Environment Strategy

Richmond Hill has a long tradition of working with the community to protect our natural environment. Since 2014, the City has built on this tradition by implementing our Environment Strategy, "Greening the Hill: Our Community, Our Future." In July 2022, Richmond Hill Council approved an update to the Environment Strategy. The updated Strategy - developed with help from the community - brings a stronger lens to how we can all work together to protect our environment as the city grows and climate change impacts intensify.

The updated Strategy is guided by three key principles: Greening our Consumption, Greening our Natural Spaces and Greening our Growth. These principles are applied throughout the Strategy within 10 interrelated and complementary themes, each with its own goals, objectives and actions:

• Energy
• Transportation
• Water Quality and Quantity
• Water Conservation
• Sustainable Land Development
• Natural Heritage and Urban Forest
• Invasive Species
• Wildlife
• Local Food and Pollinators
• Waste

The Strategy Update will help guide Richmond Hill’s efforts to manage its environmental impacts, enhance local ecosystems, and create a more sustainable community from now to 2031.

Read the Environment Strategy Update

View our 2025 Environment Strategy Achievements

For a quick snapshot of the updated Strategy, view our Public Guide to the Environment Strategy Update.

Accomplishments archive

The following documents provide a snap shot of annual Environment Strategy accomplishments.

• 2024 Environment Strategy Achievements
• 2023 Environment Strategy Achievements
• 2022 Environment Strategy Achievements
• 2021 Environment Strategy Achievements
• 2020 Environment Strategy Achievements

Email us at greeningthehill@richmondhill.ca to ask any questions or to obtain a hard copy of the Environment Strategy Update.

Environmental Scorecard

Richmond Hill’s Environmental Scorecard uses key indicators to show progress on our efforts to protect, restore and enhance our natural environment. The indicators are grouped into the same three "greening" categories used in the Strategy:

• Greening our Consumption (indicators = waste; water use; energy and GHGs)
• Greening our Natural Spaces (indicators = water quality and stormwater management; trees and biodiversity; community gardens)
• Greening our Growth (indicators = sustainable development; transportation)

NEW! View Richmond Hill's second Environmental Scorecard (2020-2024)

View the first Environmental Scorecard (2015-2019).

How to get involved

Learn about our Environmental Initiatives.

View our calendar for upcoming green events and projects.