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Description
The City of Charlotte aims to become a global leader in environmental sustainability, balancing economic growth with preserving our natural resources. Our Office of Sustainability helps protect our natural resources, promote conservation, and improve the environment. This video provides an overview of the Office of Sustainability and the Strategic Energy Action Plan.
A
Hello,
my
name
is
Katie
riddle,
I
work
in
the
office
of
sustainability
for
the
City
of
Charlotte
and
I
want
to
give
you
all
a
bit
of
an
overview
today
about
the
history
of
the
office
of
some
of
the
work.
We
do
some
of
the
plans
that
guide
our
work,
how
we
collaborate
with
different
internal
departments
of
the
city,
as
well
as
how
we
collaborate
with
the
community
to
make
Charlotte
a
more
sustainable
and
resilient
place
for
everyone
to
live
so
a
bit
of
a
history
and
of
how
our
office
was
started.
A
So
back
in
2010,
our
office
was
established
due
to
the
energy
efficiency
and
conservation
Block
Grant
Program.
We
got
a
little
bit
of
federal
funding
to
do
some
energy
efficiency
work,
save
the
city,
some
money
make
some
environmentally
sustainable
and
resilient
choices
for
the
city,
and
it
just
really
grew
from
there.
So
mayor's
Clodfelter,
Roberts
and
miles
then
signed
the
Global
Covenant
of
Mayors,
which
has
a
goal
to
reduce
greenhouse
gas
emissions
from
municipal
operations
and
communities
in
order
to
meet
the
goals
of
the
Paris
climate
agreement.
A
A
The
resolution
also
stated
that
we
would
strive
to
source
100
percent
of
energy
use
and
municipal
buildings
and
fleet
from
zero
carbon
sources
by
2030,
and
the
last
thing
that
resolution
stated
was
that
we
would
develop
an
action
plan
as
a
framework
to
achieve
these
two
overarching
goals
there.
The
strategic,
Energy,
Action
Plan,
was
born.
So
the
strategic
energy
action
plan,
also
known
as
the
C
app,
was
unanimously
passed
by
City
Council
in
December
of
2018
and
again
it
has
those
two
goals:
the
2030
and
the
2050
goal.
A
We
often
refer
to
the
2030
goal
as
our
internal
municipal
goal
and
then
2050
as
our
community-wide
goal.
The
four
focus
areas
in
the
C
app.
It
covers
a
lot
of
things,
but
really
it's
focused
on
energy
and
specifically
energy.
Around
buildings,
transportation,
energy
generation
and
workforce
development
and
equity
and
I
always
like
to
point
out
this
logo
we
have.
This
is
our
siapa
logo
and,
as
you
can
see,
there
is
a
grey
hand,
but
it
also
looks
like
buildings,
so
that
touches
on
our
buildings
and
our
workforce.
A
Development,
development
and
equity
piece
of
the
C
app.
The
yellow
circle
is
a
Sun
which
represents
our
energy
generation
focus
area
as
we're
really
focused
on
solar
energy
to
produce
zero
carbon
energy
for
our
UNESCO
operations,
as
well
as
our
community.
On
the
right-hand
side,
the
green
of
the
green
leaf.
A
There's
two
leaves
you
know
environmentalism,
but
on
the
right-hand
side,
you
can
see
that
it
looks
like
a
road
and
that
is
calling
on
our
transportation
focus
area
and
then,
lastly,
with
the
light
green
leaf,
there's
that
white
checkmark,
because
we
know
our
goals-
are
big
and
ambitious
and
need
a
lot
of
work.
But
we
are
willing
to
get
them
done
and
willing
to
collaborate
and
do
what
needs
to
be
done
to
help
us
reach
these
goals.
So
the
check
mark
is
sort
of
like
getting
things
done
and
working
and
striving
towards
our
goals.
A
A
A
A
So,
in
the
same
week,
the
strategic
energy
action
plan
was
adopted.
Former
mayor
of
New
York
Mayor
Bloomberg
came
to
Charlotte
to
announce
Charlotte
as
one
of
the
cities.
That
would
be
a
part
of
the
American
cities,
climate
challenge,
and
this
is
a
two-year
program
where
25
cities
in
the
u.s.
receive
technical
and
technical
assistance
and
resources
to
help
us
reach
our
sustainability
and
resiliency
goals.
So
from
this,
it's
considered
a
grant,
but
we
did
not
receive
any
direct
funding
from
this,
but
we
received
a
ton
of
support.
A
We
have
a
ton
of
access
to
technical
assistance
partners
all
across
the
country
that
we
do
not
have
to
pay
for
from
the
city,
but
is
paid
for
by
Bloomberg
philanthropies,
and
also
some
micro
grant
opportunities
as
well,
and
this
is
really
great
because
this
helps
us
with
our
CF
goals.
