The City of Upper Arlington has been recognized for its exceptional environmental achievements, earning both silver status in the Encouraging Environmental Excellence Program from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Clean Energy Community Award from Power a Clean Future Ohio (PCFO).

The Encouraging Environmental Excellence Program acknowledges organizations across Ohio that go above and beyond environmental compliance to demonstrate outstanding environmental stewardship. It recognizes businesses, industries, trade associations, professional organizations, and local governments that reduce their environmental impact, conserve natural resources, and achieve long-term economic benefits. The silver designation represents a significant advancement for the City of Upper Arlington from its prior “achieving” rating, placing it just below the program’s highest gold status.

The City of Upper Arlington has also been honored with a 2024 Clean Energy Community Award from Power a Clean Future Ohio (PCFO) for its commitment to clean energy initiatives. This award recognizes communities that have successfully implemented a 100% clean energy program through aggregation or their own municipal utility.

Ohio is one of only ten states in the nation that empower local governments with the ability to choose where their electricity comes from through community choice aggregation. For more than a decade, local governments, including Upper Arlington, have utilized this tool to lower energy costs while advancing their clean energy and environmental goals.

In 2024, Upper Arlington launched a new electric aggregation program with the primary goals of providing stable and lower-cost electric utility services for residents and business customers, ensuring reliable customer service, and supporting renewable energy. A key feature of the program includes a brown energy option for customers, allowing them to make informed choices based on their energy needs.

To support this program, the City joined the Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council (SOPEC), an organization formed in 2014 that serves approximately 30 communities across Ohio. SOPEC provides valuable collective buying power and works to offer simple, reliable public energy programs that help communities meet their energy and sustainability goals. The City of Upper Arlington and SOPEC reviewed market rates and terms from AEP Energy bids and secured pricing for an aggregation program from January 2024 through June 2025.

“By embracing clean energy initiatives and prioritizing solutions that reduce emissions and save residents money, Upper Arlington is setting a powerful example for communities across Ohio, Power a Clean Future Ohio is honored to recognize Upper Arlington as a Clean Energy Community at this year’s Clean Energy Champions Awards for their 100% clean energy aggregation program and to celebrate the city’s efforts to build a cleaner, healthier future for its residents and all Ohioans,” said PCFO Executive Director Joe Flarida.

Upper Arlington is one of eight communities to receive the 2024 Clean Energy Community Award, joining Bexley, Cleveland Heights, Gahanna, Garfield Heights, Lakewood, Shaker Heights, and South Euclid. These cities have leveraged community choice aggregation to provide cleaner, more sustainable energy options for their residents.