Smart Growth & Mobility

Promote sustainable mobility through smart land use development, active transportation options, and improved transit

Learn More About Blacksburg’s Climate Vulnerability Assessment!

How hot is too hot and when does it become a problem? How wet is too wet and when does it become a problem?How do these and other anticipated changes to the climate intersect?How should localities like Blacksburg plan and adapt? Come learn about the climate vulnerabilities Blacksburg will be facing in the coming years and …

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Resources for Sustainable Transportation

By Cat Woodson Sustainable Transportation Resources Carshare/pool RIDE Solutions A Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Agency dedicated to expanding the efficiency and life of the roadway network and reducing the environmental impacts of vehicle emissions. Provides alternative transportation options – ridesharing (carpooling and vanpooling), biking, public transit, walking, and guaranteed ride home services – to residents …

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Week 7: Sustainable Transportation

By Cat Woodson Transportation is the largest source of carbon emissions in the US (accounting for over 30%). For many cities, the private car is the single greatest polluter due to its CO2 emissions. This week we want to focus on how we can Cut Our Transportation Footprint. Why Does Reducing Your Transportation Footprint Matter? Vehicles …

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Sustainable Communities

What is a sustainable community and why is this important for Blacksburg? A sustainable community is one that takes into account many different human needs, not one need to the exclusion of others. And humans want and need many things from their community: Access to clean air and water Jobs and other economic opportunities A …

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What does Sustainability Really Mean?

The most common definition of sustainability is meeting our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Most of the time, sustainability is thought of in the context of the environment, but there are actually three pillars of sustainability that must be addressed: Social (people), Environment (planet), and Economy (profit). …

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Drawdown 101 – An Introduction to the Science of Climate Solutions

Project Drawdown is a nonprofit organization that seeks to help the world reach “Drawdown”— the future point in time when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline. A team of more than 200 scholars, scientists, policymakers, business leaders, and activists compiled a list of the most substantive solutions …

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Update on VT’s Climate Action Commitment

To ensure Virginia Tech implements the most stringent climate and sustainability standards, a working group presented recommendations for the next iteration of the Climate Action Commitment to the Board of Visitors on Nov. 15-16. Ambitious, actionable, and intentional, the proposed updates boldly build upon a decade of university sustainability efforts. The recommendations aim to guide …

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