Top 10 Ways Chapel Hill Is Working Toward Climate Protection
1. Carbon Reduction
The Town of Chapel Hill became the first U.S. municipality to commit to a 60 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 through the Community Carbon Reduction (CRed) Project.
2. Green Building Development
Developers are encouraged to include a “20 percent more energy efficient” feature in their plans maximizing the potential for energy conservation and use of renewable energy.
3. Green Municipal Buildings
New or expanded Town government facilities are built to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green building Rating System, approved by the U.S. Green Building Council.
4. Alternative Transportation
Since 2002, the buses have been free in Chapel Hill, offering more than 6 million rides a year. The Town is working to complete more than 28 miles of greenways and trails that will allow pedestrians and bicyclists to quickly and safely access every part of town.
5. Green Fleets
The Town has set high standards for obtaining energy efficient vehicles and to operate its fleets in a manner that is energy efficient and minimizes emissions.
6. Tree Protection
Proposed changes to the Tree Protection Ordinance will establish a new vision statement that calls for no net loss of trees/canopy cover and an increase in trees proportional to population growth.
7. Energy Bank
The Town has set aside $500,000 in bond funds to acquire construct, equip and install energy efficient facilities in certain existing public buildings. The savings attributable to these projects are used to reimburse the fund.
8. Active Living by Design
The Town participates in a national program centered in Chapel Hill that establishes innovative approaches to increase physical activity through community design, public policies and communications strategies.
9. Open Space
The citizens of Chapel Hill have supported and helped the Council identify, protect and preserve green spaces and critical natural areas, now totaling about 740 acres.
10. Sustainability Committee
The Sustainability Committee provides guidance to the Planning Board regarding sustainability principles to be adopted and monitors implementation of the principles and policies as adopted by the Council as part of the Comprehensive Plan review process.
Learn more at http://www.townofchapelhill.org/index.asp?NID=1799.Do you know the Top Ten Ways UNC is Working Toward Climate Protection? You can find the list at http://sustainability.unc.edu/Initiatives/TopTen/tabid/176/Default.aspx.
