Justice and Equity in the Climate Action Plan

Birth of the Environmental Justice Movement

On this day in 1982, a six-week period of protests began in Warren County, North Carolina. Residents, students, and civil rights activists gathered to protest the state’s decision to locate a hazardous landfill in the 90% impoverished, 66% African American community of Warren County (Lehmann, 2011). The landfill was to hold 31,000 gallons of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are highly toxic manmade chemicals known to cause cancer. The protests involved long distance marches, rallies with singing and praying, and human barricades that blocked access to the proposed landfill site. The protests lasted until October 12th and garnered much attention from the media. Although the toxic landfill was not relocated, the protests and associated news coverage created a national awareness of environmental racism, the disproportionate burden of environmental risks placed on racial minorities.

These images depict the various methods of resistance used by Warren County residents and their allies during the protests.

Image sources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

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Above is a 1982 WBTV news clip covering a protest at the landfill site.

Video Source

Many attribute the birth of the environmental justice movement to the 1982 Warren County PCB protests.

Climate Equity & the CARP

Climate equity ensures everyone benefits from climate solutions, and no one takes on more of the burden of climate impacts. This requires intentional efforts to change the systems and structures that worsen climate change and inequality (Town of Chapel Hill, 2021, p. 59).

The Town of Chapel Hill recognizes past environmental wrongdoings and has made addressing environmental justice a top priority in the Climate Action and Response Plan. The plan outlines concrete actions that will produce numerous community benefits including improvements in racial equity and environmental justice. Some of these actions are listed below along with their associated climate equity outcomes.

Climate Equity

Climate Action

Net-zero emissions for new construction and new municipal buildings.

+ Improved environmental conditions + Reduced operating and utility costs + More affordable housing opportunities + Prioritization of public housing buildings

Energy upgrades for existing buildings and facilities. Convert community buildings to all electric.

+ Improved environmental conditions + Reduced operating costs + Prioritization of frontline communities in retrofit efforts

Green the grid.

+ Improved environmental conditions +/- Potential changes in energy costs * Advocacy for affordability and equity is needed.

Increase walking, biking, and transit use.

+ Decreased transportation costs + Better connectivity for all transportation modes + More transportation choices available

+ Improved environmental conditions + Improved (fare free) mobility

Increase Transit Ridership and Implement Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

+ Reduced flooding risk from stormwater management

Protect Water Quality, Natural and Agricultural Resources.

References

Lehmann, H. (2011, November 19). North Carolina activists birth the eco-justice movement while fighting toxic waste, 1982. Global Nonviolent Action Database. https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/north-carolina-activists-birth-eco-justice-movement-while-fighting-toxic-waste-1982

Town of Chapel Hill. (2021). Town of Chapel Hill Climate Action and Response Plan. Retrieved from https://www.townofchapelhill.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=48581

Ditch Your Disposables

Ditching your disposables is one way you can reduce your waste. Single-use plastics, or disposable plastics, are only used once before they are discarded. While some single-use plastics can be recycled, they often end up in landfills and oceans. As you will see in the image below, there are many reasons to reduce your reliance on single-use plastics.

Source: https://www.lessplastic.org.uk/9-reasons-refuse-single-use-plastic/

To make ditching your disposables easier, below is a list of common disposable products and their eco-friendly alternatives. 

Eco-friendly alternative

Canvas grocery bags

Mesh produce bags

Refillable water bottles

Travel mug

Reusable silverware set

Food storage containers from home

Reusable K-cups

Metal or fabric coffee filters

Washable cloths or bamboo towels

Bamboo toilet paper

Reusable silicone bags

Reusable beeswax food wrap

Silicone baking mats

Disposable

Plastic and paper grocery bags

Plastic produce bags

Single-use water bottles

Paper coffee cup

Plastic silverware

To-go boxes

Pre-filled K-cups

Paper coffee filters

Paper towels

Toilet paper

Plastic freezer and sandwich bags

Plastic food wrap

Parchment paper

You can keep a reusable kit at your desk or in your commuting bag. Stock it with silverware, a travel mug, and some food containers, making you always ready to leave an office party or restaurant waste-free!

From Garbage to Garden

This blog post is all about composting! We will begin with a general overview before delving into some helpful tips for composting in Chapel Hill. After reading, you should be able to: identify compostable items, understand the composting process, recognize the need for composting, and feel prepared to start your composting journey.

What is composting?

Composting is the process whereby organic matter, such as leaves and food scraps, is broken down and transformed into a nutrient-dense fertilizer. Composting speeds up the natural decomposition process by creating an environment well-suited for decomposers. The end product is called compost!

