Sustainable SLO: Celebrating Earth Month!

Every day is Earth Day in the City of San Luis Obispo

Climate change impacts our community today and will continue to impact San Luis Obispo for future generations to come. The good news is that together, we can do something about it. In partnership with local nonprofits and community leaders, the City of San Luis Obispo is making headway towards reducing climate pollution and keeping the community safe from climate hazards through the Climate Action Plan and the Climate Adaptation and Safety Element.

Hot off the Press: City Council Discusses Climate Action

On April 7th, 2026, City Council met to discuss the City’s climate action efforts. First, Council reviewed progress implementing the Climate Action Plan. Highlights include securing over $57 million in outside funding for local climate efforts, and successfully reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% since 2005. More broadly, San Luis Obispo has advanced solutions for clean energy, green and healthy buildings, sustainable transportation, zero waste initiatives, and tree planting and other natural carbon sequestration activities. City Council also chose to reaffirm the City’s commitment to reaching carbon neutrality by 2035, and provided direction on what should be explored in the forthcoming 2027 Climate Action Plan update. You can watch the whole discussion for item 8a on the agenda here.

Earth Fest Begins Climate Action Plan Update Process

The Office of Sustainability and Natural Resources officially kicked-off the community outreach process for the 2027 Climate Action Plan update at Earth Fest on April 18th. We asked community members to imagine what their lives would be like in 10 years if San Luis Obispo is wildly successful in reaching its climate goals. Over 70 people shared their visions, including this:

“I’m looking forward to a future where there’s more community, more plants, more nature, and people interact with each other and walk around and bike around. It just looks more beautiful and there’s more happiness”

For the rest of 2026, the City will continue inviting community members to participate in the Climate Action Plan update process. Keep an eye out for more updates, and in the meantime, Happy Earth Month!

Click on the image below to celebrate with us

Looking for more ways to get involved? 

Here are upcoming opportunities to help our community take climate action.
Click the links below to sign up and learn more. 

Johnson Ranch Volunteer Orientation [sign up] 
When: Tuesday May 12th, 4-5pm
Where: Johnson Ranch Open Space 

Adopt-a-Drain [sign up] 
When: Ongoing, 15-30 minutes a month (flexible) 
Where: Your nearest neighborhood storm drain