The quality of living in Ljubljana is also very high due to its preserved nature and numerous public green areas. 

Ljubljana features as much as 542m2 of public green areas per resident, with every resident being at most 300 metres from them regardless of the part of the city. 

The city is surrounded by hills covered with native forests covering as much as 46% the entire municipality surface.In the south, the city borders to the biggest green non-forested area in Slovenia, the Ljubljana Moors, where a wealth of meadows, fields, hedges, grassland, and ditches provides a great biodiversity. 

As much as 20% of the entire city has the secured or protected nature status.

Clear spatial, economic, and social development orientation

The first environmental protection programme, whose vision was to become the European Green Capital, was adopted in Ljubljana in 2007.

Today, we are implementing the Environmental Action Programme 2014–2020, which is the central strategic and environmental document of the City of Ljubljana. It is based on the state of the environment, defines strategic objectives, and necessary measures that are the basis of sustainable management and at the same time indicate a clear orientation of the spatial, economic, and social development of the municipality.

A special attention is given to achieving four strategic objectives:

• long-term protection of water sources in the COL,
• to ensure the protection of the natural environment in the COL,
• to use the land of the COL for food production and local self-sufficiency,
• to actively connect and promote sustainable living and working in the municipality. 

Caring for the environment together with the public companies

The green identity of the city is co-created by Public Holding Ljubljana and the public companies Energetika Ljubljana, VOKA SNAGA, Ljubljanski potniški promet, Ljubljanska parkirišča in tržnice and Žale. With different awareness-raising activities, they encourage users to be responsible in their daily life and to aim for the development of high-quality, environmentally friendly and sustainably-oriented services that will lead us towards a green environment, urban comfort, and a better society.