Compostable Items

Image Source

Fruit and Vegetable Scraps Meat Bones - Fish Products - Pasta Bread Cereal - Cooked Foods Dairy products - Egg Shells Coffee Grounds - Coffee Filters Tea Bags - Paper Towels Soiled Paper Food Packaging Pizza Boxes - Muffin Wrappers Flour and Sugar Bags - Pet Food 100% Cotton Cheesecloth

Items labeled BPI Certified Compostable

Items labeled ASTM D6400 or ASTM D6868

Why Compost?

Composting offers numerous environmental and agricultural benefits. For starters, composting redirects organic waste away from landfills. When organic waste is stored in landfills, it generates a greenhouse gas called methane. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, methane is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of its heat trapping capacity. Thus, composting programs are an important part of the Town’s climate change mitigation strategy. Regarding agricultural benefits, organic compost enriches soil, which leads to healthier, more resilient plants. Ultimately, this means a reduction in the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

A 2017 Orange County waste composition study found that compostable items made up 46.5% of annual aggregate municipal solid waste. Food waste was the largest subcategory among compostable items, accounting for 25.3% of total municipal solid waste that year. What does this mean for Chapel Hill and its residents? These metrics indicate that composting has much potential for helping us reach our zero waste goals. Anyone can compost, and it is imperative that we do.

Composting in the Community

Many Chapel Hill residents have already integrated composting into their regular routine for waste management. Some have created backyard composting bins. Others have taken advantage of commercial composting services available in Chapel Hill like CompostNow. Through CompostNow, residents collect compostable items in personal compost bins that are emptied regularly by CompostNow. CompostNow users receive the added benefit of having compost delivered to their homes for use in gardening, yard work, etc.

Residents can also drop off compostable items at local collection sites. The County hosts sites at the Walnut Grove Church Road Waste and Recycling Center (3605 Walnut Grove Church Rd, Hillsborough, NC 27278) and the Eubanks Road Waste and Recycling Center (1514 Eubanks Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27516) during normal operating hours. The Carrboro Farmers Market also accepts compostable items on Saturdays from 7 a.m. until noon.

Composting at the University

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UNC recently expanded its composting program so that all residence halls (with the exception of Granville Towers) have access to compost carts. Compost carts are clearly labeled and located outside adjacent to the recycling bins.

Students living on campus can check out small personal compost bins to keep in their dorms for added convenience. To get a personal bin, students should contact UNC’s Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling. The community compost carts are emptied twice weekly and are sent to Brooks Contractor. For more information about UNC’s on-campus composting program, click here.

There are also options available for off-campus students wishing to compost. For students with yard space, creating a backyard compost pile can be a fun and rewarding experience. However, for those seeking a more hands-off approach, UNC’s CompostMates is a great option. Through the program, off-campus students can receive free food scrap collection services. For more details, read this helpful article.

Composting Panel Discussion

Click here to view a panel discussion between local residents, government officials, and businesses who are involved in Chapel Hill composting.

References

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2020, October 22). Importance of Methane. https://www.epa.gov/gmi/importance-methane

Kessler Consulting, Inc. (2017). Orange County Waste Composition Study. http://www.co.orange.nc.us/DocumentCenter/View/2826/2017-Orange-County-Waste-Characterization-Study-Final-Report-PDF

How to Audit and Reduce Your Waste

When Town Hall conducted a waste audit, we found out that over half of what we throw away could be composted. That’s 3,500 pounds a year!

Diverting waste from landfills helps save space and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air and water pollution. Not to mention, it can turn waste into valuable resources like natural fertilizer or recycled raw materials.

Read on to find out how to conduct your own waste audit and start reducing your contribution to landfills.

Conducting a waste audit

A waste audit is essentially categorizing and weighing what you throw away. Here are the steps:

1. Gather your materials. You will need a scale and all the most recent bags of trash found in your house (but not things you are already recycling). A cleared surface may be helpful for sorting. Plus a large plastic bin will make weighing easier. The waste audit will be most accurate if all the trash bags were replaced at the same time so that you are measuring what you’ve thrown away in a certain time period, like a day or a week. 

2. Separate your waste. It is helpful to know how much of your waste could be composted, recycled, or reused—and how much actually has to go to a landfill. Here is some more information on each category.

• Compostable: This includes food scraps and organic material like yard waste but not bones, meat, or pet droppings, which cannot be composted at home.

