SUSTAINABILITY & CLIMATE ACTION STRATEGY

Adapt the Healthy Homes Cary program to include more climate-related upgrades through proactive resilience assessments, energy and water efficiency, natural resource improvements, and renewable energy improvements.

Expand Cary’s existing renovation and rehabilitation programs to include resources for landlords to implement climate-ready improvements.

Increase regional coordination to develop cohesive, holistic regional strategies.

Expand capacity of and promote the existing community emergency response team (CERT) program to improve preparedness at the neighborhood level.

Develop a public education campaign to increase the number of Cary subscribers to the ReadyWake mass notification system and integrate current utility customer data.

Leverage existing resources to curate and translate climate data and preparedness best practices into user-friendly guidebooks and trainings.

Develop incentive-based, voluntary energy performance and emissions standards for new construction and major renovations.

Create design guidelines for using advanced building materials and solar site orientation for all new development in Cary.

Work with the NC Building Code Council for a predictable update cycle to the energy section of the state building code.

Identify new opportunities to incorporate design principles from the Living Building Challenge into new municipal facilities and leased spaces.

Prioritize all-electric specification for municipal equipment upgrades where current technology matches facility operational requirements.

Develop an energy retrofit knowledge hub summarizing available incentives and contractor selection guidelines tailored for homeowners, landlords, and commercial owners.

Develop a model Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program for commercial buildings.

Establish a voluntary benchmarking and disclosure program for commercial buildings to report on annual energy use and demonstrate improved performance.

Work with the NC Utility Commission (NCUC) for clean energy policies.

Develop a "group-buy" program to support residential solar adoption.

Accelerate the adoption of energy storage and microgrid technologies with clear regulations.

Utilize findings from the Solar Feasibility Study to prioritize and install solar on existing municipal facilities.

Promote clean energy apprenticeship and workforce development opportunities and incorporate into municipal projects.

Develop a systematic framework to evaluate potential parcel acquisition for conservation.

Establish standard operating procedures for the sustainable maintenance and management of Cary-owned open space.

Quantify the climate benefits provided by existing public trees along streets, public buildings, and in parks.

Create a process to identify high-value natural resources and determine opportunities to protect them.

Launch a sustainable landscape design and practices program with guidance and training for citizens and landscape contractors.

Implement priorities identified in Cary’s Urban Forest Master Plan.

Collect and analyze data demonstrating the benefits of urban forests and impact of management choices on public and private property.

Develop urban canopy management recommendations based on changing climate sensitivity.

Develop a strategy for post-storm, -disease, and -pest event evaluation of public trees.

Establish a framework to formalize organics collection in Cary’s waste management infrastructure.

Ensure the Land Development Ordinance requires setting aside space for recycling and composting containers.

Implement a diversion education campaign to increase community awareness and understanding of recycling and composting practices.

Conduct annual waste audits at Cary buildings occupied by 10 or more full-time staff.

Update standard operating procedures for recycling and composting at all municipal facilities.

Create a standard by which to evaluate Cary development and redevelopment projects for utilizing reusable material and reducing construction and demolition waste.

Incorporate building material preservation and reuse into Historic Preservation, Rezoning, and Site Plan review processes.

Create a green business program that recognizes and rewards businesses and organizations for reducing waste and single-use plastics.

Develop sustainability criteria to be incorporated into Cary's Procurement Planning Program.

End purchasing of single-use plastics and phase in zero-waste requirements into catering and food service offerings for municipal facilities.

Develop a first and last mile strategy to connect Cary citizens to transit services and facilities, including e-bikes and on-demand transit service options.  

Identify areas to install high level-of-comfort and safety multimodal infrastructure.

Support regional expansion of BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) options and integrate them into Cary's transportation infrastructure.

Implement transit-oriented development (TOD) strategies along planned transit corridors.

Pursue grant programs for community-based organizations to install EV charging infrastructure.

Launch a targeted outreach campaign to promote the adoption of electric vehicles among citizens and businesses in the market for new or used vehicles.

Create an alternative fuels vehicle policy to transition Cary’s fleet, prioritizing lowest carbon-intensity solutions available for each vehicle type.

Develop a tool to evaluate EV charging demand on municipal property to ensure available infrastructure is meeting Cary’s needs.

Use strategic planning and operational solutions to reduce municipal transportation miles driven.

Engage high water users through interactive peer comparison reports aimed at reducing water consumption.

Develop technical assistance programs to support citizens and businesses in becoming more water efficient.

Create a program to evaluate new development and redevelopment projects for water efficiency.

Sustain the use of innovative technologies to drive continuous improvement for water efficiency.

Work toward the prioritization of water conservation standards in State Building Code.

Continuously evaluate opportunities for renewable energy deployment at water and wastewater facilities to meet electric loads as much as possible.

Monitor advances in industrial decarbonization that meet energy demand of water and wastewater treatment facilities.

Expand public-private partnerships to improve stormwater infrastructure and plan for future capacity needs.

Coordinate with neighboring communities to address regional stormwater issues.

Utilize watershed basin modeling and stream monitoring sensors to anticipate potential impacts from new development and identify future mitigation strategies.

Expand public-private partnerships to install GSI for redevelopment projects to help mitigate historical downstream flooding.

Promote and expand Cary’s non-regulatory GSI grant program for residential and commercial properties.

Develop a multi-language online resource hub with tools and guidance to help citizens and businesses install and maintain green stormwater techniques on their property.