Environmental Sustainability

What is Environmental Sustainability?


The word sustainability very generally refers to a process that can be continued indefinitely. Environmental sustainability can be understood as living in such a way that future generations will be able to live with the same or higher quality of life. Put another way, it means living in a way that limits negative impacts on our environment and resource base while enhancing quality of life. Sustainable cities are livable cities.

Sustainability Pillars - People, Planet, Profit


The TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE: Sustainability requires striking a balance among economic activity, social equity, and environmental quality. It is often defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

In Hollywood, sustainability starts internally with the way the City operates. From there, the City works with residents to encourage sustainability within their neighborhoods.

The City is actively pursuing its goal of sustainability. Below are some initiatives that are currently in place.

Resiliency

The City of Hollywood is actively working to adapt to climate change and its implications, including sea level rise.

  • In March 2016 the City Commission accepted the updated unified sea level rise projection of the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact.  See the the latest projection on the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact website.
  • Rising sea levels and higher tides result in flooding in some parts of the community. Public Utilities has installed tidal control devices in the Lakes area in order to alleviate some nuisance flooding. 

tidal control


City-Wide Vulnerability Assessment

The City contracted Hazen and Sawyer to conduct a city-wide vulnerability assessment in 2019 to evaluate the projected sea level rise, storm surge, extreme precipitation, and extreme heat for four time horizons between 2035 and 2100. They produced maps showing the projections for each of these categories, ranked City assets based on their vulnerability to these potential threats as well as their criticality to continuous operation, and provided an adaptation catalog to guide the next steps in addressing the identified vulnerabilities. The consultants presented their findings to the public on March 10, 2021. The video recording is available here.  The projected sea level rise, storm surge, extreme precipitation, and extreme heat for four time horizons between 2035 and 2100. They produced maps showing the projections for each of these categories, ranked City assets based on their vulnerability to these potential threats as well as their criticality to continuous operation, and provided an adaptation catalog to guide the next steps in addressing the identified vulnerabilities. The consultants presented their findings to the public on March 10, 2021.


Public Presentation Recording

Vulnerability Assessment Report


Water and Energy Conservation

Hollywood strives to reduce water and energy consumption and invest in renewable energy sources:

  • Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are available in downtown parking garages and at City Hall.
  • Water conservation programs for residents include a toilet rebate and showerhead/sprayer exchange program operated by Public Utilities.
  • The City's landscape irrigation best practices follow the South Florida Water Management Landscape Rules to save water.
  • The City's irrigation systems are inspected by NatureScape Broward's Irrigation Services.
  • Reclaimed water is used to irrigate some municipal properties.
  • The City has reduced its water use by approximately 5 million gallons a day through conservation programs, appliance rebates, irrigation rules, and a tiered billing system.
  • Hollywood is participating in the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Program.
  • A portion of the electricity of some municipal buildings is generated by solar and wind through the Hollywood Green Sweep program.
  • The City's "Complete Streets" Projects are improving walkability, bike safety, and reduce vehicle congestion, thus, improving air quality and reducing energy use from transportation.

Interested in solar for your home?

Learn about the solar potential of your property by using Google's new Project Sunroof. This project will calculate your costs and savings over the lifetime of your solar installation using data from Google Maps and other databases regarding the shape and orientation of your roof, shading from trees and other structures, the sun's positioning, and weather conditions. Finance your solar installation by using PACE financing and make sure you apply for the available federal tax credits. 


Waste Management

City of Hollywood programs to help reduce the amount of waste in the landfill

Landscaping and Building

Hollywood supports Green Building and Native Landscaping

  • Chapter 151.150-159 in the Code of Ordinances is titled "Mandatory Green Building Practices". These codes require basic energy conservation and water conservation measures and encourage meeting green building standards set by the USGBC or other recognized green building organizations.
  • Chapter 151.124 removes barriers and encourages the installation of rooftop photovoltaic solar systems.
  • Chapter 151.010 mandates USGBC LEED silver certification for all City of Hollywood municipal new construction or major renovations. The City has one LEED silver municipal building, the Hollywood Beach Public Safety Building.

Interested in trees for your yard?


Some local events, such as Broward County's Water Matters Day, offer free trees for participants. The Arbor Day Foundation offers 10 free trees for new members and discounted trees for existing members.

Awards and Memberships

Hollywood is recognized as a leader in environmental sustainability and is actively engaged in sustainability efforts throughout the region.

  The City of Hollywood is:



Community Engagement


  • The Sustainability Advisory Committee is an impressive, qualified, and motivated group of citizen advisers who help make green initiatives possible.
  • Hollywood engages its community to lead improvements through public space challenges including events like the Great Neighborhoods Challenge.
  • Residents, business owners and visitors can help to keep Hollywood beautiful through frequent cleanups such as the Beach Sweep Clean-Up and the Adopt-a-Street program.
  • The Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts operates and maintains many community centers, parks, and public spaces where the community can enjoy, learn and have fun together.

Stay Engaged!

The City of Hollywood will continue to build on the sustainability foundation and improve on the sustainability model of our community in the future! For more information call Elaine Franklin at 954.921.3410.