RIDE THE R LINE AT THE 2011 NAAEE CONFERENCE!  

Experience the R-LINE, an eco-friendly approach to urban transportation. Attendees at the 2011 NAAEE Conference in Raleigh, NC will find the R-Line stops right outside the front doors of the Raleigh Convention Center.

This FREE circulator service features hybrid electric buses that will connect you to restaurants, retail, entertainment venues, museums, hotels, and parking facilities in downtown Raleigh. The service has its own distinct look and feel and is easy to recognize from the regular Capital Area Transit bus service. This makes the R-Line distinguishable for riders from a distance.  The green and blue colors emphasize its unique "green" attribute; they stand for blue air and green earth. The design of the bus also symbolizes that the R-Line is a joint effort of the Raleigh Transit Authority, Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA) and the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (GRCVB). The "R" logo is part of the DRA's "You R Here" campaign.
 

RALEIGH CONVENTION CENTER 10 PERCENT PROGRAM FOR LOCAL FOODS

Through discussions with our local conference Sustainability Chair and NAAEE, the Raleigh Convention Center joined into North Carolina's 10% campaign, meaning that they would commit to at least 10% of their food budget to sourcing foods from within North Carolina's borders. Might not sound like a lot, but this article states that the campaign tracked $5.7 Million in local food purchases. WOW!!!! http://www.ncsu.edu/project/nc10percent/img/10_percent_year1.pdf"

CITY OF RALEIGH NAMED WINNER OF NATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY AWARD

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) and Siemens Corporation have announced that the City of Raleigh is the winner for the 2011 Siemens Sustainable Community Award in the medium-sized municipality category. Now in its fourth year, the Siemens Sustainable Community Awards honors communities around the country for taking steps to:

  • improve the quality of life;
  • achieve economic soundness;
  • be good stewards of the environment; and,
  • increase the ability to sustain a successful community for generations to come.

At the announcement in early April that Raleigh was as a finalist, Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker expressed his pleasure on receiving notice of the honor; “Raleigh was most pleased to be considered as a finalist for this prestigious award, and that our many ‘green’ initiatives are receiving national recognition. Sustainability is the cornerstone of Raleigh’s vision to be a 21st Century City of Innovation. The City incorporates the principles and practices of sustainability throughout all offices and within the services provided.”

Mayor Charles Meeker announced the award at City Hall on April 13, saying Raleigh has not wavered from its commitment to the environment even during the recession.

The city "is a careful steward of the environment and has a long-term vision for a prosperous future," Meeker said in a prepared statement.

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/04/13/1127639/raleigh-named-most-sustainable.html#ixzz1Jd2ej0CA

Raleigh’s application for the award focused on the City’s overall sustainability program. The Raleigh City Council created the Environmental Advisory Board in 2006 to advise the council members on:

  • environmental matters;
  • fuel efficiency;
  • energy-efficient buildings;
  • climate protection;
  • environmental education; and,
  • To establish an awards and recognition programs.

In 2008, the City Council created the position of sustainability manager as a full-time, permanent City employee to help make Raleigh a national leader in sustainability and to communicate the City’s commitment to comprehensive sustainability—environmental stewardship, economic strength, and social equity.

In 2009‐2010 the City Council created and staffed the Office of Sustainability to manage Citywide efforts to include sustainability policies, programs, and resource development. The office’s staff is a multidisciplinary team that fosters creative collaboration in leading to the institutionalizing of sustainability principles throughout the entire City. The team works to implement a wide‐range of initiatives, including:

  • innovative financing for renewable energy;
  • a model 2030 Comprehensive Plan with action items and a strategic implementation plan;
  • a sustainability strategy for the City’s Capital Improvements Program;
  • an enhanced operational budgeting process; and,
  • innovative pilot projects.

Sustainability initiatives are now integrated throughout all City departments’ activities with support from all levels of City government. For more information on the Raleigh sustainability program, visit www.raleighnc.gov

More than 80 communities representing 40 states applied for the award in 2011. The winner in each category will be announced on April 13th at the Chamber BCLC’s National Conference on Corporate Community Investment, to be held in Philadelphia.

CITY PLANS SOLAR ARRAY PROJECT FOR RALEIGH CONVENTION CENTER

The City of Raleigh plans to install a 500-kilowatt solar photovoltaic array on the rooftop of the Raleigh Convention Center. The City Council voted unanimously today to authorize City staff to enter into lease negotiations with FLS Energy/PowerWorks which will develop and operate the solar array facility. The renewable energy produced by the solar array will be sold to Progress Energy Carolinas.

The rooftop solar array at the Raleigh Convention Center will produce an estimated 725,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, roughly equivalent to the annual energy use of 100 homes in North Carolina. It is estimated the array will take up about 60 percent of the rooftop space at the convention, with an estimated investment value of between $2.5 million and $3 million. FLS Energy/PowerWorks will lease rooftop space from the City to operate on the solar array.

The solar array will be built at no cost to the City, which will have an option to purchase acquire the system in the future.

Staff from the City of Raleigh and Progress Energy Carolinas identified the Raleigh Convention Center as a suitable site for a rooftop array. The City issued a request for qualifications for a developer of the array. A selection committee comprised of staff from the City and O-Brien Atkins Architects reviewed six proposals that were submitted and recommended FLS Energy/PowerWorks to be the array developer.

Construction of the rooftop solar array at the Raleigh Convention Center is expected to begin in January, with completion in April.

A similar rooftop solar array is already online and producing kilowatts at the City’s E.M. Johnson Water Treatment Plant. A rooftop array at the City’s Brentwood Operations Center is awaiting final clearance. Also, construction has begun on another solar array, the Neuse River Solar Farm, at the City’s Neuse River Wastewater Treatment Plant. The solar farm, unlike any other in the state, is a collaborative effort between the City of Raleigh, Progress Energy Carolinas, NxGen Power, Southern Energy and Paragon Commercial Bank. It is expected to come online in the first quarter of 2011 and generate approximately 1.7 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1,300 tons annually.
 

NAAEE STRATEGIES TO REDUCE CONFERENCE FOOTPRINT

NAAEE’s conference staff continues to reduce our conference footprint. Strategies include:
 

  • Selecting conference sites where public transportation is available and easy to use.
  • Choosing hotels that have environmental practices.
  • Creating menus based on local and seasonal availability.
  • Serving a vegetarian plated lunch at the Awards Luncheon.
  • Donating unserved food to a food bank or shelter.
  • Composting food waste.
  • Using data sticks instead of stuffing tote bags with thousands of sheets of paper that are shipped to the conference. (Data sticks will be provided to all conference attendees provided we reach our sales goal.)
  • No carpet in the exhibit hall until a more sustainable product is available.
  • Encouraging attendees to share rooms or car pool through a conference bulletin board.
  • Encouraging attendees to bring a mug, water bottle, and tote bag to the conference and offering a discount (when possible) at the convention center’s coffee shop to attendees who use their own mug.
  • $5.00 of every conference registration goes to offset carbon emissions produced by the convention center during our stay.