SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL

Through our participation in the GDS- Movement, Visit Tucson is committed to developing regional sustainability strategies to ensure the livelihood of Tucson as the dynamic outdoor and cultural hub of the Sonoran Desert. The GDS-Index allows us to measure and report on key measures of sustainable and regenerative tourism.

Tucson is a vibrant Wheel the World verified travel destination located in the heart of the Sonoran Desert. We invite visitors to enjoy our award-winning culinary scene, explore accessible museums, discover local art, or unwind under Arizona’s desert in this accessibility -friendly city.

Visit Tucson is proud to be a member of and partner with Tourism Cares, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing sustainability and meaningful travel within the travel and tourism industry. Meaningful travel is about ensuring that travel provides direct benefits to host communities, protects cultural and environmental assets, and connects visitors with destinations in deeper, more responsible ways.

Visit Tucson is proud to partner with Green Key Global a third-party sustainability certification for our lodging members. We're offering our lodging members the opportunity to receive a discount on certification and 100% reimbursement of the audit cost for the certification. Learn more here.

Climate Action 

The City of Tucson’s climate action plan, called Tucson Resilient Together, was approved by Mayor and Council in 2023 and takes bold steps to collectively advance climate action and make Tucson a climate resilient and thriving city for future generations. It aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.  In 2024, Pima County approved its Priority Climate Action Plan, outlining 25 projects that align with the EPA’s directive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through 2030. 

Solar City 

Since 2007, Tucson has been designated by the U.S. Department of Energy as a Solar America City. Tucson’s municipal electric utility is committed to net zero direct greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with an 80 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2035.

Tucson Million Trees 

The Tucson Million Trees initiative plans to plant one million trees by 2030 to increase the city’s tree canopy and help mitigate the effects of climate change. Tucson was awarded a $5 million urban forestry grant “to invest in Tucson neighborhoods on the frontlines of climate change.” To date, the city has planted more than 120,000 trees.

Water Conservation 

Tucson’s heritage of conservation has established our community as one of the most water-resilient cities in the Southwest, partially thanks to the One Water 2100 Plan approved by the City of Tucson and Tucson Water in 2023. Tucson also leads the nation in residential stormwater harvesting innovation with an equity-based city program called Storm to Shade.

Zero Waste City 

Tucson has free residential composting through Compost Cats and the Food Cycle Program that has diverted more than 20 million pounds of food waste from landfills in the last 10 years. We are proud to be a pilot city for ByFusion and Hefty’s Hard to Recycle Plastics Program, further reducing landfill burden. Tucson’s Zero Waste Roadmap aims to create a circular economy that decreases negative impacts and improves quality of life.