• Recyclable: Check Orange County’s list of accepted recycling materials during your waste audit to make sure you are accurately identifying recyclables.

• Reusable: This includes any items that could have been used again, whether by you or someone else.

• Landfill: If something truly cannot be composted, recycled, or reused, it can go to the landfill. This includes things like styrofoam, K-cups, and greasy pizza boxes.

3. Weigh your waste. Once the categories are broken up, weigh each one and write down the weight. If you are using a plastic bin or other container, make sure to subtract its weight from your measurements.

4. Do some calculations. This spreadsheet makes it easy to find out what percent of your waste should actually be going to the landfill and how many pounds of waste you produce in a year.

I’ve done a waste audit. Now what?

Your first waste audit is like a baseline. It can help you set goals and start reducing your household contribution to landfills. In the future, you can conduct another waste audit to see how you’re doing.

Here are some tips on how to reduce household waste:

• Replace common disposable items with reusable ones. 

• If you aren’t already, start composting! Composting at home is easy and produces nutritious fertilizer you can use in your garden. There are also compost pickup services that gather your compost and give you a clean bin every week. Town Hall uses CompostNow.

Know what you can recycle. Having Orange County’s accepted materials list near your recycling bin can help.

Climate Action & Response Plan

Let’s take action together!

The Town of Chapel Hill’s Climate Action and Response Plan that outlines how we can work together as a community to address the impacts of climate change and advance racial equity. The purpose of the Plan is to identify the most meaningful actions we can begin to take over the next five years and begin implementing them.

View the plan by clicking here.

Download a copy of the plan by clicking here.

Supporting materials:

Latest Carbon Emissions Inventories

Action and Projected Impacts

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Forecast

Carbon Reduction Measures

See below for additional materials

What has happened since the plan was adopted?

The Council voted to incorporate the adopted plan into the Town’s Comprehensive Plan.

The Council has set aside funding to help implement the plan each fiscal year.

Implementation is now ongoing and progress updates are being shared every six months with Council.

Are there other ways to learn more about the plan and how to get involved?

Reach out to John Richardson:

jrichardson@townofchapelhill.org
919.969.5075

Want to learn more basics about Chapel Hill’s climate action plan?

Watch our video presentation below, or read the transcript.
Note: see the draft plan for the latest on community emissions estimates.

Other language options for the video:

Spanish: video
Mandarin Chinese: video 

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and ForecastCarbon Reduction Measures

What is climate action?

Climate action is any activity that reduces our greenhouse gas emissions, or that helps us respond to our changing climate by making Chapel Hill a stronger and more resilient community. Climate equity means that everyone benefits from the solutions to address climate change, and no one is burdened or left out. This requires intentional efforts to change the systems and structures that worsen climate change and inequity.

Why do we care about greenhouse gas emissions?

Greenhouse gas emissions are causing the earth to warm, and this is changing our climate. Greenhouse gas emissions come from burning fossil fuels like coal, gasoline, and natural gas. They are produced by sources like the power plant that supplies electricity to our homes and businesses, and by the fuel we burn in our cars and trucks.

While climate change is a global issue, it's also a local one. We're already experiencing climate change in Chapel Hill. This includes more extreme weather events that lead to things like flooding, drought, and severe storms. The Town Council has a goal to reduce carbon emissions and make Chapel Hill a 100% clean energy community by the year 2050. We must all work together to make this happen.

Climate Action Opinion Survey

COVID-19 reached our community just as the public engagement portion of the project was getting underway. The project team pivoted to an online survey to continue the conversation. The purpose of this survey was to share what the Town had learned about climate change for our local context and to get the perspective of residents and other stakeholders about the challenges and opportunities they see for addressing it in Chapel Hill. The survey was issued in English, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.

Results of multiple choice questions
Interactive analysis of multiple choice questions

Additional Supporting Materials

For more information about the data and calculations we used to develop our greenhouse gas emissions inventories, projections and reduction models, you can visit the Town’s Open Data Portal.

Project Staff
For more information, contact:

John Richardson
Community Sustainability Manager
jrichardson@townofchapelhill.org
(919) 969-5075

Bulky Items? Where Do They Go?

Old couches, clothing, appliances, and other commonly thrown away items often end up in landfills. As waste rots in heaps of trash it creates hazardous chemicals like methane and carbon dioxide that seep into the air and water. Nonetheless, there are ways to reduce the amount of waste that goes to the landfill. Whether big or small most items can be recycled or reused in some way.

