Strategies to Protect the Natural Environment

Surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains and blessed with the presence of the Roanoke River and its tributaries, stewardship of the local and regional environment is paramount to the City of Roanoke. To this end, the city has instituted a number of innovative and visionary actions to enhance, conserve and protect its natural resources. These include:

·   Establishing an Environmental Administrator position in the city administration to spearhead
    environmental compliance of city operations.

·   Spearheading the effort to holding regional environmental seminars (in conjunction with
    Virginia Tech) regarding local liabilities and responsibilities related to environmental
    regulations.

·   Supporting development of the regional greenway system. Of the 11.5 miles of the
    regional greenway system now in place, approximately 7 miles are located within
    the corporate limits of the City of Roanoke.

·   Launching a Clean and Green Campaign

    On September 18, 2007, a press conference was held to launch the city’s Clean and Green
    campaign, designed to accelerate city efforts already underway to support environmental
    stewardship. The campaign's Mission Statement is as follows: "The City of Roanoke will
    be the cleanest and most beautiful city in Virginia through its government, residents,
    businesses, schools, and civic organizations taking an active role and responsibility
    for improving and preserving the visual appeal and natural beauty of the community."

    As part of the campaign, the city is challenging businesses, civic organizations, and
    neighborhoods to come together and get involved in cleaning up their properties and
    protecting our environment. Additionally, expectations and goals for the appearance and
    condition of our community will be adopted with the intent that will become part of our
    standards as a city.

    Long before Roanoke launched the new Clean and Green Campaign, the city had
    implemented a number of projects aimed at reducing its carbon footprint and
    creating a new foundation of best practices:

    -- In 2006, Roanoke joined Local Governments for Sustainability (formerly known as ICLEI),
       an international organization dedicated to improving the environment by encouraging local
       government initiatives, and was the first city in Virginia to join this organization.

    -- Roanoke developed plans for a new Williamson Road fire station that will be its first 
       LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building. Construction on
       this building is scheduled to begin in 2008.

    -- Roanoke became the first local government in Southwest Virginia to make biodiesel fuels 
       mandatory in many of its fleet vehicles.

    -- Roanoke installed LED lights in traffic signals at 60 major intersections, which will 
       result in up to 90 percent less energy consumption.

    -- The city has a highly successful curbside recycling program that has diverted thousands 
       of tons of waste from the landfill and saved the city thousands of dollars in the process.

In 2000, Roanoke overhauled its solid waste collection system and instituted broader programs for bulk and brush waste and commingled recycling. By 2002, the percentage of the city’s solid waste diverted from the regional landfill through the recycling programs jumped from 7% to 30%. In addition to the environmental benefits, this increase in recycling also saved the city more than $80,000 in landfill tipping fees.

Since 2000, more than 4,200 citizens have participated in the annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Days, diverting an estimated 500,000 pounds of household hazardous waste from the regional landfill. Originally aimed at city residents, this event now enjoys the participation and support of other regional localities.

Water conservation measures were necessitated by the drought of 2001-2002. The Virginia Municipal League recognized the city’s public education efforts with an “Achievement Award.” Roanoke continues its water conservation campaign with ongoing presentations and programs aimed at city schoolchildren.

In April 2003, with the help of a citizen task force, the Roanoke City Council adopted an “Urban Forestry Plan” to guide the future management and improvement of the city’s urban forest. It calls for the City of Roanoke to increase its percentage of tree canopy over the next 10 years from its current estimate of 32% to 40%. Increasing the tree canopy will help improve air and water quality in the city and in the entire region. Currently, Roanoke’s tree canopy provides an estimated $2.3 million benefit to the environment through the removal of approximately 950,000 pounds of air pollutants.