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The Town and County Climate Action Plans were briefly reviewed. The Town of Carrboro <br /> adopted their first CAP in 2017 with updates in 2020,The Town of Chapel Hill adopted their <br /> Climate Action and Response Plan in April 2021 and Orange County and the Town of <br /> Hillsborough adopted their respective plans in 2023. <br /> 2. Introductions of Council Members: Laura Janway with the Town of Carrboro led <br /> introductions. Members introduced themselves and spoke about specific actions they are doing <br /> within their organizations to combat climate change and what they hoped to get out of this <br /> group. Members brought forward the following topics/themes during introductions: <br /> • Tap into faith-based organizations to give them the tools to implement energy <br /> efficiencies, clean energy, and resiliency. Real change can happen when we can <br /> "communitize" <br /> • Offer demos/education so people can see firsthand how things work i.e. small scale <br /> solar;work with youth to develop next generation of climate leaders <br /> • Town of Carrboro mentioned the 319 EPA Stormwater grant providing resiliency in <br /> neighborhoods. This is a grant that Kim Nimmer, now with OWASA administered. <br /> • Kim Nimmer with OWASA mentioned they are looking to work on a climate action plan <br /> this summer and would love to receive recommendations from consultants the group <br /> has used for this. <br /> • Sarah Smylie indicated that the schools have a big opportunity with the school bond to <br /> implement climate smart practices in their buildings. She would like to tap into the <br /> passion and energy of the students for climate action. <br /> • Ian Fowler mentioned he wants to help members understand the Inflation Reduction <br /> Act. Is there a fact sheet he can provide along with EV charger installation resources? <br /> He is attending an inner-city trip to Ann Arbor, MI later this year <br /> • Patrick Florence with Orange County schools mentioned the solar project and DC Fast <br /> charger for EV school bus project that they are looking to implement with the support <br /> from Orange County's Community Climate Action Grant program. <br /> • Riza from CHCCS Board mentioned she has been doing renewable energy work for the <br /> past decade. She started at Strata Clean Energy and is working on LED lighting, solar, EV <br /> bus grant, school gardens. She is interested in closing the gap between government and <br /> policy to get down to the community level. They are getting ready to install solar in <br /> their district from the support of the Orange County Community Climate Action grant <br /> program. <br /> • Susan Bowen with Durham Tech—one of their strategic goals is sustainability and will <br /> look to incorporate that in their large capital projects <br /> • Robb English—interested in advancing more bike/ped <br /> Other themes mentioned during introductions were that sustainability staff in the <br /> Towns/County meet monthly and are working together on several joint grants and programs <br /> (Solarize the Triangle, Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant, Community Climate Action <br />