Agenda - 12-10-2024; 6-b - Community Climate Action Grant (CCAG) – FY 2024-25 Project Selection

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from soil.This classroom will serve as a location for teaching about permaculture and expanded understanding of ecologically sustainable practices around food. Project Benefits: Building a food forest and pond alongside the classroom will amplify carbon sequestration and positively impact community food security.The cob outdoor classroom and food forest will provide a new site for community education, workshops, and programs around climate, food, and sustainability.The Jubilee Healing Farm Food Forest would provide another source of locally produced food for PORCH and contribute to Orange County's network of edible gardens. Reviewer Comments:The CFE appreciates the organization's mission and partnerships. As a new initiative just getting off the ground, partial funding is recommended, focusing specifically on the food forest component, as the cob architecture and structure have limited impact on Orange County's GHG reduction goals.The HRC values that the project will collaborate with Porch to support low-income families. While the organization is new, its social justice- driven mission and its status as a minority-run therapy farm are highly commendable. #13 Ranked Project — Eno River Farmers' Market—Compost Monitor Applicant(Collaborators): Orange County Solid Waste Services, Brooks Contractors Funding Requested: $4,800 Recommended Funding Level: $0 Total Score (Out of 26 pts): 16.6 Project Description: Funds are requested to pay for a compost monitor for the Eno River Farmers' Market (ERFM) Community Compost Collection site.The monitor will work every week during market hours throughout the year to ensure that only compostable items are collected and will educate participants (ERFM customers and vendors, and other community members who use the site) about composting in general and about the "commercial composting" they are using. Additional funds are requested to buy cleaning supplies. Project Benefits:This project will help Orange County residents reduce transportation to county waste and recycling centers to drop off food waste. It will also decrease the amount of waste going to the landfill (including items that can be composted only commercially, not in a home bin), reduce methane emissions at the landfill, and reduce transportation to the landfill. It will encourage residents to compost because of the convenience of the drop-off site and may encourage new composters who see the site and learn about composting. Ultimately, it will lead to the creation of rich compost that will increase the carbon capture of soil in Orange County and the surrounding area. Reviewer Comments:The CFE appreciates that the compost monitors help educate community members; however, the monitor position itself does not significantly contribute to GHG reductions, and the project offers limited impact on local economic development.The HRC expressed concerns that the project does not engage a diverse group, limiting its broader community impact. #13 Ranked Project —Town of Chapel Hill — LED Upgrade Applicant(Collaborators): N/A Funding Requested: $35,000 Recommended Funding Level: $0 Total Score (Out of 26 pts): 16.6 Project Description:The requested funds will be used to purchase and install new LED light fixtures to replace the existing, less efficient metal halide fixtures at the Hargraves Community Center outdoor basketball court. Hargraves Community Center is located in Chapel Hill's largest historically black neighborhood and is part of the NC Civil Rights Trail. In addition to the emissions reductions,this retrofit would enhance safety, improve neighborhood relations, and minimize maintenance and energy costs. Project Benefits:This proposed upgrade would provide both better lighting and better quality of life. Carbon emissions will be reduced through improved energy efficiency, and this new lighting system will significantly reduce