So
as
we're
working
towards
our
2030
and
2050
CF
goals,
our
climate
challenge
goals
help
us
to
get
closer
to
our
CF
goals.
A
A
So
I
want
to
just
highlight
some
projects
and
that
we
have
been
working
on
and
we
continue
to
work
on
and
I
broke
it
up
by
these
subject
matters
so
you'll
notice,
I
mentioned
earlier.
The
main
four
pillars
of
the
CF
are
buildings,
workforce
development
and
equity,
energy
generation
and
transportation.
But
of
course,
community
engagement
and
employee
engagement
run
across
all
of
those
four
focus
areas
as
well.
So
first
we'll
talk
about
energy
generation.
A
So
we
are
really
excited.
We
have
the
opportunity
to
participate
in
Duke
Energy's
green
source
advantage
program.
Basically,
this
is
a
program
that
helps
us
to
procure
large
scale,
solar
energy.
So
if
you
see
the
picture
on
the
right,
that
is
one
of
our
employees
on
a
city-owned
rooftop
with
some
solar,
rooftop
solar,
and
we
have
seven
city-owned
buildings
of
solar
roofs
and
we
continue
to
explore
these
on
site
and
community
solar
opportunities
which
are
really
awesome,
because
that
solar
energy
can
fuel
our
buildings
directly.
A
Therefore,
we
don't
have
to
pull
as
much
energy
from
the
grid
which
has
a
mix
of
carbon
intensive
energy,
so
we're
reducing
our
carbon
emissions,
but
to
really
hit
our
2030
and
2050
C
app
goal.
We
have
to
think
of
that
large-scale
solar
energy
and
what
that
looks
like
is
this
picture
here.
So,
if
you
think
of
a
large
open
field
with
tons
of
solar
panels
on
it,
that's
what
I
mean
by
large-scale
renewable
energy
and
so
through
the
green
source
Advantage
program.
A
We
were
able
to
have
a
competitive
procurement
process,
choose
our
own
solar
developer,
negotiate
with
them
and
then
figure
out
how
much
we
would
be
spending
and
then
eventually
saving
to
have
this
35
megawatt
solar
project.
So
that's
a
ton
of
energy
and
it
really
helps
us
take
a
huge
step
towards
our
2030
C
app
goal.
A
So
with
a
ton
of
work
from
our
internal
team,
some
feedback
from
the
community,
some
assistance
with
our
Bloomberg
climate
challenge,
we
were
able
to
really
feel
confident
and
pencil
out
these
numbers
so
that
we
could
bring
this
opportunity
to
City
Council
and
they
voted
to
have
the
city
participate
in
this
GreenSource
advantage
program
with
Duke
Energy.
So
it's
super
exciting.
A
We
got
some
really
great
headlines
from
the
vote
and
we're
really
excited
so
the
vote
was
just
to
prove
for
the
city
tax,
acute
an
agreement
and
our
solar
developer
will
start
building
the
solar
energy
system.
It's
actually
gonna
be
approximately
50
miles
north
of
Charlotte
right
outside
of
Mecklenburg
County,
but
we
will
still
see
and
reap
the
air
quality
benefits
the
health
benefits
and
know,
specifically,
the
renewable
energy
benefits.
A
A
So
our
focus
here
is
growing
the
green,
clean
energy
workforce
and
specifically
hiring
citizens
in
Charlotte
residents
in
Charlotte
that
may
have
barriers
to
employment.
So
we
are
currently
accepting
bids
for
training
providers
for
our
new
workforce
training
program
called
renew
and
that
stands
for
renewable
energy
and
efficiency.
Workforce
training
program
and
we
are
working
with
our
Economic
Development
Department.
A
Basically
renew
will
train
Charlotte
residents
to
enter
the
green,
the
growing
and
green
economy
workforce
in
Charlotte
and
prepare
them
for
advancement
within
that
industry.
So
these
training,
this
training
program
will
help
participants
to
complete
industry.
Certified
training
course,
as
well
as
work
based
learning
experience
and
be
placed
into
training,
related
career
paths,
and
the
participants
of
this
training
program
will
have
access
to
mentoring
and
other
career
opportunities
to
help
them
grow
their
career.
And
so,
when
you
think
of
clean
energy
workforce
green
workforce,
you
can
think
of
like
solar,
installers
or
building
electricians.
A
You
might
notice,
if
you've
ever
walked
into
a
building
that
there's
usually
a
plaque
that
says:
US,
Green,
Building,
Council
and
LEED
certified.