Appliances:

Small appliances can be spared from the landfill. Unplug appliances for several days to allow sufficient time to cool before recycling. Orange County hosts several recycling centers called Salvage Sheds. However, these centers only take working appliances. For locations look here. 

Other recycling centers include CommunityWorx, Goodwill, Club Nova and the Habitat for Humanity ReStores. 

Orange County residents can take broken appliances to any solid waste convenience center or to the Orange County Landfill where they will be recycled with scrap metal. 

Clothing:

In addition to appliances, old clothing commonly ends up in landfills. These items can easily be used again or recycled. 

Cut them up and make cleaning rags, quilts, pillow cases or a bed for your pets. Get creative and make a produce bag or a stuffed animal. Be innovative by thinking about what you need around the house and what your old clothes can be used for. 

If creativity is not for you, try recycling them at a local thrift store, Orange Congregations in Mission or the Walnut Grove Solid Waste Convenience Center. Make sure to do some homework before taking your items for resale as some locations only take gently used clothing. 

Other shops recycle all clothing types such as H&M located at Southpoint Mall. H&M is one of many fashion giants taking the initiative to reduce their environmental impact. You can also recycle your old jeans at select American Eagle, Levi’s, and Madewell storefronts. Some of these programs (like H&M’s) may be temporarily paused due to the pandemic, so you should call your local store to check. For more companies that participate in recycling programs, click here.

Clothes are not the only type of textiles that get thrown in landfills. Old carpet and pads can be recycled as well. Good clean carpet is accepted at the Habitat Restore. However, most carpet being thrown away is used or old. These carpets should be recycled at a waste and recycling center. 

Other:

Additionally, Orange County has an extensive list of recycling anything from antifreeze and batteries to computer disks and smoke detectors. 
If you’re interested in being more eco friendly read these brilliant ways to repurpose household items.

EVs to Take Chapel Hill By Storm

The number one way to lower your carbon footprint is to live car free.

This may be easy for some, but is more difficult for the majority of commuters who live at least 20 minutes from work.

If you can’t live car free, consider going electric. By 2030 it is estimated that 7% of all cars in the United States will be electric. Here in North Carolina, Chapel Hill has emerged as an early adoptor market and it is estimated that the town will have a higher percentage of electric vehicles (EVs) as compared to the national average. 

In anticipation of this increase, the Town is prepared to continue installing charging stations and looking for ways to incentivize EVs by promoting their use and offering same-day permitting for home charging stations. The Town is also pursuing grant opportunities that will help support the installation of more EV infrastructure in Chapel Hill. 

Check out this website and search “Chapel Hill, NC” in the upper left corner to find the more than 25 publicly available charging stations in our community.

Having an EV will become easier as time goes on. With the increase in demand and changes in battery technology, vehicles will become cheaper, more efficient and easier to charge. Here are some myths or common misconceptions about EVs.

Common EV Myths:

1. EV are costly and difficult to maintain. Did you know that EVs do not require oil changes or tune ups because they have an electric motor? They also have fewer moving parts so that means fewer items that may need to be replaced in the long run.

   Also, savings on fuel and maintenance can offset the sticker price of an EV and make it less expensive year-to-year than a traditional gas vehicle. PluginNC studies show that powering a gas car can cost on average about $1,250.00 a year, while powering an EV costs $400 a year. You can use this calculator to compare the costs of specific models based on gas and electricity prices in your area. Moreover, prices will decline as EVs enter the used car market. 

   You will not only save on fuel and maintenance but those who buy these cars early on will get to benefit from grants, tax incentives, open charging stations and more.

2. Many people believe that the battery life is insufficient for daily commutes. However, even the shortest range EV is built to cover double the average 40 miles Americans drive a day. 

3. Another misconception is EVs are slow, making them dangerous on highways. On the contrary, EVs generate 100% of their available torque instantly, meaning they can accelerate faster than most gasoline powered engines. As for safety, it has been found that statistically the chances of a battery exploding are no more likely than any car catching on fire. Furthermore, they undergo the same safety exams as their counterparts. 

4. A common myth is that owning an EV will be too difficult without abundant charging stations. However, studies show that most charging will happen at home or work (80 to 85%). This means EVs are incredibly easy to charge at the owner’s convenience. If you’re thinking about charging at home, consider installing a charging station that works for your vehicle and driving patterns. Town Hall offers same day permitting that allows licensed installers to receive a electrical permit within 24 hours. In addition, the Town has identified priority locations to install public charging stations making charging even more convenient in the future. 

For more information on EVs or other ways to make your commute greener check out our on the go page.