processes for implementing those actions. The County can support GHG reductions in the following ways:

1. Leading By Example The County is directly responsible for implementing actions because the County Operations Climate Action Plan (COCAP) addresses County-owned assets (like buildings and fleets) and County-directed processes (like managing waste from its operations), as well as:
   1. Measure Community GHG emissions every 5 years.
   2. Create a public dashboard to track Community CAP actions by the end of 2025.
   3. Participate in community events to share information about climate action in the County.
   4. Partner with fellow jurisdictions, agencies, organizations, tribes and citizens to accelerate climate priorities.
2. Convening Given the roles different County departments and programs play across the region, the County can convene stakeholders to solve the region’s biggest climate challenges.
3. Funding The County has the authority to apply for and administer federal, state, local, or private organization grants to support sustainability projects in County Departments and/or in the community. The County can also work in partnership with community organizations, agencies and stakeholders to pursue funding strategies for shared priorities.
4. Communications The County has a multi-channel communications platform that it can use to educate and inform its population of half a million people about climate impacts, climate action, and climate progress.
5. Organizational support. Where County operations overlap with community priorities, the County will explore how to leverage County resources toward best outcomes for the land, people and economy of Washoe County.

 Finally, several other County Departments directly impact climate action and sustainability in their daily work:

• The Emergency Management department prepares the County and region to respond to emergencies and disasters. Learn more about EM’s Hazard Mitigation Planning In combination with the County’s Sustainability work, these efforts can greatly increase our community’s resilience (see Appendix 1 for full definition of “resilience”).
• The Community Services Department (CSD) writes the County’s Master Plan, Envision Washoe 2040, which provides guidance for land use — the development of buildings, infrastructure and protections of open space in Washoe County. CSD also issues permits for work on new and existing buildings, as well as permits for installations like solar panels. The Facilities and Operations divisions in the County are on the front lines of reducing emissions from the County’s buildings and fleets.
• The Washoe County Utilities processes over 90% of Washoe County’s wastewater. The emissions from its operations are calculated in the Community-wide GHG Inventory. Helping the County’s wastewater management operations reach Net Zero will help us achieve our Community-wide goal of Net Zero.
• The Washoe County Parks staff cares for 10,000 acres of open space owned by the County. Managed well, these lands can be important carbon sinks that absorb excess CO₂, lowering overall emissions, while providing residents and visitors alike to beautiful open spaces.
• The Washoe County Library system provides educational materials and services to the public about sustainability.