Environmental Advisory Board

The Environmental Advisory Board will  provide feedback and advice to council on policies, ordinances and administrative procedures regarding environmental protection and the conservation of energy and natural resources.  The Board will support the Town of Cary’s Statement of Values, one of which states: “We will protect and preserve our environment. We will be good stewards of our finite natural resources.”  They will also demonstrate outstanding environmental stewardship and leadership.

The Board will consist of nine members appointed by Town Council to serve staggered terms that vary in length up three years.  Five of the nine members shall be appointed to serve as “At-Large Citizens”;  four of remaining nine members shall be appointed to serve as “Technical Experts”  or “Partners”.  All members shall reside within the Town of Cary corporate boundaries.

For the first three months after appointments have been made, the board will meet bi-weekly. For the next three months, the board will meet monthly as a whole and meet as needed in smaller working groups with schedules to be determined. This schedule will facilitate concentrated period dedicated to design and preparation of an Action Plan to guide the Board thereafter. After this initial six month period, the Board will meet monthly as a whole. All meetings of the Board shall be open to the public and will adhere to the Open Meetings Law and Public Records Law.

The Board’s general scope of work is to identify and assess policy alternatives for the Council to consider as part of the Town’s strategy to expand leadership and implement cutting edge applications and standards of environmental stewardship. 

The Board’s initial step will be to develop a mission statement and strategic objectives, which will be grounded in the values statement and guiding principles as noted above.  Members will draw on the collective expertise and experiences of one another and Town of Cary staff.  Hands on work will be required to research and assess the past to think creatively about the future.

The board will be expected to become informed on and then provide advice on Cary’s:

  • Accomplishments and ongoing initiatives;

  • Building on current opportunities to create strategic new partnerships;

  • Methods to track progress, set performance baselines and targets, measure impacts, and quantify results of sustainable practices in:

o    energy efficiency,

o    water conservation,

o    tree preservation,

o    recycling and waste reduction,

o    green building ordinances,

o    public education on lifestyle choices and responsibilities (tracking personal contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, and choosing energy efficient, clean and green practices),

o    retrofit incentives, and

o    community dialogue and engagement to address environmental sustainability for our next generation. 

In the conduct of its work, the Board will:

  • Aspire to use this initial phase of work to think big and broad, across disciplines and dimensions to fast track on the most critical environmental matters of our time;

  • Operate as a think tank-like laboratory to assess the driving forces within our organization and community and consider how to best align interests of public and private sectors and envision policy frameworks and practices;

  • Coordinate efforts with the Manager’s “interdepartmental environmental work team” to develop and prioritize energy-saving and other environmentally-friendly initiatives within the organization, its facilities and operations;

  • Become informed and keep global, comprehensive costs, benefits and other related tradeoffs as a priority in advising on policy considerations; and

  • Take care to consider the perspectives of: town government, collective community, regional partnerships, economic sectors, natural resource types, and individual households.

Upon approval of the Board’s mission statement, the board will prepare a Local Action Plan for Cary’s Going Green Initiative as well as broader scale actions conducted in partnerships regionally or with state and national programs. In addition to the stated plans of action, the Board will establish a set of recommendations that chart near-medium, and long-term policy goals for considerations by the Town Council. 

Topics to consider will be examining our carbon footprint, energy consumption (and adoption of sustainable renewable energy solutions), and water use, and enhance our tree cover, air quality, and ultimately our quality of life.

Questions regarding the Environmental Advisory Board  should be directed to the Town Clerk's Office by emailing karen.gray@townofcary.org or by calling (919) 319-4508