Transportation and land use produce about a third of Omaha’s greenhouse gas emissions. We’re working toward a city where everyone has safe, clean, and reliable ways to get around. For our community, that means breathing cleaner air, spending less to get around, and reaching the places we need to go more easily.

Goals

• Cut transportation emissions nearly in half. Reduce transportation and land use emissions by 45.9%, below 2014 levels. This is equal to taking more than 158,000 of today’s vehicles off the road.

• Give people more ways to get around without driving. Reduce total miles driven citywide by 10% through safer, more convenient walking, biking, and transit.

• Get more people riding public transit to work. Grow the share of workers who take public transit, like buses, to their jobs from 1.3% to 5%.

• Make it easier to go electric. Expand charging and increase electric vehicles to 15% of all registered vehicles.

• Build neighborhoods where more people can live close to what they need. Increase the average number of residents per developed acre by 10%, supported by walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods.

What you can do

Everyday choices about how we get around make a real difference for our community and our wallets. Here are a few ways to start:

• Walk, bike, or take public transit for short trips and errands

• Carpool or work from home when you can

• Keep your car tuned up and your tires properly inflated

• Skip idling, even in winter

• Switch to electric lawn equipment or a native plant lawn

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Heating, cooling, and powering our homes and businesses produce about 60% of Omaha’s greenhouse gas emissions, more than any other sector. That makes our buildings the biggest opportunity to make a difference. We’re working toward a city where homes and businesses are comfortable, efficient, and powered by cleaner energy. For our community, that means lower energy bills, more comfortable places to live and work, and buildings better prepared for extreme weather.

Goals

• Cut building emissions by more than half. Reach a 54% reduction, below 2014 levels.

• Make our homes and businesses more energy efficient. Reduce citywide electricity and natural gas use by 10% each.

• Generate more clean energy at home. Grow customer-owned renewable energy, like rooftop solar, to 15%.

• Help more families afford their energy bills. Today, 40% of people in Omaha spend 6% or more of their income on energy. The goal is to cut that to 20% of our population.

What you can do

Everyday choices at home and work can lower your energy bills and make a real difference for our community. Here are a few ways to start:

• Adjust your thermostat a couple of degrees, or switch to a smart thermostat

• Subscribe to community solar, or install solar panels if you own your home

• Choose efficient appliances when it’s time to replace one

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Everything we throw away has a cost: the energy and materials used to make it, the trucks that haul our trash across town, and the pollution our landfill gives off as waste breaks down. Waste is also one of the most visible parts of climate action: we see it at the curb every week, and much of it could be recycled, composted, or reused instead. We’re working toward a city where less goes to waste, and more gets a second life.

Goals

• Cut emissions from our trash by more than half. Reach a 55.4% reduction below 2014 levels, focusing on food and yard waste, which create the most landfill pollution.

• Create less waste at home. Reduce the average household’s total waste by 10%.

• Compost more food and yard waste. Compost more than five times as much by making it easier, with more curbside and drop-off options across the city.

• Send less to the landfill. Cut landfill waste by 48% by making sure items that can be recycled or composted end up in the right place.

What you can do
Everyday choices about what we buy and throw away can save money and make a real difference for our community. Here are a few ways to start:

• Learn how to properly sort your waste

• Compost household food and yard waste

• Swap single-use plastics for durable, reusable alternatives

• Responsibly repair or donate items instead of throwing them away

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From the tap to the storm drain, water touches every part of life in Omaha. Heavier rainstorms can flood our streets and overload our sewers, and longer stretches without rain put more strain on our water supply. We’re working toward a city where we use water wisely, keep our rivers and groundwater clean, and prepare our neighborhoods for flooding.

Goals

• Cut emissions from water and wastewater in half. Reach a 50% reduction below 2014 levels.

• Use less water. Reduce citywide water use and wastewater by 10% each through water-saving fixtures and everyday habits like shorter showers.

• Turn wastewater into energy. Treating wastewater releases gas and heat that can be captured and reused. We aim to capture 40% of that energy and put it to use, such as generating electricity, making fuel, or heating buildings.

• Protect our groundwater, rivers, and wetlands. When heavy rain runs off pavement, it can carry pollution into our rivers and streams. Natural solutions like rain gardens and permeable pavement let the ground soak up and filter rainwater.

What you can do

Small changes in how we use water at home add up for our community and our rivers. Here are a few ways to start:

• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth

• Switch to water-saving showerheads and faucets

• Run the dishwasher and washing machine only when full

• Swap grass for native plants that need less water

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Everyone deserves access to fresh, healthy food, but nearly 1 in 10 people in Douglas County already struggle to get enough food. At the same time, extreme heat and heavy rain are putting pressure on the farms and supply chains we rely on, which could make food even harder to come by. We’re working toward a city where healthy, local food is easy to find and the farmland around us is protected for generations to come.

