Key CHALT Issues & Priorities on the Environment
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Reduce our carbon footprint
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Maximize the use of fossil free energy
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Preserve old growth trees while planting new ones
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Expand parks and green space
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Improve stormwater management through green infrastructure
How do we accomplish these goals? Ninety percent of maintaining a livable sustainable community is Town leadership that makes wise land use decisions.
What is CHALT doing to help reduce our carbon footprint?
- Advocate for higher stormwater standards for development
- Participate in updating stormwater standards in our ordinances.
- Press for sustainable developments that include groundwater infiltration and tree canopy.
What do we observe is happening now in our towns and countryside?
- More flooding: longer and more frequent rain storms News & Observer article
- Longer and hotter summers
- Shorter spring and autumn seasons
- Longer and wetter winters
- Poorer air quality, which can affect the health of residents, especially the young and elderly.
- Fewer birds and other wildlife. Extinction is happening now: we lose 150 species of plants and animals a day.
What can we do as individuals to reduce our carbon footprint?
- Buy local food; patronize Farmers Markets, go vegetarian
- Compost Composting is easier than you think
- Increase pervious surfaces to infiltrate stormwater and replenish groundwater
- Plant trees
- Plant a pollinator garden Steps you can take in the garden
- Control indoor pests without poisons
- Reduce demand on energy. When making energy choices think about saving electricity and seek renewable energy resources such as solar and wind.
- Reduce auto use; buy an electric car; walk or bike
What can Chapel Hill do to help?
- Simplify permitting and inspections to support the installation of more solar energy systems;
- Require new development, which requests rezoning/SUP, to meet AIA-2030 energy performance standards which will greatly reduce the carbon footprints of buildings;
- Require new construction and renovations of public buildings to also meet AIA-2030 energy performance standards;
- Accelerate the purchase of electric buses for OC and CH transit systems, and install solar PV systems at the transit charging stations (as Chapel Hill Transit is planning to do);
- Educate the public about the economics of installing solar energy systems and improving the energy efficiency of buildings.
- Do a better job of preserving our tree canopy; adopt set of goals with measurable outputs
- Lobby the GA to raise gasoline taxes, which will encourage the purchase of more fuel-efficient vehicles. (The low price of gasoline has caused the purchase of a greater percentage of SUVs in recent years in the US, such that carbon emissions have actually increased after declining during the Obama years.)
- Whatever policy actions we take, it is important to emphasize the use of objectively measurable standards of greenhouse gas reduction.
- Commit to measure touted improvements for some time period at set intervals (e.g., yearly)
- Work with neighboring jurisdictions to support regional efforts to preserve wildlife corridors. An excellent example is the Landscape Plan for Wildlife Habitat Connectivity in Eno River and New Hope Creek.