Office of Sustainability & Resilience 2025 Annual Progress Report

NEEF The National Environmental Education Foundation awarded OSR a $20,000 Greening STEM Grant for the period of October 1, 2025, through June 1, 2026. The funding supports environmental education programming for middle school students in Greensboro, using STEM-based instruction to enhance learning inside and outside the classroom.

NC Arbor Day Tree Planting OSR partnered with Greensboro Public Libraries, Greensboro Parks and Recreation, and Greensboro Beautiful to host a series of free educational programming and plant a dozen trees at McGirt Horton Branch Library.

Turn Down the Lights OSR’s Energy Management Unit spent a portion of 2025 investigating and identifying saving opportunities in different City departments by examining abandoned energy accounts. Abandoned accounts are utility accounts at locations that the City of Greensboro no longer owns, or the utility service is no longer necessary. The study found these accounts cost the City $294,609 over the course of four years. It also showed how departments could recover a combined $109,969 in direct savings through disputing incorrect billing amounts, as well as closely monitoring new service requests. EECBG Water/Energy Kits OSR received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program to provide over 1,000 free water and energy conservation kits. Residents can sign up for a kit via the GSO WaterWise portal for city water users. As of December 2025, 721 residents have registered for a kit.

The grant also supports tree planting by participating students in 2026. As of December 2025, 16 middle school students are registered in the program. Earth Day OSR hosted the City’s Earth Day celebration in April 2025 at Keeley Park. The event welcomed approximately 1,500 guests to engage with over 50 community exhibitors, as well as free educational activities for children and adults. The event featured the presentation of the 2025 Live Green Awards, which honor sustainability leaders who serve the Greensboro community.

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