What does it mean to be a Valley Sustainable Community? It means meeting a triple bottom line: healthy environment, thriving community and economic prosperity.

TVA’s Valley Sustainable Communities (VSC) program, now in its third year, works with cities, towns and counties throughout the region to help them commit to long-term economic development.

“Environmental sustainability continues to be one of the most important factors when a company chooses to invest in or relocate to a community,” says John Bradley, TVA senior vice president of Economic Development. “TVA’s mission is to serve Valley communities by helping them to showcase their strengths, including their sustainability efforts in order to stimulate economic development. As more communities are added to the VSC program each year, we are making the Valley a more attractive place to live and work.”

Communities may participate on the Platinum, Gold or Silver level:

• A Valley Sustainable Platinum Community has made a significant and comprehensive commitment to sustainability and has also thoroughly integrated economic development into its sustainability efforts.
• A Valley Sustainable Gold Community is one that has taken a leadership role in implementing sustainable practices and has made a commitment to sustainability efforts focused on economic development.
• A Valley Sustainable Silver Community has community-wide sustainability initiatives in place, with some programs available to support the business community and economic development opportunities.

Platinum Communities:

• Chattanooga/Hamilton County, TN
• Franklin, TN
• Germantown, TN
• Huntsville, AL
• Knoxville, TN
• Nashville/Davidson County, TN
• Oak Ridge, TN

Gold Communities:

• Athens/McMinn County, TN
• Blount County, TN
• Clarksville, TN
• Cleveland/Bradley County, TN
• Cookeville, TN
• Florence, AL
• Lewisburg, TN
• Maury County, TN
• Memphis/Shelby County, TN
• Murfreesboro, TN
• Oxford/Lafayette County, MS
• Scottsboro, AL
• Starkville, MS
• Tupelo, MS
• Washington County, TN

Silver Communities:

• Cadiz/Trigg County, KY
• Crossville/Cumberland County, TN
• Fort Payne, AL
• Giles County, TN
• Hopkinsville/ Christian County, KY
• Lawrence County, TN
• Logan County, KY
• Greene County, TN
• McNairy County, TN
• Morristown/Hamblen County, TN
• Roane County, TN
• Wayne County, TN

TVA introduced the VSC program in 2013 as a way to recognize communities that link local sustainability efforts with economic development opportunities. Participating communities earn points in 15 categories by implementing specific policies and practices that contribute to overall sustainability, with an emphasis on those components that directly impact economic development efforts and/or the success of existing businesses in the community.

“This prestigious designation gives participating communities an advantage because it shows that they are committed to integrating economic development into their sustainability efforts,” says Bradley.