My Clearwater
Clearwater Plans for a Clean & Green City
Sustainable communities work within the
balance of nature. They use resources that
can be regenerated. They produce little to no
harmful waste, find ways to reuse materials,
and safely return materials back into the natural
environment. And Clearwater is currently in
the process of implementing a sustainability
06 MyClearwater
plan to lower the city’s carbon footprint
and help our city become more
sustainable and resilient.
The city of Clearwater has
approved its most recent
sustainability plan,
Clearwater Greenprint
2.0. Originally
approved by the
Clearwater City
Council in 2011,
Clearwater
Greenprint
1.0 plan was
created through
the collaborative
effort of many
residents, businesses
and city employees.
It created a vision to
make Clearwater a vibrant,
healthy and environmentally
positive city for generations to come.
Over the last 10 years, much has been done to achieve the
goals laid out in the original plan. Some accomplishments
from Greenprint 1.0 include the following:
• With the help of Duke Energy, the Clearwater community
successfully reduced its greenhouse gas emissions 12
percent below the emissions levels from 2007.
• Most of the city’s streetlights were converted to energysaving
LED bulbs.
• Residents created multiple community gardens, which
are important sources of local food.
• Multiple trails were constructed to connect larger trails
across the city. Trail users can now travel all the way from
Tampa to Clearwater Beach.
• In February 2019, Moccasin Lake Nature Park reopened
after renovations and is now home to a butterfly garden
and multiple native plant installations.
• In partnership with the Suncoast Sierra Club and
Clearwater Neighborhood Coalition, the city has
created an annual “Building Better Neighborhoods”
sustainability conference.
• An online backyard composting course was launched,
enabling nearly 500 Clearwater residents to receive a free
composting bin from the city to decrease their waste.
• A storm drain mural program was developed and allows
Clearwater residents, businesses and visitors to paint a
storm drain with an environmental message.
The updated Clearwater Greenprint 2.0 reflects on these
achievements and includes additional actions that the
city and community can do to continue reaching these
sustainability goals. New additions to the proposed plan
include:
• A more ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goal of
reducing citywide emissions 80 percent below 2007 levels
by 2050.
• The adoption of a Green Fleet Policy and transitioning
all light-duty city vehicles to alternative fuels by 2040 and
50 percent of heavy-duty vehicles by 2050.
• A 20 percent reduction in city facility energy
consumption.
• Inclusion of resilience planning and building to better
prepare for the effects of natural disasters and climate
change.
• A commercial composting pilot program to divert food
scraps from landfills.
• Additional educational components, such as a “green
glossary,” and numerous links, where readers can learn
more about sustainability terms and topics.
Visit myclearwater.com/greenprint to read the city’s
sustainability plan.