So
that's
what
I
mean
when
I
say
that
more
recently
we
have
five
new
police
stations.
Two
of
them
are
with
solar,
and
three
of
them
are
solar
ready.
So
that
means
that
when
we
have
the
budget
to
procure
more
solar,
those
rooftops
are
ready
that
we
could
put
them
on
same
with
fire.
We
have
a
fire
station,
that's
capable
of
achieving
net
zero
energy
usage.
A
So
another
big
sector
is
transportation.
This
is
actually
based
on
our
2015
baseline
greenhouse
gas
emissions.
It
was
found
that
this
transportation
is
the
largest
emitting
sector
in
Charlotte,
so
that
just
means
in
terms
of
carbon
emissions
transportation
has
the
highest
carbon
emissions
out
of
all
of
these
sectors,
so
we're
doing
a
ton
of
work
to
try
to
green
internal
city
fleet.
We're
really
excited
that
we
have
two
new
policies
in
one
policy
update
that
will
help
our
internal
city
fleet
to
be
more
sustainable
and
resilient.
A
The
first
one
is
the
automatic
vehicle,
locator
policy
and
so
think
of
this,
like
a
GPS
device
that
is
installed
in
city-owned
vehicles,
and
this
is
super
important,
because
our
fleet
team
is
collecting
data
on
these
city-owned
vehicles,
and
this
data
will
really
drive
the
city
to
make
smarter
vehicle
and
transportation
decisions,
and
they
do
that
through
identifying
opportunities
to
reduce
carbon.
So
maybe
there's
a
vehicle,
that's
really
great
suitability
to
be
an
electric
vehicle,
or
maybe
there's
a
vehicle
that
we
don't
necessarily
need
anymore
and
so
fleet
right
sizing,
maybe
there's
a
vehicle.
A
We
also
have
the
sustainable
and
resilient
fleet
policy
in
this
directs,
the
city
to
engage
in
vehicle
purchase
and
operating
behaviors
consistent
with
the
C
app
by
directing
apartments
to
purchase
the
lowest
mate
emitting
vehicle,
depending
on
the
vehicle
class
usage
and
available
technology.
So
oftentimes
this
will
be
an
electric
vehicle
if
it's
a
sedan.
A
A
Spoke
about
this
a
little
bit
talking
about
the
AVL
policy,
but
again
we're
just
really
excited
about
AVL's,
as
it
gives
us
a
lot
of
great
data
that
we
can
then
dive
into
to
make
decisions
based
on
the
C
app
as
well
as
if
we
buy
electric
vehicles,
which
we
are
where
we
need
to
put
the
charging
infrastructure
to
support
that.
So
obviously,
we
can't
fill
up
an
electric
vehicle
with
gasoline,
so
we
have
to
have
charging
stations
where
it
makes
the
most
sense
for
those
vehicles,
depending
on
where
they're
driving,
where
they're
parking.
A
A
So
here
is
a
picture
of
some
of
our
motor
pool
vehicles.
These
are
electric
vehicles,
as
you
can
see,
they're
plugged
in
there,
and
this
is
at
the
parking
garage
at
cmgc,
the
government
Center.
So
our
strategy,
our
strategy,
is
to
prioritize
sedans,
like
I
said,
as
we
wait
for
improved
SUV
truck
technology
in
turn.
Buying
electric
vehicles
continue
to
evaluate
a
line
and
maximize
infrastructure
investments
to
electrify
as
many
vehicles
as
possible
and
really
use
that
AVL
data.
A
They
are
purchasing
some
electric
buses
and
they
are
looking
to
transition
the
airport
bus
fleet
to
electric
within
10
years,
and
this
is
really
exciting.
Electric
buses
are
somewhat
of
a
new
technology
newer
than
electric
sedans,
but
really
great
benefits
like
decreased
tailpipe
emissions,
greater
availability,
so
you
have
to
use
less
buses,
decrease
maintenance,
cost
and
then
just
a
lower
total
cost
of
ownership
in
general.
A
So
when
you
think
about
comparing
a
regular
bus
to
an
electric
bus-
and
this
is
the
same
for
an
electric
vehicle
to
a
regular
vehicle,
you
have
to
think
about
the
price
of
gas,
the
price
of
electricity,
the
price
of
maintenance,
and
it
has
been
found
that
there
is
decreased
maintenance,
cost
with
electric
and
then
oftentimes
the
cost
of
electricity
to
fuel.
These
vehicles
will
be
less
than
maybe
the
cost
of
gasoline
over
its
lifetime.
