Community action/North Carolina

Appalachian Voices is an American environmental organization. Their stated environmental concerns include eliminating air pollution, ending mountaintop removal, cleaning up coal ash pollution and promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency.

The organization has offices in Boone, North Carolina; Charlottesville, Virginia; Norton, Virginia; and Knoxville, Tennessee.

Appalachian Voices publishes "The Appalachian Voice," a news publication covering environmental and cultural news in the central and southern Appalachian region.

Solar power has been increasing rapidly in the U.S. state of North Carolina, from less than 1 MW (megawatts) in 2007 to 6,152 MW in 2019, when it had the second-largest installed PV capacity of all states.

The economic viability of solar energy is heavily influenced by political and technological factors. Political dynamics play a critical role in shaping renewable energy policy, with barriers such as political polarization and protection of incumbent industries often hindering the adoption of solar power. Long-term analyses of U.S. policies demonstrate how favorable regulations can accelerate solar adoption, a consideration particularly relevant to North Carolina. With its abundant agricultural land, and its relative political power as a swing state, the state has been identified as having significant potential for further solar energy expansion, supported by policy measures and technological advancements.

In addition to federal incentives, the state has a Renewable Portfolio Standard of 12.5% by 2021 and a state renewable energy tax credit, both of which have been credited with boosting solar installations. Recently in June 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency released $7 billion for solar for all notice. This is a program that aims to expand solar to disadvantaged communities.

In North Carolina, the distribution of solar power production is mainly on land that is classified as agricultural land, at 63%. In North Carolina there exists potential growth for solar energy on this agricultural land. Specifically, land that has watersheds adjacent to the land. Furthermore, a 2018 Smithsonian Magazine article described North Carolina as likely being the national leader in the "solar shepherd phenomenon" – combining sheep farming with solar power plants to reduce the high costs of grass trimming. A drawback of distributing solar power on agricultural land is the land that can potentially be lost for crops. There are debates of whether solar will harm agriculture.

Duke Energy is a large energy providing company. They have been playing a role in implementing solar in North Carolina, making it second in the nation for most solar energy usage. In 2017 they helped develop laws that allowed the implementation of solar and made it more affordable.

According to a report from the Solar Energy Industries Association, as of June 2019, North Carolina generates 5.81% of its electricity through solar power, and ranks second (up from 3rd in 2018) in total installed photovoltaics. As of 2023 this number is up to 9.33% being ranked 4th.

Wind power in North Carolina is found along the coastal areas in the east and mountain regions in the western part of the state. The state has significant offshore wind resources. In 2015, small-scale wind turbine projects were found throughout the state. In 2016, North Carolina's first large scale wind project, and the first in the southeastern U.S., was completed near Elizabeth City.

In 2019, North Carolina had an installed wind capacity of 208 MW.

Following Hurricane Florence, Elon University conducted a poll exploring public opinions on climate change. It found that 80 percent of North Carolinians though that North Carolina's coastal communities would be negatively affected by climate change in the next decade. Sixty-two percent supported consideration of climate change predictions in local planning and ordinances, 72 percent supported restriction of real-estate development in flood-prone areas, and over half agreed that hurricanes were increasing in severity.

The city of Charlotte passed a plan to "emit nearly zero carbon from its buildings and vehicle fleet by 2030 and lower the per-capita carbon emissions from Charlotteans by a factor of six." Two days after the plan was passed by the city council, Michael Bloomberg announced that Charlotte was the winner of the American Cities Climate Challenge.

In fall of 2016, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill unrolled the "Three Zeroes Initiative," which is the university's commitment to reduce to zero the net usage of water, the amount of waste in landfills, and the net amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2016, the city of Asheville, in cooperation with the University of North Carolina at Asheville's National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center, began work on a climate resiliency assessment, designed to "lessen the impacts of future extreme weather and climate change." Asheville has earned the moniker the "Climate City" for its housing the headquarters of the National Centers for Environmental Information (the largest repository of environmental data in the world), the U.S. Air Force's 14th Weather Squadron ("which provides climate services to the defense and intelligence communities"), and also The Collider, a nonprofit that "is the first entrepreneurship and innovation center in the nation built to support startups – across almost every sector – that use data to help the world become more resilient to climate change."

