Carrboro is known for focusing on environmental friendliness — but after Tuesday night, local elected leaders will be looking for a way to make it a little bit greener.
The Board of Alderman passed a proposal to investigate the feasibility of reducing town carbon dioxide emissions by 2 percent annually in a Tuesday meeting.
This is the second of five steps outlined in the Carrboro Cities for Climate Protection initiative and in-line with a 2009 resolution stating the town should reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“Carrboro has been a leader on these issues for some time now,” said Chris Lazinski, a fellow with the alternative-energy focused DELTA program.
After adopting an emissions reduction target, the next step will be to develop a local action plan.
The resolution focused on decreasing the use of electricity, natural gas and vehicle fuel in municipal operations, which have driven up carbon emissions though they total only 2 percent of the town’s carbon footprint.
Lazinski said that the town should also work with governmental organizations outside of its direct control — like OWASA, Orange County Solid Waste and Chapel Hill Transit — to reduce carbon emissions further.
He said there had been a jump in carbon emissions with the 2010 opening of Fire Station 2, but even without the new station’s contribution, output would still have increased.
“There is actually an increase going on and it’s not just because we added a facility,” Lazinski said. “The street lights are the largest single contributor.”
Street lights produce 22 percent of municipal carbon emissions in the town. The second largest producer of carbon emissions is fuel for police cars at 17 percent.
“Our Carrboro deparment doesn’t have any electric or hybrid vehicles. We should look into that. There is a big opportunity there,” said Sammy Slade, a member of the Board of Aldermen.
The Century Center produces 15 percent of the town’s municipal carbon emissions, and Alderwoman Michelle Johnson expressed concern over that number.
Lazinski presented a possible 2 percent annual reduction policy modeled on a successful Asheville program.
“Emissions are increasing. They won’t go down without action,” Lazinski said. “There are plenty of opportunities for savings out there.”
Some proposed projects are adjusting building heating and cooling controls, removing lights from over-lit areas and upgrading the HVAC system of a facility.
But Alderwoman Randee Haven-O’Donnell said those changes will mean little if the town begins trucking waste to Durham after Orange County Landfill closes, as is currently planned.
“We can do all these things but if we continue to make the decision that the waste is going to be trucked than we are going to enter into a non-sustainable solution that is not going to change. It’s going to get worse,” she said.
Notable
The Orange County Board of County Commissioners referred the 2012 report on the Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance for comments at the Board of Alderman meeting. They suggested that a new elementary school should open 2012-2013, a new middle school 2017-2018 and a new high school 2020-2021.
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools is currently constructing Elementary 11, which is planned to open for the 2012-2013 school year.
Orange County staff also presented a report about the upcoming tax reevaluation process at the Tuesday Board of Alderman meeting.
Quotable
“I am not opposed to schools, however, schools are the most expensive things in the county budget,” Board of Alderman Member Jacquelyn Gist said.
“Our goal in reevaluation is to restore equity.”said Orange County Administrator Jenks Crayton. “Some houses are being taxed at too great a rate and some at too small a rate.”
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