For the past 10 years, the City of Tulsa has incorporated the concept of Sustainable Development in all of its infrastructure planning and economic development strategies. Numerous grass-roots initiatives have formed between City of Tulsa departments, non-profit organizations, private development enterprises, governmental agencies and private citizens. Large and small, these initiatives promote utilization of local and regional resources, alternative energy, pollution reduction and environmental stewardship.

Protection of Water Supply Lakes
The City of Tulsa managed a three-year comprehensive study of its water supply lakes examining the impacts from municipal discharges and agricultural non-point sources on lake water quality. In recent years Tulsa leaders have worked to draw attention to threats to our regional water supplies caused by excess phosphorous from poultry operations in eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas. The City of Tulsa eventually secured an out of court settlement against poultry industries to prevent further degradation of water quality in Tulsa's water supply lakes.

Partners for a Clean Environment (PACE)
Another local, sustainable development initiative is the City's Partners for a Clean Environment (PACE) program, a voluntary non-regulatory program coordinated by the City of Tulsa's Public Works Department. The PACE program recognizes those who go above and beyond environmental regulations. PACE provides free pollution prevention training, public outreach, and technical assistance to those who have made a commitment to the environment. The program's goal is to reduce the use of hazardous materials and the amount of waste from business, government, and household activities that could pollute Tulsa's water, land, and air. PACE serves as an umbrella for a variety of projects and services. It includes the City of Tulsa's Pollution Prevention Program for businesses, education efforts aimed at businesses, households, schools and non-profit agencies, tips for water and air quality improvement available on Tulsa's Environmental Network, and the Blue Thumb Business Partners for A Clean Environment program offered jointly with the Tulsa County Conservation District.

The State of Oklahoma has embraced sustainability as a pioneering standard for growing into the 21st century. The Oklahoma Sustainability Network (OSN) was created “to connect and educate the people of Oklahoma concerning the many aspects of sustainability. OSN is a catalyst and a resource for the improvement of Oklahoma's economy, ecology, and equity”. With nine local chapters—Sustainable Tulsa being one—a variety of local and statewide initiatives have been created to encourage and educate about sustainable practices that can be implemented by citizens, schools, businesses and local governments to enhance environmental protection and quality of life in Oklahoma. Sustainable Tulsa also maintains an extensive network of involvement with a variety of organizations that also promote environmental protection and provide sustainable goods and services. One of these is the Oklahoma Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. The Oklahoma Chapter strives “to create a positive impact on the state’s built environment by promoting the adoption of green building practices, policies, and standards… to move the building industry forward with market-based solutions.” The City of Tulsa and its suburban communities are seeking Low Impact Development (LID) solutions to controlling pollutants within urban watersheds. INCOG is developing an education and resource consolidation program to serve the growth of LID in the Tulsa area.