Oxley Nature Center / Redbud Valley
The City of Tulsa’s Parks Department manages one of Tulsa’s natural wonders, the Oxley Nature Center and Red Bud Valley Nature Preserve.  The primary goal of Redbud Valley is to preserve and protect the unique plant and animal life in these Oklahoma woodlands.  The area is used for environmental education as well as for public enjoyment.  The Redbud Valley Nature Preserve is a place of quiet beauty and rugged scenery.  Here are plants and animals found nowhere else in northeastern Oklahoma.  The Oxley Nature Center's 804 acres support a diversity of habitats along the south bank of Bird Creek.   

The floodplain forest, comprised of giant cottonwoods, sycamores, oaks, pecans, and hackberry trees and many other smaller trees and shrubs, is home to many kinds of animals and wildflowers.  Combined with open areas maintained as hay meadows, prairies and a variety of wetlands, the different habitats make especially rich combinations of conditions.  The Interpretive Building houses hands-on exhibits, a classroom, a small library and wildlife viewing area.  A boardwalk extends over Blackbird Marsh, allowing up close study of this wetlands area.  There are nearly nine miles of trails at the Oxley Nature Center making it a wonderful place to encounter the wildlife of the Tulsa area.  

Tulsa Garden Center
Another unique attraction for Tulsa is the Tulsa Garden Center, a mansion from the oil boom days of Tulsa nestled between a quiet neighborhood and beautiful Woodward Park.  The Tulsa Garden Center provides horticulture and environmental education to adults in the Tulsa area.  The Center frequently hosts special meetings of garden clubs and is host to the annual Resource Management Conference sponsored by the Tulsa County Conservation District.  The annual conference, which is well attended, addresses water quality and other environmental issues important to Tulsa citizens, businesses, commercial development and local governments in the Tulsa area. 

Tulsa Area United Way’s Day of Caring
The City of Tulsa continues to support the Tulsa Area United Way’s Day of Caring.  Each year, the annual United Way campaign kicks off with thousands of volunteers donating a day's labor to member agencies in the community.  The turnout for the Day of Caring in Tulsa is the largest in the nation.  In 2002 over 5,000 volunteers completed over 40,000 hours of work on 563 agency projects city wide.  The volunteers spent the day building, landscaping, and working on numerous projects that the agencies could not complete on their own.  This unparalleled commitment by thousands of volunteers across the Tulsa area to help neighbors in need reflects the positive community spirit that makes Tulsa a special place to live.

2007 Energy Conservation and Efficiency Plan
The City of Tulsa has completed the 2007 Energy Conservation and Efficiency Plan. The plan provides information about energy trends in Tulsa during the past five fiscal years as well as suggestions about future ways to cut energy expenses. “This plan is a critical first step toward addressing our city’s energy needs both today and in the future,” said Mayor Kathy Taylor. “After assessing our past usage, we can see the need for change. The suggestions in this plan address both local and regional concerns about energy usage and offer a blueprint for our city to become more sustainable.” The plan includes the costs for heating and cooling the numerous office buildings that house city employees, as well as the cost of fuel used by city vehicles, including police and fire vehicles, and the cost to the city to supply electricity to street lights. 

Climate Protection Agreement
In 2007, Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor became the 500th Mayor in the United States to sign the U.S. Conference of Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement. With this signing, the Mayor pledged to take steps to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases in Tulsa and to work toward making Tulsa a sustainable community. “I’m joining with other Mayors across the United States in this agreement,” said Mayor Kathy Taylor. “We all must begin to address this in our cities, and to take steps toward making our cities sustainable and to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gasses.” The Protection Agreement was initiated by Mayor Nickels of Seattle, WA. and his Office of Sustainability and the Environment on Feb. 16, 2005, the same day the Kyoto Treaty took effect in the 141 nations that ratified it. On June 13, 2005, the Agreement was formally adopted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The Protection Agreement brings new perspectives and new ideas for tackling the growing threat of climate disruption. The City of Tulsa’s efforts to improve energy efficiency is a great example. The nonbinding agreement pledges that the city will strive to meet or exceed the reduction of emissions to seven percent below the 1990 level by the year 2012.