Welcome Angie Delgado, Sustainability Intern

Angie Delgado (she/her) is a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill majoring in Environmental Science and minoring in Physics and African American and Diaspora studies. Angie is passionate about innovation for environmental sustainability, accessibility to education, and community building. Through her national community service experience with AmeriCorps NCCC, Angie has worked with municipal governments and nonprofit organizations to tackle urban and rural development, infrastructure improvement, and environmental conservation.

As a Sustainability Programs intern, Angie has focused on reaching the Hispanic community in Orange County to understand and explain the shared concerns of the County and its Hispanic population relating to climate change. Through her participation in content creation for this newsletter, community engagement with the Climate Action Plan, and promoting the Community Climate Action Grant Program, Angie enjoyed using her creativity and communication skills to support actionable change. Further, the opportunity to attend various task force meetings provided Angie with insight into the diversity of careers and how residents can participate with climate action planning in local government.

Community Climate Action Grant Open!

The next round of Community Climate Action Grant funding is now open! This program, which began in 2019, is funded from a ¼ cent property tax and is intended to support projects that tackle climate change. All public and nonprofit entities, as well as small businesses are eligible to apply. The grant has seven scoring criteria with racial justice and social equity being the most heavily weighted category.

Previous grant recipients have received awards to carry out a variety of impactful projects in Orange County such as hiring compost monitors at our farmer’s markets to collect compost and educate the community about the benefits of composting, EV charger and solar installations, tree plantings, and energy efficiency projects, just to name a few!

Check out our webpage for more background information, application forms, and to read our success stories page to learn more about the climate projects funded through this grant that are making climate change impacts in our community. The application period is open through August 18.

This quarter, we are featuring the ArtsCenter, one of our grant recipients from 2021 and 2022. To learn more about how they put their grant funds to use, check out Angie’s interview with the ArtsCenter’s Executive Director, Wendy Smith below.

CCAG Spotlight: The ArtsCenter

The ArtsCenter in Carrboro celebrates a new home this summer! The ArtsCenter is a grant recipient of the Community Climate Action Grant from the 2021 and 2022 grant cycle. The grand reopening at 400 Roberson Street will be celebrated August 26, 2023 from 11 am to 4 pm, a free event open to the public.

The ArtsCenter received two grants: 1) To install solar panels and 2) For the installation of bike racks, electric bike, and electric vehicle charger stations. The solar panels will allow for energy usage to pay for itself as well as generate income from selling surplus solar energy back to the grid through a partnership with Duke Energy. The enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 will give the ArtsCenter access to tax credits for transitioning to renewable energy.

The bike racks, electric bike and electric vehicle charger stations will be powered by the solar array installed by Spotlight Solar, a locally sourced and operating North Carolina solar business.

According to Executive Director, Wendy Smith, "The ArtsCenter plans on applying for a future grant to educate the public and students about how solar energy works in creative ways. The ArtsCenter is excited to continue their mission to promote sustainability in their existing programs: STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) and purposeful art creation."

Beyond these two major upgrades, Smith said the ArtsCenter is planning for an outdoor classroom. Studies have shown that outdoor based classrooms can have a positive impact on learning and even social, physical, psychological, and improved health benefits. According to Smith, "Promoting the use of outdoor classrooms is also a way in which we can reduce energy consumption."

Ultimately, the ArtsCenter’s major upgrade is not only an exciting time for the local artists of Carrboro it is also an important step towards sustainability and Orange County’s role as leaders of local climate action.

Solarize the Triangle Round 2 Kicks Off

On May 15th the Solarize the Triangle program kicked off its second year at Durham Hi Wire Brewery. Participants got to learn more about this group purchasing program intended to bring down the cost of solar for residential, non profit and commercial installations. Check out the feature WRAL did of our kick off launch here and our Board of County Commissioner Chair Bedford's video of support.

If you’re interested in going solar, a virtual information session is scheduled for June 27th from 6:30-8pm to provide information about the Solarize the Triangle program and to get all of your questions answered. Register for the event here: Zoom link.