A
So
I
also
wanted
to
touch
on
community
engagement
since
I
thought
that
would
be
appropriate
for
this
session
and
for
so
one
program
that
we
have
in
our
that's
pretty
cool
is
our
green
crown
program
and
what
this
is?
It's
the
one-year
certification
to
applaud
eating
and
drinking
establishments
who
value
and
prioritize
environmental
sustainability
in
their
business.
So
you
can
go
to
Charlotte,
NC,
gov,
/
green
crown
to
see
more
details
about
that
and
see
some
of
the
local
eating
&
drinking
establishments
that
are
currently
Green,
Crown
Certified,
but
basically
it's
completely
free.
A
The
eating
or
drinking
establishment
would
fill
out
an
application
and
there's
four
main
categories:
waste
management,
energy,
water
conservation,
pollution
reduction
and
commitment
to
community,
and
they
just
highlight
the
ways
that
they're
doing
business
that
is
more
sustainable
and
more
resilient.
So
we
like
to
applaud
them,
give
them
a
certificate.
They
have
a
window
decal.
A
So
that's
one
way:
we're
engaging
the
community,
the
restaurant
beverage
and
so
another
way
we're
engaging
the
community
and
getting
community
feedback
is
through
our
co-op
external
content
group
meetings.
So
you
can
see
the
picture
here
on
the
right-hand
side.
We
have
for
co-op
external
content
groups,
one
focused
on
buildings,
one
transportation,
one
energy
generation
and
one
Workforce
Development
and
equity,
and
the
members
on
this
group
applied
to
sit
on
this
group
represent
different
organizations
around
and
company
around
the
community
and
really
work
on
thinking
through
how
Charlotte
is
going
to
reach
our
2050
goal.
A
So
these
groups
are
critical
in
helping
us
to
think
through
and
engage
the
wider
community
on
how
we
will
reach
this
goal
and
what
we
can
do
in
the
community
to
inform
where
people
engage
more
people
and
take
those
steps
needed
and
then
through
different
school
programs
tabeling
at
different
events.
What
have
you
in
2019,
which
was
the
first
year
of
the
C
app?
We
engaged
almost
1,400
community
members.
A
We
know
there
is
much
more
engagement
to
be
had
and
so
being
able
to
speak
with
you
all
today
and
having
you
all
be
aware
of
the
C
app
and
maybe
taking
steps
of
your
own
to
maybe
make
your
own
life
a
little
bit
more
sustainable,
really
every
step.
Every
person
truly
counts
as
we're
trying
to
reach
this
citywide
goal.
A
Brings
me
to
what
can
you
do
to
reduce
your
carbon
emissions
in
your
everyday
life?
Some
of
these
might
seem
like
a
no-brainer
to
you.
Some
of
these
maybe
you've,
never
thought
of
before,
and
maybe
some
of
these
you
read
it
and
think
of
someone
in
your
life
that
you
could
share
that
with
and
maybe
engage
with
to
just
help,
Charlotte
to
become
a
more
sustainable
and
healthy
community
for
everyone.
A
So
I
won't
read
all
of
these.
We
just
like
to
highlight
a
couple
of
ways
that
you
could
be
making
changes
in
your
everyday
life,
so
anything
from
turning
off
the
lights
when
you
leave
a
room
to
unplugging
appliances
that
are
not
in
use
or
using
cold
water
for
laundry
and
doing
laundry
and
full
loads.
These
all
help
to
reduce
your
energy
usage.
Of
course
we
love
to
encourage
public
transit
and
you
can
visit
Charlotte
NC
gov,
slash
cats,
to
learn
more
about
your
public
transit
options.
A
Also,
conserving
water
is
a
huge
thing.
If
you
visit
Charlotte
NC
gov,
slash
water,
they
have
really
great
resources.
Composting
purchasing
local
when
possible.
Really
there
are
so
many
ways
of
things
that
we
can
do
every
day
and
then
lastly,
just
staying
involved,
I
encourage
you
to
follow
us
on
social
media.
If
you
would
like
to
we
often
those
are
updates
there,
as
well
as
reposts
resources
from
other
community
members
or
national
organizations
of
how
to
be
more
sustainable
in
your
everyday
life.
You
can
check
out
our
website
at
Charlotte,
NC,
gov,
slash
sustainability.
A
So
that's
all
I
have
for
you
all
today.
Thank
you
so
much
for
tuning
in
if
we
were
in
person,
I
would
open
it
up
for
questions
and
answers
right
now,
but
since
we
are
not
I
put
my
email
on
this
slide,
so
really
would
love
to
hear
from
any
of
you
that
have
suggestions,
questions,
general
feedback.
We
are
all
ears
so
look
forward
to
hearing
from
you
all
and
I
hope
you
have
a
great
day.