 What's new at the Office of Sustainability
The first adaptokc progress report covering implementation from 2020 through 2025 is now on okc.gov/adaptokc! And you can read the PDF here.
adaptokc II: The next 5 to 10 years
With the publication of the progress report, we’re shifting focus to recalibrating goals, initiatives, policies and indicators for the next 5-10 years in a new version of the plan called adaptokc II.
Over the past few months, the Office of Sustainability convened workgroups of several dozen interested individuals and subject matter experts to assist with an assessment of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) for each chapter. The results of this work will be presented in public surveys coming soon, later this month.
Next, we will connect with public, industry, nonprofit, institutional, state agency and other stakeholders who can validate the SWOT analysis and priorities established by the workgroups.
Come visit us at various events in the coming months for an opportunity to take the adaptokc II priorities survey. We have a special raffle package planned for Earth Fest, and completing a survey earns you one entry in the drawing. If you’re interested in helping OS collect survey responses at public events, see the Call for Volunteers section below.
The Office continues work on two projects funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) through the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program.
The Alternative Fuels Fleet and Facilities Study + Strategic Plan assesses the City’s or Trust’s fleet vehicles to identify opportunities to replace gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicles with alternative-fueled (not diesel or gasoline) vehicles. In this case, alternative fuels may include electric, hybrid electric, and/or compressed natural gas (CNG). Next, the project will assess City or Trust properties where charging or fueling infrastructure improvements could support fleet replacement vehicles and/or public-facing charging infrastructure. The goals of the project include: reducing lifecycle costs, ensuring the vehicle meets employees’ daily demands, reducing air pollution to help maintain the City’s air quality designation and minimize negative effects of our fleet on public health outcomes.
The second EECBG project, formerly known as Permit-Ready Resilient Home Plans, is now called the Resilient Home Prototype Plans project. This project will solicit design teams, led or including an architect licensed in the State of Oklahoma, to create prototypical designs for single-family homes, accessory dwelling units, and duplexes that incorporate resilience, energy efficiency, and sustainability considerations.
The City intends to use these plans in future affordable housing construction projects and to make them available to the public at no cost. As prototypical plans, each plan set will not be “pre-approved,” but will require site adaptation to each unique site where construction will occur.
The designs will be modeled to estimate energy use compared to a similar structure built to minimum code requirements, and will include approximate construction cost estimates. These designs and supplemental lifecycle and cost information will help remove barriers and uncertainty around the inclusion of resilient and sustainable design features in new construction projects in Oklahoma City.
If you are interested in forming a team to respond to the City’s forthcoming solicitation for design teams, you can visit the "How to Do Business with OKC" page on okc.gov and follow instructions to register as a vendor.
Keep an eye on our landing page for Resilient Homes project for updates.
ICYMI: Inside Oklahoma City’s battle against extreme heat
The federal partnership known as the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) published a story highlighting the variety of heat-resilience efforts underway right here in OKC. The story, featured on Heat.gov, notes the comprehensive approach since 2023 to research local heat impacts through urban heat island mapping campaigns, to evaluate heat readiness with resources such as the heat governance maturity model, and to build community-wide partnerships to address heat through heat tabletop exercises. Read the full story to learn more and check out our Extreme Heat resources at okc.gov/ExtremeHeat.
Caption: Morgan Zabow, Acting Executive Director of the NOAA Climate Program Office, explains a group exercise during the City of Oklahoma City’s Heartland Heatwave Tabletop Exercise, while Dolly Na-Yemeh, Ph.D, holds a large notepad against the wall as participants listen. Image by Lauren Balotin/NOAA.
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Featured Event
Household Hazardous Waste Special Collection Event
Saturday, April 11 | 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
OKC Fair Park, Gate 5 on Gordon Cooper Boulevard
Do you have unwanted computers, tires, ammo and/or prescription medications? Bring them to the City’s Special Collection event on the south side of OKC Fair Park, east of the new OG&E Coliseum. This event is for OKC residents, so you will need to show a current City of Oklahoma City water bill to participate. Business-related waste, syringes, liquids, inhalers, tire rims, televisions and wheels are not accepted at this event. Read more details and get a map link to the location.
Pollinator Garden Planting at Wilson Elementary
Sunday, April 12 | 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Wilson Elementary, 501 NW 21st St.
OKC Beautiful will add a new pollinator garden to Wilson Elementary and is seeking volunteers. The local nonprofit is building a new bed and sprucing up the veggie and herb school garden for spring. All tools and supplies will be provided. Additional info and RSVP link on OKC Beautiful’s website.