Getting a free assessment is easy and hassle free! Visit the Solar Crowdsource website to sign-up for an evaluation to see if your house, business or non profit agency is a good candidate for solar. The sign-up deadline is September 30, 2023. Solar is a great way to lower your energy bills and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions too!

Climate Action Planning Continues

Work continues on Orange County’s Climate Action Plan! If you haven’t taken our Community Survey, there’s still time to let your voice be heard on strategies you think are important to include in our plan that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help us become a more resilient community as we face the impacts of climate change.

Soon, we will have a draft plan ready for community review and input. We hope you’ll join us for our community symposium on September 6th to discuss the draft climate action plan in detail. This is another opportunity to share your thoughts on climate action in Orange County. Your input is important in helping us shape our final plan which will be finalized later this year. Please stay tuned for more details about our climate symposium which will be posted on our website and other media channels..

Weatherization: The Why and the How

Do you have an exterior door that doesn’t quite seal? Windows that allow the winter chill and summer heat in? Old insulation in your walls? According to the Department of Energy, a typical American family spends $2,000 a year on energy bills. Much of that money is wasted through cracks in the door, thin walls, and windows. Weatherization can not only save money but as we work to advance renewable energy and reduce fossil fuel use, it can help reduce the overall amount of energy we use, an important strategy in making our renewable energy transition.

Consider the following weatherization tips to reduce your energy use:

Apply weatherproof caulking to small gaps, or weather-strip seals to doors or windows with larger gaps. Replace windows if there is frequent condensation and/or rotting around the frame and be sure to change your air filters frequently. For more tips visit Duke Energy's weatherization webpage.

In addition to saving money on your energy bill, home weatherization and energy efficiency efforts can be used to apply for Energy Efficient Home Improvement Tax Credits through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 for homeowners and renters. This tax credit is available for products purchased and installed between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2032. Rebate programs are expected to be announced soon. To see information on applying and eligibility for tax credits, follow this link to the U.S. Department of Energy.

If initial costs pose a barrier, there is assistance.

Central Piedmont Community Action’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) is available to homeowners and renters with written permission of the landlord and the Orange County Home Preservation Coalition can provide support.

Green Burials

While it may be uncomfortable to discuss death, the rising concerns associated with land use and conventional burial systems may cause us to rethink how to plan for death care. Options which provide a sustainable alternative to traditional burial and fire cremation include: aquamation currently legal in 28 states and the rising legalization of human composting in 6 U.S. states.

In addition to limited land availability for other uses including, housing and food, traditional burials have other concerns surrounding sustainability including the production and transportation of caskets and fire cremation that requires high intensity energy while producing toxic gasses in the process of burning.

Aquamation, also known as water cremation, resomation, bio creation, or hydro cremation is estimated to reduce the carbon footprint by 75% compared to traditional fire cremation. The returned remains from aquamation are identical to those of traditional cremation.

While North Carolina is not one of the 6 states which has legalized human composting. Human composting is an exciting alternative to contemplate for those who find comfort in reducing their ecological footprint and returning to the ecosystem in their final form. The process is conducted in specialized facilities in which the body is placed in a reusable vessel with biodegradable plant material, microbes, and bacteria for decomposition. The initiative for human composting was started by The Urban Death Project out of Seattle, Washington.

For local options, Bluestem offers green burial services here in Orange County. As we seek to become more sustainable in life, perhaps it is time to think how we can be more sustainable in death too.

More EV Chargers Added!

Five more EV chargers were recently installed at the Eno River Parking deck with the help of a grant from the North Carolina Department of Environment Quality. These chargers add additional EV charging capacity in Orange County and are free to use. The County is continuing to apply for grants to help build out our EV charging network to promote the adoption of electric vehicles as a strategy to reduce fossil fuel emissions and improve our air quality.

Contact Us:

Have a question or comment about one of our sustainability programs? Want to volunteer?

Contact Amy Eckberg, Sustainability Programs Manager, aeckberg@orangecountync.gov; 919-245-2626