In 2012, in response to a study by the United States Geological Survey which predicts accelerating sea level rise, the legislature of North Carolina "passed a law requiring that projected rates of sea level rise be calculated on historical trends and not include accelerated rates of increase."

A July 2019 law revised local land-use and planning requirements. Comprehensive plans that incorporate flood risk will now be required at the local level.

In 2020, the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency Planning is preparing a "resilience quick start guide" for local communities, to "build resilience into routine decisions such as infrastructure upgrades or zoning rulings."

Climate change in North Carolina is of concern due to its impacts on the environment, climate, people, and economy of North Carolina. "Most of the state has warmed one-half to one degree (F) in the last century, and the sea is rising about one inch every decade." North Carolina, along with the rest of the Southeastern United States, has warmed less than the rest of the country.

Piedmont Land Conservancy (PLC) is a nonprofit conservation land trust and charitable organization operating in nine northern Piedmont North Carolina counties – Alamance, Caswell, Forsyth, Guilford, Randolph, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry and Yadkin. PLC’s land protection priorities are watersheds, farmland, urban green spaces and natural heritage sites as defined by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

PLC is a member of the Land Trust Alliance It received national accreditation by the Land Trust Alliance in 2010. PLC is also a member of the North Carolina Land Trust Federation, an association of 20 nonprofit North Carolina Land Trusts.

Kathy Treanor and other citizens of Greensboro, North Carolina founded Piedmont Land Conservancy in 1990. Mrs. Treanor led PLC until 2002 when Palmer McIntyre became executive director. Charlie Brummitt followed Mrs. McIntyre as executive director in 2003. Kevin Redding became executive director in 2007.

The Conservancy’s first project protected 12 acres (0.049 km²) of wetlands at Pinecroft Lake Park in southwest Greensboro. Its first major farmland project protected 107 acres (0.43 km²) of Lindale Farm – land that is now surrounded by the city of High Point. PLC’s smallest projects protected a series of half-acre lots for addition to the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. Its largest project protected 2,100 acres (8.5 km²) of Mitchell River Watershed in Surry and Alleghany counties.

Like many land conservancies, PLC receives its funding from multiple sources. One notable source was mitigation for the 2014 Dan River coal ash spill.

In its first 25 years, PLC protected more than 22,000 acres.

The North Carolina Coastal Federation is a nonprofit organization that works with coastal residents and visitors to protect and restore the beautiful and productive N.C. coast. The four main areas in which the federation operates include: coastal advocacy; environmental education; habitat and water quality restoration and preservation; and support in the improvement and enforcement of environmental laws. The federation headquarters are located in Newport (Ocean), North Carolina, with regional offices in Wanchese and Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. The federation is currently a member of Restore America's Estuaries (RAE).

The Bald Head Island Conservancy (BHIC) is a non-profit organization involved in barrier island conservation, preservation and education. It is located in the Smith Island Complex in Brunswick County, North Carolina, which includes Bald Head Island. It runs the Barrier Island Study Center, which was the first community-based barrier island research and education facility in the US.

North Carolina ( KAYR-ə-LIE-nə) is a state in the Southeastern and South Atlantic regions of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia to the southwest, and Tennessee to the west. The state is the 28th-largest and ninth-most populous of the United States. Along with South Carolina, it makes up the Carolinas region of the East Coast. At the 2020 census, the state had a population of 10,439,388. Raleigh is the state's capital and Charlotte is its most populous and one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. The Charlotte metropolitan area, with an estimated population of 2,883,370 in 2024, is the most populous metropolitan area in North Carolina, the 21st-most populous in the United States, and the largest banking center in the nation after New York City. The Research Triangle, with an estimated population of 2,368,947 in 2023, is the second-most populous combined metropolitan area in the state, 31st-most populous in the United States, and is home to the largest research park in the United States, Research Triangle Park.