Environment

Mayor McFarlane has long been recognized as a leader in environmental stewardship for Raleigh and North Carolina. As President of the Greystone Homeowners Association, she was active protecting and cleaning up Greystone Lake from stormwater runoff. As a City Councilor, she successfully advocated for stricter stormwater standards that protect our local waterways from runoff pollution. She has also been active in establishing the Falls Lake Rules to protect the quality of our drinking water.  Nancy is invested in upholding the City Council’s mission statement to “conserve and protect our environmental resources through best practices and cutting edge conservation and stewardship, land use, infrastructure and building technologies.”

Nancy has served as Council liaison to many environmental advocacy groups including the Upper Neuse River Basin Association, Storm Management Advisory Commission, and theEnvironmental Advisory Board. Mayor McFarlane believes that we can maintain integrity of our environment and accommodate our current needs.

Some of Raleigh’s environmental initiatives during Mayor McFarlane’s time in office include:

• Raleigh is a certified 4-Star community and the first community in North Carolina to achieve certification through the national STAR Community Rating System
• LEED Platinum standards for the city’s new solid waste services facility
• LEED Silver standards for the city’s new water treatment plant
• Designated parking spaces for electric plug-in vehicles
• Solar-powered trash compactors downtown
• Expansions to the city’s reusable water system
• Water quality and wildlife habitat improvements such as the Longview Lake Project
• Plans for a hydroelectric facility at Falls Lake Dam
• Construction of a solar farm at the city’s Neuse River Wastewater Treatment Plant
• Joint purchase of 640 acres along the Seven Mile Creek, Falls Lake and Swift Creek watersheds for conservation
• City streetlights replaced by energy-efficient LED fixtures
• One of the cleanest cities in America according to Forbes
• PTI honored Raleigh with six awards
• City of Raleigh Police Vehicle Propane-Hybrid Conversion to reduce carbon emissions and saved the City $80,000 in the first year of implementation.
• Preserving 325 acres of green space in downtown Raleigh to serve as a destination park for our city, county & state