Sustainability Initiatives

LEED for Cities and Communities

In April 2022, the City of Winston-Salem achieved Silver level Certification in the LEED for Cities and Communities Program from the US Green Building Council (USGBC). From the USGBC website, "the LEED for Cities framework encompasses social, economic and environmental performance indicators and strategies with a clear, data-driven means of benchmarking and communicating progress."

Out of 110 possible points, the city earned a total of 56 points. The image below shows how many points were earned in each of the nine categories.

3-STAR Community Rating

The City of Winston-Salem was recognized for sustainability leadership through the Leadership STAR Community Program in February 2017. With a total score of 258.4 points, our community received an official 3-STAR Rating. Thank you to all of the community partners (PDF) who helped us achieve the 3-STAR Rating!

Community Presentations

The Office of Sustainability offers presentations to community groups upon request. Presentations can focus on recycling, Keep Winston-Salem Beautiful programs and volunteer opportunities, and a more general sustainability presentation that touches on all of the department's programs. Staff has presented for school groups, summer camps, neighborhood associations, church groups, medical professionals, and more.

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Winston-Salem has installed level 2 electric vehicle charging stations in and around the downtown area. We are always working on increasing the number of these stations, and currently have three locations.

The 4th and Church Street parking garage through the 4th Street entrance.
Bailey Park area off Patterson Avenue
Central Park at the tennis courts and roundabout. This location currently has a port out of service and can only charge one vehicle at a time.

The city plans to more than double the number of publicly available city-owned level 2 charging stations beginning this fiscal year.

FAQs

Why doesn't the city ban single-use plastics like plastic bags?

The current state legislature restricts certain action cities in North Carolina can take, including on banning certain items from being used. This is best demonstrated through the action taken in the Outer Banks. Senate Bill 1018 from 2009 implemented a ban on the use of plastic bags by retailers on the Outer Banks. However, in 2017 House Bill 56 repealed this ban after overriding a veto from Governor Cooper. Since the repeal, no other ban similar to this has been passed or has attempted to be passed in the state by any jurisdiction.

What should I do with Styrofoam packing materials?

The UPS Stores at 380 Knollwood St., and 550 N. Liberty St., here in Winston-Salem will accept any clean packing materials for reuse. The styrofoam needs to be clean, otherwise the stores will not be able to reuse it. They will also take bubble wrap.

Does the city have a compost program?

The city does compost the loose leaves collected by sanitation crews. More information is on the Utilities pages. The city does not collect food scraps as part of the compost program. You can learn more about backyard composting from the Forsyth County Cooperative Extension, where they host educational workshops and provide information on their website to get you started.

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