A Climate Action Plan is a strategic, data-driven roadmap that helps the City reduce greenhouse gas  emissions, plan for resilience from changing climate impacts, and advance long-term sustainability. The plan sets government and community wide goals and targets and identifies the short-, medium- and long-term actions by which to achieve them.

The plan also specifies the key performance indicators (KPIs) by which progress is monitored, and the responsible teams that will take ownership of the process across each of the sustainability focus areas

The Why

To plan for the future we want to see in Gaithersburg. A future that preserves a thriving community, safeguard existing natural resources, align the City’s growth strategy to its sustainability goals, and move the needle on environmental commitments and requirements.

Timeline

The CAP work launched in the winter of 2025 with the selection of a consulting company, Blue Strike Environmental, L.L.C., and their sub-consultant the University of Maryland  Environmental Finance Center.

During the year-long process, the work will be divided into four key phases. Each phase is approximately three to four months long, except for the engagement section which will require more time in order to reach the widest number of stakeholders. Stakeholders include everyone who may be impacted by decisions including residents, decision makers, and business owners.

• Phase I: Baseline
  Timeline: Jan 2026 - April 2027
  Objective: Capture historical trends, identify policies and regulations requiring compliance, take stock of existing programs and processes in place, and set the direction with the Mayor and City Council.
  
  
• Phase II: Engagement
  Timeline: May 2026 - September 2026
  Objective: Launch internal and external stakeholder engagement sessions. External sessions feature a community survey, focused working group meetings with public, non-profit, and private community entities. Internal sessions feature cross-departmental working group sessions across key sustainability focus areas.
  
  
• Phase III: Strategy
  Timeline: September 2026 - November 2026
  Objective: Organize recommended actions across short-, medium- and long-term timelines, specifying the responsible stakeholders, KPIs by which to track progress, and aligning appropriate funding sources to each category. The selection criteria are activated to filter out actions that are not in alignment with the strategic direction.
  
  
• Phase IV: Final Plan
  Timeline: November 2026 - February 2027
  Objective: Finalize the CAP and publish for community access. Develop internal structure for communication and decision-making to successfully implement and realize the City’s strategic and sustainability goals.

Feedback

To help shape the strategic direction of the CAP, provide your thoughts by completing our Community Survey, which is available in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and French.  For any other questions, please contact us at enviornment@gaithersburgMD.gov.