News
City Council Approves Stage 2 Water Restrictions
The Raleigh City Council approved stage 2 water restrictions on Tuesday amidst a widespread landscaping industry protest. The chambers were packed out into the hallway as the eight member council unanimously approved the ban on all outdoor water use.
10,000,000,000 Gallons
10 billion gallons, thats how big Falls Lake’s current deficit is, almost 70 percent down from its healthy levels, seen as recently as early 2007. The council has asked that we limit our use to 35 gallons a day- but has been unable to generate support for a water rate hike. Many are conserving more and we are all familiar with traditional water conservation techniques- but the shortage hasn’t really affected any of us directly. Sure, some small businesses have had to find alternative sources for water, and many of us have gloved our green thumb, but 10,000,000,000 gallons? Start saving. One wonders how far it will have to go for folks to drastically change their behavior. Mr Lane has some deeper analysis of the science of it all here. Today at 4 o’clock there is a forum to address Raleigh Drought issues and I encourage our interested readership to attend it. How has the shortage affected you? What are you doing to save water?
Forum to Address Raleigh Drought Solutions
This current drought has been linked to many causes, man-made and perhaps natural. On Wednesday, January 23rd, experts in the field of conservation and sustainable design will present ways in which you can help reduce your water use so we can all enjoy this precious resource.
Meeker Cracks Down on Water Use: How You Can Help
Today the City Council will be debating a proposal from Mayor Meeker to raise the fees for water usage in the city by 50 per cent. The purpose of this what-some-would-call radical proposal is meant to encourage conservation from both residential, institutional, and business water consumers. Hopefully, a reduction of 25% by individuals will stave off any harsher restrictions later in the year. What follows are some ideas to help cut your water usage at home.
A Deal That Stings: Local Burt’s Bees Bought by Clorox
Triangle based company Burt’s Bees might have been my favorite billion-dollar corporation… almost. Granted, the only product I’ve used is the underarm spray. It was one of those products that I actually felt good about purchasing because I knew my money was supporting what was, at one time, a locally established company. Having sold a stake in 2003 for $177 million to AEA Investors, Burt’s Bees maintained their air of locality. It is produced 20 minutes away and they seemed to understand my needs. It’s an underarm deodorant and not an anti-persperant. I knew as a human I was meant to sweat and they knew that too. It also helped me smell like lavender instead of ‘Dioxyuberclogo-Roygbiv-69’. The buy-out company that bought Burt’s in 2003 just sold it to Clorox for (what!?) $925 million. Clorox has got faith.
Trees Across Raleigh Plant More
The City of Oaks is always in need of more trees, especially considering how many will be taken down by the North Blount Street Development project in the coming years. You can show your support for Trees Across Raleigh at a workday on Saturday in Biltmore Hills Park, just South of the Beltline. Trees Across Raleigh has planted over 7,100 trees in 10 years from Glenwood Avenue to Chavis Park and looks to continue “making Raleigh, NC a little greener one tree at a time.” Mayor Meeker will be on hand to present the project and speak about the cities plans for water conservation. More Information and Map Below the Fold
Governor’s Mansion Complying with Drought Recommendations
On October 24th, in a letter to the editor, Gertrude Kappel sought to take a swing at Governor Easley. This came only days after he asked the state to cut its water use down by half. Today, the Governor’s office released its water bill to the public.
Raleigh City Recycling Falls Short of New Law
On January 1st, all bars and restaurants in North Carolina will be required by state law to have recycling programs. Are Raleigh businesses ready to meet the new standards?
Duke Energy Plans to Emit Six Million More Tons of CO2 per Year in NC
Duke Energy has applied to build a massive new 800-megawatt coal-fired unit at its Cliffside power plant west of Charlotte using conventional technology that does not allow for capture of carbon dioxide, and emits a variety of other dangerous pollutants. If built, this power plant can be expected to operate for more than 50 years. It will contribute to global warming, ozone and particulate matter pollution, and mercury pollution in our rivers and lakes. Read more on this issue…
Charlie Rose In Raleigh
with Dean Malecha, Thom Mayne, Dick Jackson on Sustainable Design Tuesday night on NC State’s campus, Rose and 3 other heavy hitters gathered to deliver a panel on sustainable architecture. The conversation was engrossing, the crowd was ecstatic and politically charged and Rose was every bit the brilliant journalist, weaving three disparate and impassioned points of view into the future of what architecture can do for this world. The panelist’s views below the fold.
Boylan Heights Taps Secret Water Supply
click the image to enlarge In a surprise move this week, the neighborhood of Boylan Heights has apparently tapped into a secret backup water reservoir located underground. This may help to explain why the neighborhood is at the highest altitude in downtown Raleigh. Read about the drought below the fold…
Raleigh Area Green Building and Solar Tour
After reading a bit about the Southern Ideal Home Show - Green Building Pavilion that was on display this past weekend, which I knew nothing about, I luckily discovered on the NCSEA’s Website that there will be a Green Bulding and Solar Tour of Raleigh buildings on Saturday October 6, 2007. More Information
Cool Cities Event Wednesday
Tomorrow, Mayor Meeker, Council Member Russ Stephenson, and Sierra Club representatives will formally address the townsfolk in Nash Square (the park with the firefighter statues.) The event will be at 10:30 AM. I am hoping they will give us some tangible information about what it means for Raleigh to be a Cool City. I also hope that a significant number of people show up to show that we care about our city’s effect on climate change. If you make it, let me know how it goes. Like most of us, I will be at work.
BugFest 2007
As the nation’s largest single-day bug event, BugFest — held annually at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh — offers quirky bug-filled fun for adventurous people of all ages
The Real Top 10 Ways You Can Conserve Raleigh’s Water
With the new Raleigh water restrictions you may be frustrated by what may seem like overbearing rules. It is important to know why the restrictions were set in place to begin with. Raleigh sits 24 inches below expected rainfall for the year. Falls Lake, our reservoir, is four feet below its normal levels. The city has announced that if our water use continues and rainfall does not improve, the city could run out of water by January. January! Another Raleigh blog decided to make light of the situation, and while I can understand the need to lighten the mood, considering the $200 first offenders fine, I think it’s important to share some creative and mostly passive ways that one can save water. While some of these solutions are involved, one must consider that water problems are here to stay, our city will only grow in scale and the existing resources are stretched, even during times of sufficient rain. You can go on ignoring the problem, or do your part to tread lightly. 10 ways to save water in Raleigh below the fold.
You Are Not Exempt
Without getting into the fact that Starbucks was voted best coffee shop by readers of the Independent, human beings knowingly have a moral obligation to take care of their environment. One thing that EVERYONE can do to help is save and reuse materials. In the United States, our recycling rate, on average, is somewhere just around fifty percent…
