Environment

A group of students, parents and energy experts is making the financial case for going green in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

County staff presented a new sustainability report for the last fiscal year. The report highlighted several successes, including the expansion of county recycling programs and air quality compliance.

The city and county directed COVID-19 relief funds to Carolina Farm Trust, which planned to open a store and distribution center in a longtime food desert. But the nonprofit ceased most of its operations in July.

The North Carolina Division of Air Quality issued two air quality permits: One for the data center’s backup power generation and one for Duke Energy’s generators to power the project during construction.

EPIC will continue as the research arm of the new school. But starting this semester, some students are now part of the engineering college’s School of Energy and will ultimately graduate with degrees in electromechanical, mechanical engineering technology or applied energy.

Thursday night, the city hosted a town hall that brought together city staff, environmental advocates and industry representatives to address local concerns.

Sustainability think tank Frontier Group and advocacy group Environment North Carolina released a report that found that the state’s schools could host 900 megawatts of solar energy.

Every year, tens of thousands of seasonal farmworkers come from abroad to work in North Carolina, harvesting everything from tobacco to sweet potatoes. But this year, those migrant workers returned to do the same work for less pay.

Catawba and Davidson colleges partnered with Queens University to install four bird-tracking radio towers this past winter. As of last month, they’re all connected to a larger mapping network called Motus.

A summer day in Charlotte was more likely to be mild 47 years ago. It’s part of an overall warming trend in the region as global temperatures rise.