North Carolina Cool Cities: A Special Report
We in the North Carolina Sierra Club are proud that 47 of our cities and 2 counties are changing the energy landscape of our state. A BIG "Thank You" to our Cool Community volunteers and statewide leaders for all your hard work and perseverance.
Cool Cities and Counties are those who sign the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, pledging to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions 7% below 1990 levels by 2012. Several towns signed the Agreement and joined the Cool Cities initiative in 2008, including: Cary, Drexel, Lewisville and New Bern.
Various solutions were used throughout 2008 to meet this goal, including designating a citizens' environmental advisory group, conducting a greenhouse gas inventory, and developing city wide energy initiatives. We invite you to join us January 24th in Winston-Salem for "Building Solutions", a training workshop that will give you the tools needed to take your cool city or county to the next level by ramping up energy savings in the built environment. Seating is limited: register today.
But first, a look back at the several accomplishments of NC Cool Cities in 2008.
Cool Cities: A Look Back at 2008
Citizen Advisory Groups
In 2008, many Cool Cities and Counties asked for citizen input or designated personnel to research and develop techniques that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. more
- Cary established an Environmental Advisory Board chaired by a Sierra Club member;
- Greensboro's City Council established the Community Sustainability Council;
- Winston-Salem has started taking applications for public seats on an environmental commission; and,
- In addition to these advisory groups, Asheville and Durham hired full-time sustainability coordinators.
Greenhouse Gas Inventories and Action Plans
Cool Cities encouraged towns to conduct a greenhouse gas inventory that establishes a baseline and details local sources and amounts of pollutants contributing to global warming. A Local Action Plan offers solutions to curb these greenhouse gases. more
In 2008,
- Greensboro and New Bern began their greenhouse gas inventories;
- Greenville completed their inventories; and,
- Winston-Salem completed its inventory and Local Climate Action Plan.
- Durham city and county completed their joint inventory and action plan prior to 2008.
Energy Initiatives
Buildings
The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that buildings represent 48% of our greenhouse gas emissions and 70-76% of our energy consumption.
In 2008,
- Bald Head Island passed a policy permitting geothermal heating and air systems in all residential structures;
- Greenville, Durham County and Raleigh adopted an Energy Efficient Building LEED Standard; and,
- Morganton replaced the heating system in its water plant and the windows in its City Hall; they replaced all incandescent lights with compact fluorescent lighting (CFLs) in both the water plant and the City Hall.
Lighting
In 2008,
- Cary completed LED lighting installation of all 151 traffic signals and of all exit signs in their Town Hall; and,
- Raleigh installed nine LED fixtures in front of Progress Energy's corporate headquarters, 544 LED fixtures in the new underground parking deck, 28 decorative LED street lights in the Convention Center Plaza, and various other places.
Transportation
Additional Cool Communities made the transition to fuel efficient vehicles a priority in 2008 by transitioning segments of their fleets to hybrids and upgrading the public transit systems. more
- Bald Head Island purchased a hybrid vehicle for the Police Department;
- Boone continues to offer free bus fare, resulting in 1,000,000 passenger trips this year;
- Durham passed a no-idling policy for all administrative vehicles
- Greenville broke ground on a three mile South Tar River Greenway;
- Morganton purchased a Toyota Prius, replaced two V-8 Pickups with more fuel efficient vehicles; and,
- New Bern included funding for seven hybrid vehicles for their city administrative purposes in their budget; and,
- Raleigh City Council approved a new downtown transit route served entirely by new diesel hybrid-electric buses
Renewables
Cool Cities recognizes the value of renewable energy generators at both a larger and smaller scale. more
- Cary installed solar power to most school zone warning lights;
- Drexel began a Long-Range Capital Improvement Plan for its Electric Distribution System;
- Morganton passed several policies that promote the use of small renewable energy generators, such as solar panels;
- Renewable generators at Morganton's water and wastewater plants operate during peak energy load periods to help offset electric use from fossil fuels;
- New Bern adopted a Renewable Resource Facilities Rider into policy that offers payback to residential green power generators; and,
- Winston-Salem provides 50% of their fuels needs at their Wastewater Treatment Facility through on-site methane gas recovery.
Education more
- Winston-Salem partnered with Wake Forest University to develop a course for the undergraduate Environmental Studies program and the Master of Business Administration program entitled "Sustainability and Business Strategy"; and,
- Winston-Salem hosted a week-long educational seminar for the general public and businesses about sustainable communities.
Informational contacts for all policies can be found on the NC Cool Cities Best Practices Webpage
Looking forward to 2009
Building upon successes of our 2008 campaign, the North Carolina Sierra Club Chapter will host a "Building Solutions" workshop detailing strategies for the next phase of the campaign in 2009. Join us to learn more about green building solutions and clean renewable power for your North Carolina community and about what you can do to bring bout a cleaner Carolina.
Building Solutions
January 24, 2009
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Register Now
The progress in North Carolina is a direct result of your continued dedication. Thank you for your efforts and I look forward to working with each of you in 2009!!
Happy
Year,Kara Craig
Cool Cities Coordinator, North Carolina Chapter
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