Oro Valley’s defining assets are its natural environment, resources, and beauty. Our community enjoys scenic views in nearly every direction. By day, mountaintops tower to the east and the north. At night, the dark sky is full of bright stars. Wildlife corridors with abundant native vegetation cross the area. In keeping true to the Sonoran Desert climate, we place high value on using water and energy resources wisely.

This section focuses on the following three topics. Click on the links below to navigate to each topic.

• Environment
• Climate and energy
• Water resources and conservation

Resident Guidance and Background Information

Our community dedicated its time and voices to create this plan.

Starting in Phase 1, extensive and innovative efforts were made to engage the Oro Valley community and gather ideas from a broad range of residents. This phase resulted in the vision and guiding principles that form the foundation for the Plan.

Moving into Phase 2, the Sustainability Resident Working Group used valuable insights from Phase 1, along with relevant background information, to craft the goals, policies, and actions outlined in this section. This dedicated group initially met four times from April to May 2025.

All residents are invited to join the remaining Resident Working Group meetings in December 2025 to achieve consensus on a Resident Recommended Draft of the Plan. For more information and to sign up, please click HERE.

• The guidance from residents that shaped the 10-year plan can be found in the Phase 1 Report, available HERE.
• For more details about the existing conditions related to the topics discussed in this section, please refer to the companion document, OV’s Path Forward Background Report, which is also available HERE.

Sustainability Goals

Click on the images below to see the policies and specific actions the Town will take to achieve each goal.

Goal J: Wildlife Habitats.		Goal K: Environmental Resources.
Goal L: Dark Skies.		Goal M: Stormwater Management.
Goal N: Heat Mitigation.		Goal O: Recycling.
Goal P: Utilities.		Goal Q: Water Efficiency.
Goal R: Water Resource Planning.

Relationship to Other Sections of the Plan

The topics in this chapter are interrelated with other aspects of the Plan, in the same way they are connected in our lives. The following table depicts the overlap between this chapter's goals (and associated policies and actions) and other chapters.

Please click on the links below to read the related goals, policies, and actions.