Columbia named 3-STAR city for leadership in sustainability | The State

Columbia, SC

Thanks to our incredible staff and local partners, Columbia has become the first S.C. city awarded a 3-STAR Community Rating for national leadership in sustainability by STAR Communities, a nonprofit organization that evaluates the livability and sustainability of U.S. communities.

Our staff and community have proven their commitment to making Columbia increasingly sustainable across a variety of performance areas, and this recognition provides us with an assessment backed by data that will help us determine our next steps.

Through our Climate Action Protection Campaign and other programs, we will continue in our bold commitment to protecting our planet and fulfill our responsibility to our children, their children and beyond.

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STAR is the nation’s leading framework and certification program for evaluating local sustainability, using social, economic and environmental performance measures. It helps communities evaluate their strengths and weaknesses in the built environment; climate and energy; economy and jobs; education, arts and community; health and safety; and natural systems. It provides support as localities benchmark progress on more than 500 outcomes and actions, and a robust third-party verification process ensures accountability.

Several efforts stood out among Columbia’s sustainability initiatives:

▪  The City Council committed to 100 percent clean energy by 2036.

▪ Our Climate Action Protection Campaign was created in 2007.

▪ 90 percent of residents live within one mile of a community venue that is open to the public and provides community events.

▪ 133 net new businesses opened in the past three years.

▪ Our recycling rate of 60 percent, which is 20 percent above the baseline requirement.

▪ The Alliance for a Healthier Generation ranked Richland School District 1 first in the state.

Columbia is one of more than 70 local governments that have been certified with STAR Communities, whose rating process provides a roadmap for cities to refine and improve their operations. Other STAR certified communities in the Southeast include Atlanta, Birmingham, Louisville, Memphis, Raleigh and Winston Salem.

The city’s participation in STAR was underwritten by a grant from Siemens Cities Center of Competence, which is dedicated to helping cities undertake key challenges as they strive for economic growth and long-term sustainability.

As we celebrate our 3-STAR rating, we look forward to progressing and improving our efforts to achieve a 4- or 5-STAR rating in the years to come.