The City of Falls Church has been recognized for the fourth year in a row as a Virginia “Certified Green Government” for successfully implementing environmental policies and taking practical actions to reduce carbon emissions, it was announced this week.

The certification is part of the Virginia Municipal League’s Green Government Challenge. Local governments earned “green points” by implementing up to 30 policies and actions from 11 categories ranging from energy efficiency and green buildings to land-use and innovation. Twenty-five cities, towns and counties participated in the 2011 challenge. Of those, 20 achieved the minimum score of 100 “green points” for certification as a “VML Green Government.”