Goals

• Make fresh, local food easier to access. Add more community gardens, farmers' markets, urban farms, and grocery options, especially where the nearest store is far away.

• Ensure more neighbors have enough to eat. Reduce food insecurity in our city by 50%.

• Grow food in ways that care for the land. Encourage practices like cover crops and no-till farming, which keep soil healthy and reduce pollution.

• Protect the farmland around us. Preserve local farmland and prepare our farms for extreme weather, like flooding and heat waves.

What you can do

What we eat and where it comes from affects our health, local farmers, and our community. Here are a few options for supporting local food and agriculture:

• Grow your own food with a home or community garden

• Buy food that is in season

• Choose restaurants and grocery stores that sell locally grown food

• Shop at farmers' markets or buy directly from local farms

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We depend on trees, parks, and natural spaces more than we might realize. They shade and cool our neighborhoods, clean the air we breathe, soak up stormwater, and give us places to relax and play. As heat waves become more frequent and severe, these benefits matter more than ever, especially in neighborhoods with more pavement and fewer trees. We’re working toward a city where every neighborhood has shade, green space, and healthy natural areas to enjoy.

Goals

• Grow tree cover across Omaha. Increase the area of the city shaded by trees by 12%, starting in hotter and lower-income neighborhoods where trees are needed most.

• Plant more native grasses and wildflowers. Nearly three-quarters of Omaha’s grassy areas are mowed lawns. Turning 10% of those lawns at homes, businesses, and public spaces into native plants means less watering and more support for pollinators.

• Cool our neighborhoods with less pavement. Reduce dark pavement and other paved surfaces by 10%, focusing on the hottest neighborhoods.

• Help parks and natural areas thrive. Remove invasive species and plant a wider variety of native trees and plants. These efforts help to keep our outdoor spaces beautiful and resilient to extreme weather, like heat, drought, and heavy rain.

What you can do

Our yards and the outdoor spaces we share can make a big difference for shade, stormwater, and local wildlife. Here’s how to get growing:

• Join a tree planting event

• Plant native flowers, grasses, or trees

• Skip toxic pesticides and weed killers

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Extreme weather affects more than our homes and roads; it affects our health. Heat waves, floods, and poor air quality are hardest on older adults, young children, and people with health conditions, and the stress of disasters can take a toll on anyone’s mental health. Staying safe means having strong places, systems, and connections to rely on when extreme weather hits. We’re working toward a city where everyone has a safe place to go, help is ready when it’s needed, and neighbors look out for one another.

Goals

• Protect our community’s health. Reduce the health impacts of poor air quality across Omaha, with extra attention to the people most at risk.

• Create safe places to go during emergencies. Develop community resilience hubs where people can find refuge, resources, and help during extreme weather. These could be located in trusted spaces like libraries, schools, and churches.

• Be ready to respond and recover together. Strengthen how the City prepares for and responds to emergencies, share public health information, expand mental health care, and build neighbor-to-neighbor support through efforts like an Adopt-a-Neighbor campaign.

What you can do

Being prepared and looking out for one another keeps our whole community safer. Here’s how to get ready:

• Put together an emergency kit for your household

• Know where your nearest cooling center is

• Keep masks on hand for days with air quality alerts

• Take a first aid and CPR class, or join a local emergency response team

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A healthy climate and a strong local economy go hand in hand. Extreme weather can close businesses, disrupt supply chains, and strain household budgets, and those costs will keep growing if we don’t act. Climate action also brings real opportunity: since 2014, Omaha’s emissions have dropped 20% while our economy kept growing, and climate action can mean lower energy bills, good local jobs, and more of our money staying right here in Omaha. We’re working toward a city where businesses are ready for what’s ahead, workers have pathways into growing careers, and the benefits of climate action reach every neighborhood.

Goals

• Count and capture the full value of climate action. Pursue both the economic gains and the costs we avoid, like damage from extreme weather and pollution, so decisions reflect the true return on investment.

• Grow good jobs and new businesses. Build equitable pathways into climate careers and support local entrepreneurs, especially those who have had less access to opportunity.

• Prepare local businesses for what’s ahead. Give businesses the tools and resources to plan for disruptions and stay strong through extreme weather.

• Welcome new neighbors. As climate change leads more people to relocate, prepare Omaha to welcome newcomers in ways that strengthen our workforce and community.

• Fund climate action for the long term. Establish steady, sustainable financing so the City can carry out this plan.

What you can do
The places we shop, the careers we choose, and the way we run our businesses all shape a stronger local economy. Here’s how to get involved:

• Shop at locally owned businesses and support companies with sustainable practices

• Thinking about starting a business? Check out resources from the U.S. Small Business Administration and Grow Nebraska

• Business owners: create a disaster preparedness plan and explore sustainable business practices

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