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Sustainability & Greenprint 2.0

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Sign Up for Our Quarterly Sustainability Newsletter

The city of Clearwater has started a new sustainability and resiliency newsletter. This quarterly publication aims to serve as a communication tool for progress made on Greenprint 2.0, the city’s Sustainability Action Plan, and sustainability-related events, programs, volunteer opportunities and tips.

Be a Wildlife Protector! Only Rain Goes Down the Drain

Help Keep Clearwater's Stormwater Clean

Only rain should go down the drain. Stormwater is the water that runs off the land during and after rains. It goes from inlets, pipes and channels directly into our local waterways, and it carries debris, soil, chemicals, litter on land surfaces, and it eventually ends up in the Gulf of Mexico, Tampa Bay and the world’s oceans.

Be a wildlife protector, and find out how you can keep Clearwater bright and beautiful!

Sustainability Progress in Clearwater

Read the recent update from the city's sustainability staff on the progress made over the last few months.

This update covers April 2023 to February 2024.

Take the Ocean Allies Pledge

Take the Ocean Allies pledge to protect local waterways and ocean health.

Check out Clearwater Greenprint 2.0, the city's sustainability plan and vision.

Sustainability often means different things to different people. Many think of recycling when asked about sustainability, while others think of solar panels or growing your own organic food. What is sustainability, really?

Sustainable communities work within the balance of nature. They use resources that can be regenerated. These communities make no harmful waste and either reuse materials or find ways to safely return them back into the natural environment. Sustainable communities make plans and decisions that balance the three parts of the triple bottom line: economic prosperity, environmental quality, and human quality of life.

The Quality of Your Water

Each year, Clearwater’s Public Utilities presents residents with important information about the city’s drinking water quality in an annual consumer confidence report.

Clearwater Greenprint

In 2011, Clearwater Greenprint was adopted through the help of many residents, businesses, and city staff members. Clearwater Greenprint creates a vision to make the city of Clearwater a vibrant community for current residents and future generations. in 2021, Clearwater Greenprint 2.0 was published to advance that vision.

Green Energy & Buildings

Reducing the amount of energy used through efficiency improvements to existing buildings and the development of new buildings to high-performance standards, coupled with shifting to renewable energy sources, is now recognized as one of the most important actions needed to create a more sustainable community and future.

Transportation

Transportation is a key sustainability issue for the city of Clearwater, as the combustion of fuels for transportation is the second-largest contributor to the city’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Livability

The city wishes to create a livable neighborhood, or one that is pleasant, safe, affordable, and supportive of its members. Such a neighborhood may include attractive pedestrian-oriented streets with low traffic speed and congestion as well as affordable, sustainable housing that is within reasonable distance to employment opportunities that offer living wages.

Water Conservation

Saving water is a part of Clearwater Greenprint, the city's sustainability plan.

Waste Reduction

One way to help the environment is to reduce waste by consuming less or reusing more of what we have when we're done using it.

Local Food

Pinellas County is largely developed with only a few small farms within its boundaries. As a result, most food consumed by Clearwater residents comes from other counties, states, and even countries. Transporting this food from far-away locations requires fuel and accounts 14% of the total energy used to get food from farm to market.

Green Economy

“Greenwashing” is a new phenomenon in which a product or business is advertised as being better for the environment than it really is. As a result, it can be confusing when trying to choose the best item to purchase or business to support.

Compost

Composting is a natural process in which organic matter is broken down by micro-organisms in the presence of oxygen. The material undergoes both a chemical and biological transformation, and the result is rich, dark and crumbly soil known as compost. Compost contains a much higher concentration of beneficial microbes than does ordinary soil.

Community Garden Grants

To support Clearwater’s existing community gardens and encourage new community gardens to develop, the city of Clearwater has created a Community Garden Grant Program. Non-profit and neighborhood groups are encouraged to apply for the upcoming fiscal year.

Sustainable & Ocean-Friendly Event Planning

Ocean-friendly events are those that abstain from using single-use plastics and instead use items that are reusable, compostable or recyclable. Organizing an ocean-friendly event not only helps our marine ecosystems, it can also be a great promotional quality for your event.