It’s not easy being green is the famous song but no one has ever said it can’t be educational and even fun. If you are interested in learning more about what Raleigh is doing to be green join us on a two-mile, self-guided walking tour of downtown on February 4, 2012. The tour features sustainability concepts such as protecting the natural environment, employing local labor and local materials, re-purposed architecture and construction, access to health and nutrition, the use of greenways and open spaces, and renewable energy.
Click here for a map of the tour.Highlights of the tour include –
- The R-LINE, the City of Raleigh’s free bus service around Downtown on hybrid electric buses;
- Big Belly Solar Trash Compactor at the corner of Salisbury and Lenoir streets, the compactor holds four times as much trash as regular containers and is powered by solar energy;
- Solar charging stations at 614 S. Salisbury Street, the charging stations are powered by two solar panels providing 2.88 kilowatts of electricity;
- Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts at 2 E. South Street, originally a Depression-era building, the center has been redesigned using LED lighting, occupancy sensor lights, uses “green” cleaning supplies, and low-flow plumbing;
- The Marriott Hotel at 500 Fayetteville Street, an example of local businesses adopting sustainable concepts such as the LED-lit parking deck with an electric vehicle charging station;
- City Plaza, featuring the LED ornamental light towers and the location of the Downtown Farmer’s Market;
- Green Square, featuring two blocks of LEED-Gold certified development featuring the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources;
- The Raleigh Municipal Building, featuring its parking deck with LED lights and electric vehicle charging stations and the level two electric vehicle plug-in charging stations in front of the building; and,
- The Cree Shimmer Wall on the west Side of the Raleigh Convention Center.