At the recent Climate Summit in Breckenridge, CO, Mountain Towns 2030 honored the City of Hailey, Idaho, with its 2025 Community of the Year Climate Action award—recognizing the city’s outsized impact in climate leadership, innovation, and community resilience.
Photo Credit: Carol Waller
Small Town, Big Climate Wins
Hailey was nominated by Eve Preucil, Sustainability Coordinator for Blaine County, who praised the city’s leadership for consistently “punching above their weight in climate action.”
Emily Williams (Sustainability Grants Coordinator) and Emily Rodrigue (City Planner/Resilience Planner) over at the City of Hailey are sustainability powerhouses,” said Preucil. “They continue to deliver impactful climate solutions for their residents even while being pulled in many different directions.”
Climate and Community Highlights
Hailey’s recognition stems from a suite of sustainability initiatives that demonstrate commitment, creativity, and measurable results:
- Community Composting Expansion: Hailey’s composting program continues to scale. In 2025, the city expanded access, further reducing landfill waste and bringing a stronger sense of circularity to local households.
- Clean Energy Investments: A recently installed 34 kW solar array generated 195 kWh of electricity this past summer—actively offsetting municipal energy use and reducing the city’s carbon footprint.
- Urban Tree Planting and Resilience: Hailey planted 30 new trees at Kiwani Park and has additional planting planned for spring—strengthening climate resilience and urban canopy coverage.
- Water Conservation Through AI: In a groundbreaking move, Hailey became the first community in Idaho to conduct an AI-powered leak detection study. The analysis uncovered over 60 million gallons of wasted water—leaks that the city now has the opportunity to address and conserve.
“This study found over 60 million gallons worth of water that was being wasted and leaked throughout their water system,” said Preucil. “They now have the opportunity to fix and conserve that water.”
Despite being a small mountain town, Hailey’s approach is replicable and scalable for mountain communities across the country. By integrating energy innovation, climate adaptation, and grassroots solutions, Hailey serves as a model for how communities can make real progress even with limited resources.
