In this summer issue, we’re excited to share our first Annual Report and highlight our very first Clothing and Art Supply Swap! We’re also talking about food waste, summer heat, and some fun eco-friendly giveaways. Plus, learn about a new solar grant for the Cedar Grove Community Center and check out upcoming events like the Repair Café, Recycle Right Workshop, and more. Let’s keep working together to make Orange County a little greener!

Below are the icons for each of the five focus areas of the Climate Action Plan. When you see these icons in the newsletter, you can click on them. They will take you to a page that explains a specific action or to the introduction of that focus area.

Lily Knudsen is a Master of Public Health student at UNC Chapel Hill concentrating in environment, climate and health and community preparedness and disaster management. This summer, Lily collaborated with the Heat Action Cohort to update a Heat Action Plan for Orange County, a plan which outlines and coordinates Orange County’s approach to preparing for and responding to extreme heat. She also conducted research into the nature of heat-related illness and EMS calls in the County and performed tree-planting outreach, inviting Orange County residents in heat-stressed neighborhoods to receive a free tree through a grant from the Duke Energy Foundation. 

In May, Orange County held its first Clothing and Art Supply Swap at the Eno Arts Mill, in collaboration with Circular Triangle. Over 100 people came out and had a great time at this fun and successful event. Some brought items to donate and stayed to look through the tables full of treasures. Others came to look and left with hats, sunglasses, shirts, books, paint, fabric, puppets, art, and more. 

Many participants expressed surprise when they were told everything was free. Swaps like this are a wonderful way to share resources and emphasize the abundance we can experience when people come together. After the event, Circular Triangle’s volunteers sorted what was left over to ensure almost nothing was wasted. They distributed the useful clothing to Note In The Pocket, took several loads of art supplies to The Scrap Exchange, and shredded the remaining textiles for reuse as upholstery filler. 

A big thanks to all who attended!

Extreme heat is the deadliest type of weather in the United States—worse than hurricanes or floods. 2024 was the hottest year on record in Orange County with 12 days over 95°F. And, we could have as many as 41 days above 95°F per year by the 2060s. Hot nights make things even worse because our bodies don’t get a chance to cool down and recover.

Given the urgent need to prepare for extreme heat as rising temperatures threaten public health and safety across the region, the County Board of Commissioners declared May 25–31, 2025, as “Heat Awareness Week” to highlight the growing risk of extreme heat.

In addition, Orange County started a four-month “Beat the Heat” campaign in May to help residents stay safe during extreme heat. The campaign shares tips in multiple languages about how heat affects health and what people can do to protect themselves.

Working together, the towns of Hillsborough, Carrboro, and Chapel Hill, as well as Orange County’s Sustainability Office and Emergency Management Department are developing a Heat Action Plan to better prepare for and respond to heat. A larger task force will review the plan in Fall 2025 to make sure it meets the needs of everyone in the community.

Orange County is also setting up a new system to send out heat alerts and safety tips. These are especially helpful early in the season, when people aren’t yet used to the hot weather. Residents should sign up for alerts at orangecountync.gov/OCAlerts.

The community is invited to share "Beat the Heat" resources, which will be posted on Orange County's Facebook and other social media channels every Monday and Wednesday from May 26 through September 10. All images are available for download in five languages on the the Extreme Weather Graphics site.

The Community Climate Action Grant Program funds projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make a positive impact in Orange County communities. Projects range from rooftop solar installations to tree plantings to LED lighting changeovers.

These grants are open to public and nonprofit entities as well as small businesses. 

$262,500 is available for this program for the 2025-26 fiscal year! 

If you are curious about past projects, check out some success stories here. You can also see the list of last year’s awardees at the bottom of the grant program’s web page.

Spread the word! Applications are due August 15 at 5 pm.

In 2023, North Carolina threw out about 2.66 million tons of food. That’s enough to make 400 meals for every person in the state—gone to waste.

When that food ends up in landfills, it rots and releases methane. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that is far more harmful than carbon dioxide and a major contributor to climate change. Across the country, food waste creates as much greenhouse gases as 42 coal-fired power plants every year. It also wastes the amount of water and energy that would supply over 50 million homes.

That’s a huge waste! Here’s one simple tip to help you waste less food. We’ll share more in future newsletters, or you can click on the buttons below to learn more about how to waste less at home or at work.

Wasting less can help feed more people, protect the planet, and fight climate change.

Orange County is getting a $196,000 state grant to install solar panels at Cedar Grove Community Center. The new system will produce clean energy and help save on electricity.

The community center includes a gym, library, internet café,  clinic, exercise room, and other areas for public use. With the new solar roof, the center will also be better equipped to support the community as a "resiliency hub" during emergencies such as storms, extreme heat or power outages.

This project will produce 85,438 kWh of electricity each year —enough  to power about 7 homes—and will save more than $11,000 annually.

Putting your brand on giveaway items is a smart way to advertise and promote. Next time you are ready to order some new swag, consider choosing items that are better for our health and the environment.

Our Sustainability team recently did that—we chose reusable bamboo sporks! They’re easy to carry in your purse, pocket, or car, and perfect for when you need a fork or spoon on the go.

Other Orange County teams are going green too. The Solid Waste team has been giving out stainless steel utensils and the Planning Team has been handing out cotton canvas tote bags.

Choosing sustainable items—especially those made from recyclable materials or free from plastic and harmful chemicals—is a simple way to promote your brand while helping the planet.

If you need help funding an energy project for yourself or your community, a good step is to look at Energy Funds for All, a resource guide developed for North and South Carolina. 

To get the most current information, they recommend reaching out to them directly either through email at info@energyfundsforall.org or by phone at 919-839-0006 ext. 103.

If you are not already signed up for Orange County Alerts, we encourage you to sign up here at orangecountync.gov/OCALERTS.

If you are interested in the the future of trails and trail connections in Orange County but you missed the May community vision workshops, take a survey here.

Join Orange County Solid Waste for a FREE workshop to learn all about recycling right in Orange County. Register here.

Sign up here if you are interested in attending a workshop.

Have a question or comment about one of our sustainability programs? Want to volunteer? 

Contact us at sustainability@orangecountync.gov

or 919-245-2626