 Come enjoy the fresh air and visit the City staff at this year's Earth Fest, hosted by OKC Beautiful and held at Scissortail Park on Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Office of Sustainability (OS) and Storm Water Quality will be there to answer questions and help residents learn more about each office's mission. OS staff have a special raffle package planned, and attendees can earn an entry to the drawing by completing a survey about the update to adaptokc. Storm Water Quality staff will be on hand to share details about division services and volunteer opportunities, as well as promote the annual Rain Barrel & Composter Sale. This event is dependent on the weather, so cross your fingers for clear skies. Check out OKC Beautiful’s website for more information.
Call for Volunteers: Continued outreach for adaptokc II
We’re searching for volunteers to help us continue gathering input and feedback from the public at events this spring and early summer. The volunteer work will likely include joining an OS staffer at a table for 1 to 4 hours at a time, explaining adaptokc and why’re we’re gathering feedback, collecting surveys and/or chatting with passers-by. Sign up on our Volunteers newsletter used only for volunteer opportunities with OS.
Paid Opportunity for Treasure Hunters and Gatherers at Festival of the Arts
Paid Opportunity for Treasure Hunters and Gatherers at Festival of the Arts Fertile Ground Cooperative is seeking short-term workers to collect and sort through compostable materials and recyclables during the Festival of the Arts. If you’re interested in this opportunity, please email heather@fertilegroundokc.com to apply. Must be 18 years old; the pay is $15 an hour. Share this info with your friends, family, or neighbors and spread awareness about zero waste events!
Electric School Bus Research Project Celebrates Students in STEM at Phase II Kickoff
Local researchers turned the spotlight on school children to launch the second phase of a federally funded project on energy resilience and disaster preparedness, called Recharge-OK. Led by Dr. Hongwan Li and Public Health researchers at OU Hudson College of Public Health, Recharge-OK examines using Electric School Buses to support the local electric grid during a power outage, known as Vehicle-to-Grid. Shawnee Public Schools’ students will be paired with mentors for a Student Innovation Challenge focused on energy systems and community resilience. OU announced in late February the $1M in Phase II funding from the National Science Foundation. Visit Recharge.org to learn more.
 Recharge-OK celebrated its Phase II kickoff at Shawnee Public Schools on March 26, 2026 and students, faculty, staff joined with researchers from the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University and partners to pose with one of SPS' electric school buses. Photo courtesy Hongwan Li, Ph.D.
FREE 5-Gallon Compost until April 11
Fertile Ground Cooperative is offering a free 5-gallon bucket of compost as a thank-you. The worker-owned cooperative has 19 drop-off sites around the OKC Metro, courtesy of a grant program with the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG). Residents can drop off food scraps, green waste and other organic material instead of sending it to the landfill. The free 5-gallon bucket with compost is available until April 11. If you post garden pics on social media, tag @fertilegroundok and #fertilegroundcompost so the business can see how people put compost to good use.
A close-up of compost created by the Office of Sustainability. Photo via OS.
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Build a Butterfly Garden at OKC Metro Schools: Grant Application due April 10
The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden partnered with the Oklahoma Monarch and Pollinator Collaborative to increase habitat for monarchs and other pollinators. Grants cover up to $1,500 of the cost of plants, garden bed and walkway materials, garden tools and signs, as well as teacher professional development and monarch curricula resources. Learn eligibility requirements and application details here.
Keep Oklahoma Beautiful — Great American Cleanup
It’s litter pickup season and Keep Oklahoma Beautiful provides free cleanup resources, like bags, gloves, vests and coordination and recognition for litter, recycling and beautification projects. The three-month litter pickup program is part of the annual Great American Cleanup, which runs from March 1 through May 31. Find more at Keep Oklahoma Beautiful’s website.
Free Home Energy Audits for OG&E Customers
Did you know the local electric utility provides home energy assessments for free and recommends no‑cost/low‑cost upgrades, such as weather‑stripping, air sealing, HVAC tune‑ups and insulation? The utility also has repair programs for homes that need repairs before qualifying. As unseasonably warm weather hits, spring is a great time to see if your home is ready for the probable summer heat. More details are on Oklahoma Gas & Electric’s website.
The Office of Sustainability was established in 2009 with American Rescue and Recovery Program funding via the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. Our city-wide sustainability plan adaptokc, was adopted by City Council in 2020 and is an amendment to Oklahoma City's comprehensive plan, planokc.
In addition to working on policy implementation laid out in adaptokc, the Office of Sustainability integrates sustainability principles into decision making for improved economic, environmental, and social health.
The Office of Sustainability is staffed by T.O. Bowman, Program Planner, and Sarah Terry-Cobo, Associate Planner. Contact us at sustainability@okc.gov
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