Forbes.com has declared Raleigh the third “cleanest” city in the U.S. in their recently published list of the country’s environmentally clean cities.
The list includes cities deemed the least toxic – based on five equally weighted measures of pollution and toxicity – out of the 80 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA).
According to The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), toxic substances are defined as “chemicals or compounds that may present an unreasonable threat to human health and the environment.”
Forbes measurements, from 2009, included water quality ranking, Air Quality Index (AQI)–which monitors the number of days air quality rose above 100 on an EPA index (the EPA deems a score of 150 to be unhealthy for everyone exposed)–and Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), which gives the number of pounds of toxic substances produced, managed and disposed by facilities each year.
Forbes also accounted for Superfund sites, which the EPA defines as “uncontrolled or abandoned places where hazardous waste is located, possibly affecting local ecosystems or people.”
Superfund sites include landfills, dumping grounds for chemicals and pesticides, and contaminated wells. One such site in Raleigh is a lot owned by N.C. State near Carter-Finley Stadium, where, from 1969 to 1980, the University disposed of solvents, pesticides, heavy metals, acids and some low-level radioactive laboratory wastes, according to the EPA.
A clean-up plan was issued in 1996 and soil remediation, or correction, was completed in October 1999. Construction of the ground water remedy was completed in September 2006. Ground water treatment is ongoing, and the treated ground water is being sampled on a monthly basis.
There are several organizations on campus dedicated to helping Raleigh stay at the top of the list. A few include the Inter-Residence Council Sustainability Committee, the Wolfpack Environmental Student Association (WESA) and the Campus Environmental Sustainability Team (CEST).
In addition to sustainability research, organizations like the sustainability team have been involved in initiatives like creek restorations, tree restorations and storm water systems engineering.
N.C. State’s Student Senate also passed the Campus Sustainability Continuous Improvement Act in 2008, which outlined an action plan with various ways in which the University would make an effort to be greener and cleaner.
The plan pushed adoption of energy-efficient appliances, use of electricity from renewable sources, further waste reduction and recycling initiatives and encouraged use of and access to public transportation for all faculty, students and visitors.
One major concern for sustainability team is the University’s energy consumption. According to N.C. State’s Office of Sustainability, the University is the second largest consumer of energy in buildings in the state–a problem exacerbated by the increasing student enrollment.
In response to the State Energy Plan, N.C. State established a commitment in 2008 to reduce the annual energy consumption per square foot by at least four percent over a 10-year period.
The Wolfpack Environmental Student Association–a student organization–has similar goals, including “promoting campus environmental awareness and environmental protection, forming networks with themes related to the environment and natural resources within N.C. State’s colleges and engaging with other universities endeavors to manage environmental and natural resources,” according to its website.
WESA’s Co-Presidents Sonum Nerurka, senior in environmental technology, and Katie McKnight have both won the annual “Think Outside the Brick Competition” and implemented sustainable projects on campus. Nerurka is building a solar gazebo on campus and McKnight completed the Students For Organic United Living (SOUL) Garden, located on Centennial Campus.
In Forbes’ report, the two cities that beat out North Carolina’s capital were Little Rock, Arkansas at number two, and McAllen, Texas, the “cleanest” city in the U.S.
