Here are just a few of the ways you can experience sustainable travel in Dallas.
In 2020, the City of Dallas passed a Comprehensive Environmental & Climate Action Plan (CECAP), which lays the path toward achieving targets under eight overarching categories: Air Quality, Buildings, Ecosystems, Energy, Food Access, Transportation, Water Resources, and Zero-Waste.
Targets include ensuring that by 2030, 80% of Dallas’s population lives within 0.5 miles from a park or trail, waste is reduced by 35% through landfill diversion, and electric vehicle charging stations are installed to support 39,000 vehicles.
In addition to the CECAP, the City’s Racial Equity Plan serves as a tool to ensure everyone has the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards in order to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, work, play, and travel.
The Dallas 2030 District is a public-private-nonprofit collaborative working to dramatically reduce environmental impacts of building construction and operations while increasing Dallas’s competitiveness in the business environment and increasing owners’ return on investment.
Dallas is one of the first major cities in the nation to pass comprehensive green building standards for both new residential and commercial construction. Incorporating sustainability through energy efficiency, water conservation, and resource reuse and reduction translates into a stronger economy and area growth.
Energy-efficient City-owned buildings include, but are not limited to:
Bonton Farms aims to transform lives by disrupting systems of inequity, laying a foundation where change yields health, wholeness and opportunity as the norm.
The mission of Restorative Farms is to foster a vibrant and viable community-based urban farm system in South Dallas, a community that most needs fresh food access and employment.
D-CAMP is a collaboration between community, government, and academia to collect neighborhood air quality data using advanced low-cost sensor technology. As a part of the program, sensors will be placed throughout Dallas to measure levels of air pollutants where Dallas residents live, go to school, work, and play, particularly in communities with environmental justice concerns. The data will be shared with the community and academic partners, leading to a better understanding of how air pollutants impact daily lives. Data can also be used by City planners to ensure health of residents is protected when considering future development.
Dallas offers a Green Business Certification to assist businesses, free of charge, in going green and to recognize businesses that reduce waste and incorporate sustainable practices in their operations. GBC businesses are listed on the city’s website, making it convenient for travelers to find and support green companies.
The Trinity River was designated a National Water Trail by the National Park Service in October 2020 and is one of only 33 National Water Trails in the country that have been established to protect and restore America’s rivers, shorelines, and waterways. Additionally, North Texas has planned a 7,303-mile web of interconnected, community-shared bike paths and on-street bike networks connecting the Dallas – Fort Worth metropolitan area.
Klyde Warren Park is a 5.2-acre urban oasis with 37 native plant species and 322 trees, all located on top of a recessed freeway. The park brings an increased quality of life and foot traffic to the area and is a space where families from different neighborhoods can share experiences and have fun in the center of Dallas.
Dallas Love Field is committed to reducing negative environmental impacts, maintaining economic growth, improving social relations, and ensuring goals are aligned with needs of the local community. Sustainability programs are centered around infrastructure, energy, biodiversity, waste, and noise management.
The American Airlines Center is home to the Dallas Stars and the Dallas Mavericks and is also used for large concerts and other live entertainment. The arena was built on land that previously contained several industrial sites, including a power plant, making the Victory Park area the largest U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfield project in the United States.
Located on the former site of an illegal landfill, the Trinity River Audubon Center is now a haven for wildlife and people alike, with a thriving 120-acre ecosystem and five miles of trails. The visitor center was designed by AIA Gold Medalist architect Antoine Predock and is the first LEED-certified building constructed by the City’s Park & Recreation Department. Entrance to the Trinity River Audubon center is free until December 31, 2023!
DFW Airport is the largest carbon neutral airport in the world and is the first airport to receive a 4+ level in the Airports Council International Airport Carbon Accreditation program.
The trolley provides over 600,000 rides per year, making a car-free lifestyle possible for many riders. M-Line Trolley also partners with Green Mountain Energy and ProStar Energy Solutions to advance their sustainability efforts.
Since forming as a public transit agency in 1983, DART has a long history of sustainable planning, project development, as well as operations and maintenance practices. This commitment was memorialized in December 2011 when DART became a signatory to the American Public Transportation Association Sustainability Program.
This 0.4-mile pedestrian bridge connects Downtown Dallas and West Dallas while offering a beautiful view of the skyline.
Accessible from the Trammell Crow Park, the 4.6-mile Trinity Skyline Trail brings hikers close to the beautiful Trinity River and features spectacular views of downtown.
The City of Dallas provided funding for design and construction of the Pavaho Wetland. The objectives of the project included the creation of habitats for wetland flora and fauna and water quality improvement for storm runoff reaching the Trinity River.
In 1994, the Texas Trees Foundation dedicated Pioneer Plaza to the City of Dallas to provide a focal point with historical significance for downtown Dallas. The site features native plants and trees and a flowing stream in a natural setting.
