Sustainable Raleigh News Volume 4, Issue 5

Having trouble viewing this email? View as a Web Page

CITY OF RALEIGH OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY

Economic Strength...Environmental Stewardship...Social Equity.

Urban Agriculture Day

Join the City's Environmental Advisory Board and the City of Oaks Foundation in celebrating Urban Agriculture in Raleigh on Saturday, October 8 at the historic Mordecai Gardens Visitor Center to hear from the 2016 Urban Agriculture award winners and Steve Cohen from the City of Portland. There will also be a tour of the Mordecai kitchen garden.

This is a free event, but seating is limited. Please sign up to reserve a seat for any of these activities.

10th Anniversary for Downtown Recycling

Blue recycling carts are a normal sight in downtown Raleigh. But they haven’t always been there; before 2006, only one spot in Moore Square accepted recycling items. Today it’s the normal routine to roll recycling to the curb, and the City of Raleigh is celebrating the program’s 10th anniversary.

City Wants to Tame the Rain

The City wants to reduce the harm that comes when rain drains off surfaces and becomes “stormwater.” After a downpour in urban areas, with the abundance of concrete and other hard surfaces, stormwater has to go somewhere. It gushes untreated into storm drains picking up contaminants and trash in the process.

There are tools to slow down, filter and store rain and stormwater. The City's website explains how you can participate in the Stormwater Quality Cost Share Program.

Lit Up By LEDs: Raleigh's Streetlight Revolution

The City’s high-pressure sodium (HPS) vapor lights have been almost completely replaced with light-emitting diodes, or LEDs.

“We still have a few scattered fixtures around town,” said Dustin Brice, Streetlight Coordinator, “but we finished the bulk of the changeover around July 4 of this year.”

The switch is projected to save taxpayers $400,000 every year. LED lights only need to be replaced every 15 to 20 years, instead of the previous standard of two to three years.

Purple is the Color for Reuse Water

Reuse water, sometimes called reclaimed water or non-potable water, is wastewater treated to a high standard and reused instead of discharged into a waterway. The biggest uses for Raleigh's reclaimed water so far include landscaping, golf courses, toilet flushing and water for cooling towers in industrial settings.

The City of Raleigh Public Utilities Department and the North Carolina Division of Water Quality closely monitor and regulate reuse water.

The Sidewalk Doesn't End

The sidewalk belongs to everyone. The concrete pathways lining the streets represent the liveliness and inclusiveness of cities. But Raleigh’s sidewalks are often disrupted by construction and maintenance. For pedestrians, construction zones can make safe passage a chore, especially for those with disabilities.

Paul Kallam and his team are experimenting with solutions and some creative pathway designs for pedestrians. They have compiled a guide to accessibility in active work zones with best practices and lessons learned.

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

GREEN SQUARE

Join the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee October 16 at 1 p.m. for a sustainability tour of the Raleigh Convention Center with architect Steve Schuster, FAIA of Clearscapes. Then take a 2-mile sustainability walking tour of downtown Raleigh to learn some of the reasons Raleigh is a 4-STAR community. The tour starts and ends at the Sir Walter Raleigh statue outside the Convention Center, with a stop at Green Square to discover the rooftop garden at the Nature Research Center.

Food Recycling Expands in Raleigh

North Raleigh residents have a new option for recycling food waste. Wake County has expanded food waste collection to Convenience Center #7

at 9024 Deponie Drive. Any Wake County resident may drop off food scraps, which will be composted off-site. Most foods are acceptable, but no raw meats, please! Visit Wake County's Food Waste Recycling page for locations.

Hay Bales & Bulk Feed Corn

While supplies last, you can purchase both from the City of Raleigh Land Management Program at the Neuse River Resource Recovery Facility.

Need Mulch? BOGO Sale!

Through November 30, Raleigh area residents and businesses can take advantage of the "Buy One, Get One Free" promotion at the City's Yard Waste Center.