Area to boost focus on cuts to emissions

Local experts shared perspectives on striving toward a healthier community during an area workshop Monday.

Community health and stability dominated discussions at the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce's second annual sustainability workshop: Greening Our Community, Businesses and Homes.

“We feel the pressure to make sure the community stays really healthy,” said Virginia Knapp, associate director of the chamber.

The workshop was organized by the chamber's 11-person Council on the Environment, a group organized to provoke discussion about environmental preservation and practice, economic vitality and social equity.

Speakers touched on myriad topics, ranging from improved at-home insulation to environmentally safe construction materials and water-conserving gardening techniques.

Each talk, whether environmental or economic, showed how area residents could make improvements to their homes and businesses.

“I really hope that the information presented is useful and practical,” Knapp said early in the day. “Hopefully, it will plant some seeds.”

As Research Triangle Park continues to grow and Chapel Hill and Carrboro see more daily traffic and development, the environment has become a considerable concern for area residents, merchants and leaders.

The Environmental Protection Agency has classified the RTP area as a nonattainment zone in terms of air quality, meaning that pollution quickly could become a problem that impacts daily life.

Speakers stressed the importance of using resources like the University to bring such issues to light.

“This community has resources in terms of expertise,” said Jim Ward, a member of the Chapel Hill Town Council and the chamber council.

Town Council members are slated to consider a proposal that would make Chapel Hill the first municipality in the country to adopt the Carbon Reduction Project — a Britain-based effort to decrease greenhouse gas emissions 60 percent by 2025.

A vital first step in creating a sustainable environment and local economy is education — the workshop’s key goal, Ward said.

“I think that we have a very conscientious, progressive community,” chamber Executive Director Aaron Nelson said. “Local businesses care about the community where they do business. This is where they raise their children.”

Nelson thinks town government is doing a good job of improving economic diversity and environmental policy, but he said sparking social change in the area must go beyond officials.

This year’s event only received about 90 reservations — a decrease of 60 from last year. Knapp attributed the decline to last weekend’s well-attended events, including an Earth Day celebration, and not to a lack of interest.

Coby Linton, an architect for Dixon Weinstein Architects, PA, who attended the event to learn about better construction techniques and materials to use for his firm, said the topics discussed are relevant to the entire community.

“It helps to be aware of who else is doing it locally,” he said. “You can never know too much about it.”

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.