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Sustainability and Climate Action Strategy

Draft for Citizen Comment
 
 
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Summary

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Introduction

View the Table of Contents and learn more about who contributed to the development of the strategy.

Cary's Opportunity

This section includes the high-level goals and objectives of the strategy, the six focus areas, other related efforts and plans, and the project timeline.

Engaging the Community

To engage citizens in the development of this strategy, Cary launched the Count me in, Cary! Stewardship Strategies for a Sustainable Future campaign.

Counting Up Cary's Impact

To create an actionable and data-driven strategy, Cary conducted a community-wide inventory of GHG emissions, the primary form of pollution causing climate change.

Energy

This section details the goals, strategies, actions, metrics, and targets that were identified for Energy.

Transportation & Mobility

This section details the goals, strategies, actions, metrics, and targets that were identified for Transportation & Mobility.

Solid Waste

This section details the goals, strategies, actions, metrics, and targets that were identified for Solid Waste.

Water Infrastructure

This section details the goals, strategies, actions, metrics and targets that were identified for Water Infrastructure.

Natural Resources

This section details the goals, strategies, actions, metrics, and targets that were identified for Natural Resources.

Community

This section details the goals, strategies, actions, metrics, and targets that were identified for Community.

Can We Count YOU In?

Successfully implementing the strategy will require participation and support from all Cary citizens.

Endnotes

View sources of information and data in the Sustainability & Climate Action Strategy.

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Just a general comment that I am surprised at the comments from a few commentors that are critical of Cary having a Climate Strategy. Not those commenting with constructive feedback or even opposition to certain strategies but those denying the need to take any action at all and that somehow Cary is being negligent for smart future planning. Good job Cary, thank you for your leadership.
This is just a comment to commend Cary on the decision to go with the aluminum cup in the social district/Downtown Cary Park. Plastic cups aren't recyclable and compostable cups would have meant adding compost collection bins throughout the park and they are often put in the recycling anyways, contaminating the recycling bins. This was a brilliant solution that will make a gigantic impact on the waste diversion from this facility and just want to say thank you for this decision. Plus, cold beverages taste better and colder in an aluminum cup :)
A good portion of the strategies are focused on internal Cary operations, which is important because that is a great way to lead by example and is attainable. Kudos to all the strategies around increasing organics recycling.

It would be great to see some strategies around increasing the amount of materials that are accepted for residential recycling. Any consideration being given to multifamily or apartments, either via direct collections or through ordinances requiring the property to provide recycling? Even planning/development requirements to provide adequate space for collection containers. What about more public spaces and recycling for events above a certain size? Cary does a great job at their own events, this is in regard to non-Cary events.
Full support to study this option
It would set a good example for the entire community on low/zero waste events.
This would be great!
NC State would be a good resource to learn how their waste reduction office works with campus construction project managers to reduce waste during construction and renovation projects.
Love this!
This is super smart. Especially with the fast growth in Cary, it's great to think about new design so that it allows for an ideal collection system setup from the start and future retrofit costs are avoided.
Cary is a leader on organics diversion with drop offs, support of backyard composting, and special event composting and is wise to continue to advance waste reduction strategies for organics which usually makes up the biggest proportion of waste disposed of in the Wake Co landfill. Organics in the landfill generate GHGs that aren't fully captured and there is a loss in opportunity to convert the material to compost, which has many benefits including the greater ability to be a carbon sink.

