The City of Nelson is committed to a sustainable future. For the City of Nelson, sustainability is about having a productive economy, a well-protected environment, and healthy citizens with strong cultural connections. It is about living well today while preparing for the future. The City of Nelson's Nelson Next climate action plan was created through an open and collaborative process that sets the direction for future policy and planning decisions, and articulates the community vision for sustainability. It is an umbrella document under which future work will align.

Main Components

The City of Nelson sustainability initiative involves the following main components:

1. Nelson Next: Nelson's Climate Action Plan
2. Path to 2040 Sustainability Strategy
3. Corporate Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan
4. Sustainable Waterfront and Downtown Master Plan
5. Low Carbon Path to 2040: Community Energy and Emissions Action Plan
6. Affordable Housing Strategy
7. Active Transportation Plan (PDF)

On May 13th, 2013, Nelson City Council adopted a new Official Community Plan (OCP).

Additional Initiatives

• The City of Nelson has signed onto the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Partners for Climate Protection (PCP), which is a network of Canadian municipal governments that have committed to reducing greenhouse gases and acting on climate change. In addition, the City has committed to be carbon neutral by 2012.
• As a signatory to the Climate Action Charter, the City of Nelson prepares an annual Climate Action Revenue Incentive (CARIP) Public Report for the provincial government. The purpose of the report is report on and share publicly the significant work the City of Nelson is undertaking to reduce corporate and community-wide GHG emissions and create complete, compact energy efficient communities CARIP Public Report 2015 (PDF) The City of Nelson is currently working towards carbon neutrality in corporate operations Carbon Neutral Progress Reporting 2014 (PDF).
• The City of Nelson has begun tracking its progress on sustainability initiatives (PDF) with a list of the various projects, initiatives, and planning processes that are happening throughout the organization and how they fit into the focus areas identified in the Path to 2040 process.