Renewable Energy Overview Successes & Opportunities

The City of Raleigh’s renewable energy portfolio is extensive. The City uses energy from solar photovoltaic panels, geothermal wells, biofuels and solar thermal installations.

But there’s still more work to be done; read the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association's report on Raleigh’s progress in the renewable energy sector.

Cleaning Up Downtown Raleigh with Data Litter happens. It’s an unfortunate side effect in a thriving city. Raleigh has grown by 59 percent since 2000. More people downtown means more detritus — cigarette butts, napkins, plastic bottles and wrappers — and keeping public spaces from becoming unsightly is a big job.   The City of Raleigh's Litter Reporter app helps identify litter hot spots, and the City is now recruiting a new Downtown Coordinator to manage expanded downtown services.

A Nimble City  Organization is important enough to be called out in the City of Raleigh’s Strategic Plan. A guide to the work of the City for the next three to five years, organizational excellence is one of the plan’s six focus areas, and promoting “a culture that values continuous improvement and employs leading business practices” is a specific objective.   Long-term City projects can lose momentum by getting tangled in to-do lists and approval paperwork. The Enterprise Project Management Office found a way to cut through those barriers. And they won an award for it.

Mirroring Raleigh's Finest A giant mirror is making its way through the city. It’s appeared on Fayetteville Street, at the NC Museum of Art and most recently, the Destination Dix festival. Find out the story behind this public art installation.

Colorful BikeRaleigh Racks a Crowd-funding Success Raleigh residents pulled together to fund five new decorative bike racks downtown. These colorful and sturdy outlines of the BikeRaleigh logo demonstrate the power of community investment. Register for the leisurely 4-mile tour of all five on Sunday, August 7.

Hillsborough Street Renewal Project Updates Hillsborough Street is busting its seams to accommodate new businesses, a thriving university and thousands of visitors and residents.   The Hillsborough Street Renewal Project is the City’s effort to enhance the safety and quality of the area as it continues to grow and change. .

WELCOME...

to the City of Raleigh Office of Sustainability bimonthly newsletter. We hope you enjoy our news, click the links to learn more, and forward it to others who may be interested. To receive future issues, sign up for Sustainable Raleigh through MyRaleigh Subscriptions. Read more City of Raleigh sustainability stories in the Sustainable Raleigh Spotlight.

PHOTO OF THE MONTH
Flower Power

Every summer, acre upon acre of neatly planted sunflowers burst into bloom at the Neuse River Resource Reclamation Facility. Sunflower seeds are rich in oil, and the City plans to produce biofuel to run onsite equipment with the harvest. Read more about the future of the City’s sunflower energy.

Town Hall Discussion on Clean Energy

WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel led a town hall discussion on Environment, Economy, Entrepreneurship: Is Clean Energy Good Business? at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh. Watch the video.

SUSTAINABILITY REMINDER

Drywall is light, cheap and popular in most U.S. building construction. It’s made from a powdery, grayish-white material called gypsum, and it’s recyclable. However, most gypsum drywall is thrown into landfills; as it decomposes it becomes a water contaminant. Find out the uses of recycled drywall and where you recycle it in Wake County.  

CALENDAR

AUGUST

7 - BikeRaleigh Ride Party
2:30-3:30 p.m.

One Exchange Plaza,
219 Fayetteville Street

12 - Recycling Center Tour

1:30-3:30 p.m.

Wilders Grove Solid Waste Facility, 630 Beacon Lake Drive

(919) 996-6973

SEPTEMBER

17 - Neighborhood Exchange

8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Raleigh Convention Center,
500 South Salisbury Street

21 - Art as Infrastructure, UDC Talks

12-1:30 p.m.

City of Raleigh Museum,
220 Fayetteville Street

(919) 996-4644

City of Raleigh

Office of Sustainability

222 West Hargett Street #307
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 996-3070
Twitter @SustainableRAL
SustainableRaleigh@raleighnc.gov

Sustainable Raleigh Map