I know Cary will continue to evaluate best collection strategies (expanded drop-offs, curbside, etc) to expand residential diversion but are there other potential strategies such as policies or ordinances that would incentivize private haulers and/or large generators to increase organics recycling?
Question
Is the 2030 target less then baseline?
Suggestion
Climate has been changing and evolving since the Earth was formed.
The dinosaurs perished when climate changed, so I guess that humans caused that. Oh wait, there were no humans. If there were, then the humans could have developed a Climate Strategy to SAVE THE DINOSAURS.
The climate changed many times before there were ever any human caused CO2 emissions. Shoulda been a a detailed Climate Strategy to stop the climate change.
Who comes up with this stupidness to waste our tax money?
STOP THIS NONSENSE.
Suggestion
The hubris of humans who think they can affect climate change, a process going on thousands of years. Forest fires or a single volcano can undo decades of clean air initiatives. Rather than try to stop this inevitable change, why not learn to deal with its results?
1) How can we save those 3" rainfalls in barrels or resevoirs to help deal with those droughts your study projects
2) Curb HOAs' power so homeowners can keep a more natural landscape or (gasp) use clotheslines, not their dryers
3)Educate the public in making more environmentally-friendly choices in product packaging, landscaping, or other lifestyle decisions
Would be interesting to know how much of our tax money has been spent on this Climate Change strategy so far. No wonder two of the recently-proposed referendums were voted down!
Suggestion
Reduce reliance on commercial and residential use of gas powered equipment. Using electric equipment reduces CO2 emissions and noise pollution.
Suggestion
Related to enhancing Natural Resources, I'd like the town to support several "green" efforts. 1) Leaving the Leaves should be an urgent matter as so many insects (and relatedly birds) are dying as the town picks up, mulches, and kills millions of hibernating insects and/or eggs hidden in those leaves. Neighboring towns are starting to get on board and stopping this expensive and wasteful pick up. (FYI - Leaves can provide healthy nutrients to lawns.) 2) And the accompanying leaf blowers create unbelievable emissions and noise that are harmful to humans and insects. Can the town support or incentivize electric leaf blowers? I know in my neighborhood the landscapers cut and blow on the same day typically every week and I hear deafening blowers from 8-5pm. 3) Removing invasive plants efforts should also be a town priority. I live near Cary Park and the invasive vines, grasses, and shrubs are taking over and killing natives. HOAs and developers should be educated about what plants are invasive and not allowed to plant them. I see developers clearcut natives over and over again and then sadly plant invasives like Chinese hollies. 4) To help wildlife and reduce emissions, can the town promote the reduction of light pollution in buildings and streetlights? Can motion sensors be installed so that they are not on all the time like the one outside my bedroom? Every year millions of birds die colliding into needlessly illuminated buildings.
Suggestion
Where feasible, the town should encourage the planting of more native plants in common areas - and removal of turf grass. Natives do not need to be watered and require no chemicals or mowing (unless of course blocking road visibility).
Suggestion
If found feasible, I'd support 1) curbside compost pickup, 2) pay-by-weight garbage pick up, and 3) banning single-use plastics. The Mills Park compost center is terrific but often very full. It was very full of pumpkins after Halloween. Also, residents need to be more informed on where they can dispose of more challenging items like medicine bottles, batteries, kid's toys, computers, or disposable e-cigarettes; I just learned of Anything with a Plug Recycling which takes each of these items and more. 
Suggestion
As this is old data, and is also the entirety of the Cary lands, but in areas like downtown Cary and other development projects, is this still true? It would be a better analysis to maybe break the city up into regions then look at maybe for example 5 square miles and what amount of impervious area is within that specific region?
Suggestion
The mature canopy should try to be preserved. The developers have clear cut so many lots and not added anything equal to what they have destroyed. There should be stricter guidelines for developing a lot.
Suggestion
With the increased in impervious areas as the town develops, the stormwater assessments "downstream" and should be revisited to be sure property owners continue to have proper drainage to their lots.
Suggestion
On the topic of pedestrian safety and connecting all of these transit options, I've found there are many times where we take a bus to go to a shopping center, but despite there being sidewalks along the major roads, and crosswalks at the lights, there often aren't any dedicated pedestrian walkways from the sidewalk to the shopping center (you have to cross a large parking lot on foot, where drivers don't expect you to be). For example, the shopping area on kildaire with Staples and Trader Joe's. If you're trying to get there from the sidewalk on Kildaire, you have to cross a large parking lot on foot. It would be great to have a dedicated pedestrian way leading from those sidewalks, across the parking lot, to the businesses. As it is right now, places like that aren't really connected to the transit system and especially aren't safe for folks with disabilities like my fiance.
I'm curious to learn more about the future of our bike lanes. The bike lanes added to Walnut are awesome, but they only go so far out of Downtown, and then it's back to no bike lanes, so for me personally I don't bike that stretch much - I don't really bike where there aren't dedicated lanes just out of worry for my safety. It would be a huge deal if that connected to the Fenton bike route, and eventually to whatever develops at the Epic/old mall site.
So excited about the BRT, hopefully it doesn't get delayed significantly!
The compost drop-off at Cary convenience centers is great. Someday we hope to have a yard and do our own compost, but for now we come by after doing a ton of weekend meal prep and drop off food scraps there.
Suggestion
Just commenting to say a big part of why we chose Cary over other nice towns is the accessibility through public transit, especially the bus system. We're planning to live in walking distance to the Cary Depot (despite it becoming really too expensive for us in downtown) so my Fiance, who has a disability, will be able to get around independently through bus routes and just the walkability of downtown. And we're excited to see new fixed routes being added this year. We'd just like to see some work on the GoCary app, as it's not very user friendly for us. Will come by an info session sometime to provide specific feedback about that.
Suggestion
This entire document is based on faulty premises so it’s all garbage. Global warming is a clever ruse to tax citizens and increase the size and power of government. I am completely against all of the above. The City Council should focus on providing the services that a local government ought to provide. Your number one job ought to be to provide security. Instead I read just today that in Wake County the government is spending money to diversify our firefighters because there are apparently too many white males. You only need to look at Los Angeles CA to see what are the consequences of leftist policies obsessing about skin color and gender rather than merit and ability. Los Angeles is still burning thanks to mismanagement due to leftist ideology. I should really congratulate you all. I am sure you all cheer on the destruction of communities.
Suggestion
I think the climate strategy should address light pollution. In particular, street lights and business lighting has greatly reduced our night sky here in Cary over the last 10-15 years. There are ways to have lighting that does not impact the night sky nearly as much. Here is a recent article, many cities are taking steps and Cary should as well.
link
Question
Love the idea of a cleaner future and more sustainability. What if though citizens can't afford an electric vehicle and need a car to get around and won't part ways with their regular gas cars?
Question
How much will this cost?
Suggestion
This in part is caused by high Cary property taxes and it appears it will only get worse (taxes continuing to go up) as time goes forward. Why not take a look at reducing taxes and then seeing what we can afford instead of grandiose plans.
Question
What is the cost of such a program?
Question
What sample size did you have to come up with this number? Statistically significant?
Question
Does Cary's bus service today pay for itself or is it subsidized by the taxpayer?
As you expand service will you work to make it pay for itself? Why should taxpayers have to pay for a service they may not even use?
Question
What if I don't like the performance of heat pumps? Are you going to force me to install one?
in reply to Mary's comment
Suggestion
I would be pleased if you banned the loud (maybe 2 cycle) leaf blowers. Noisy and pollute.
Question
So what? If Cary successfully eliminated this amount of CHG, how much would the temperature go down, how many less storms would we have and how much less drought conditions would we have?
You don't know. But we will all be poorer chasing this pipe dream.
Suggestion
Partner with Power Companies to build small municipal nuclear reactors to help electrify Cary.
Suggestion
Correction to my previous post
Eliminate "Equity" and use "Equality".
Eliminate "Equitable" and use "Equal".
Question
Is "collective participation" going to be dictated or will it be voluntary? I think natural gas is abundant and a clean source of energy. Your plan appears to want to ban it. So if I like my gas stove will you come and take it away at some point? "Collective participation" sounds like something out of the former USSR.
Suggestion
A noble statement but not real. A climate strategy needs to be global. Whatever Cary does will have no impact unless the rest of the world is on board.
Suggestion
I would like to be involved in this so a contrary view is inserted in the process
Suggestion
These products should be linked so that people can easily access them
in reply to Kristie's comment
Based on the Weather.com historical data for 2024 (they don't have 2023, sorry), Cary had 23 days with the recoded high temperature being at or above 95F.

Data here: link
Suggestion
Thank you for putting this together! Investing in climate change strategies now will reduce long-term costs by mitigating the impacts of extreme weather, rising temperatures, and flooding that strain city infrastructure.
I am in support of a cleaner and healthier city.
in reply to Kristie's comment
Suggestion
Also discount options for invasive tree removal to go along with the tree program I think there are small discounts for bradford pears but that's still a big price tag for removal. It also does not include other non-native trees
in reply to Christine's comment
Suggestion
Council Term Limits?
in reply to Michael's comment
Suggestion
As you read the comments, tax payers want to know the cost of things. Each ideal should come with the cost to implement and the recurring costs. Everyone wants nice things, but we want the essentials to look and be the best first, the way Cary use to be.
in reply to Edward's comment
Suggestion
This feels like a pet project from council trying to build a resume. Please focus on the the basics town government is supposed to supply. Drive around and look at all the tall grass, dirty bus stops, run down buildings, roads with potholes, sidewalks with tip hazards. Cary's impact on climate change is ZERO! Please stop wasting taxpayers money.
in reply to Boston Bob's comment
Suggestion
can increase the percent of income going towards housing. Renters only have to contend with rent and utilities. Our % of income towards housing is so much more volatile.
Council should be focused on individual homeowners and not so much on renters. A simple TAX hike or bond referendum