The town adopted a resolution in 2017 to transition from fossil fuel-powered operations to 100% clean and renewable energy by the end of 2050. The goal is to:

• Build a more resilient community.
• Promote an environmentally sustainable economy.
• Protect the local community and Earth for current and future generations.

The town seeks to transition all the energy sectors in its operations, including electricity, heating and cooling, and transportation.

Approaches

Clean, renewable energy is carbon- and pollution-free energy that is sustainably collected from renewable sources, including wind, solar and geothermal. Other approaches may be included after being evaluated for sustainability and environmental justice implications.

Nuclear, natural gas, coal, oil-based or any other forms of carbon-based energy production are not included as clean or renewable sources of energy.

The town adopted a comprehensive sustainability plan in 2023 to advance its sustainability and resiliency goals, including its clean energy pledge. The plan will guide future development and the transition to 100% clean energy. It will balance environmental stewardship, resiliency and racial justice with smart growth to allow for a thriving economy and quality of life in Hillsborough.

• Comprehensive Sustainability Plan — Full Plan
• Comprehensive Sustainability Plan — Executive Summary
• Comprehensive Sustainability Plan — Appendix

The three pillars of sustainability that the town aspires to are:

Economic Sustainability — When business is conducted in a way to preserve long-term economic well-being.

Environmental Sustainability — The ability to preserve and protect the natural environment and to meet present needs without compromising the future availability of resources.

Social Sustainability — Involves a focus on the health and well-being of people and communities.

The town uses a strategic plan to align available resources with priorities. The plan is used in coordination with the budget and the Comprehensive Sustainability Plan. Sustainability is one of the focus areas in the Strategic Plan.

• Strategic Plan

Feeding wildlife is prohibited within town limits. The feeding of common backyard birds and pollinators is still allowed. For more information, see the town's ordinance.

About Wildlife

Wildlife refers to all animals neither human nor domesticated that inhabit a region or area.

Human development has caused the loss of open lands and forests, leading to habitat fragmentation — the process of breaking large habitats into smaller, disconnected pieces. This forces wildlife into smaller and more crowded spaces, including urban areas and suburban yards. Yards are a significant portion of land, and they increasingly are being used by wildlife for habitat and food.

Wildlife is a key part of the ecological balance and biodiversity of the natural world. Habitat conservation, sustainable land use and management practices, and public awareness and education are all important components to wildlife management.

Conflicts with Wildlife

The presence of wildlife in developed areas can negatively impact the environment and property and public health in some cases. In recent years, Hillsborough residents have experienced increasing problems with wildlife populations, especially with the following species:

• Canada goose
• Gray squirrel
• Groundhog
• Vultures
• White-tailed deer

Preventing Wildlife Conflict

Recommendations from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission include: 

• Do not feed wildlife.
• Do not leave pet food outside.
• Close crawl spaces and openings under your house, porches and outbuildings.
• Trim tree limbs away from buildings to prevent wildlife from gaining access to roofs or attics.
• Protect gardens, beehives and chickens with fencing.
• Protect pets by keeping them leashed, inside a fence or supervised when outside.

Recommendations on conflict prevention specific to a species of wildlife can be found on the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission website or by using the links above.

Documents

• Wildlife Management Resource Guide

A town ordinance allows property owners to convert lawns to managed landscape areas, which provide habitat for pollinators and other wildlife and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing mowing.

Guidelines

Guidelines within the ordinance help keep managed natural landscapes from impacting neighbors.

• Keep rights of way and 10 feet around your property line maintained to 8 inches or less of growth.
• At least once per year between November and February, mow areas you allow to grow as meadows to 8 inches or less. You do not need to mow managed landscape areas that are deliberately planted areas. 

Native Plants

View a list of native plant and seed suppliers on the North Carolina Cooperative Extension's Resource List for Pollinator Conservation webpage. Native plants and deliberately planted areas are not required for managed natural landscapes.

More Information

For more information about managed landscape areas or the ordinance, contact Public Space and Sustainability Manager Stephanie Trueblood by email or by phone at 919-296-9600.

Bee City USA

As a Bee City USA, the town works to raise awareness of the role pollinators play in sustaining more than 75% of the world’s plant species and helps expand pollinator-friendly practices and environments in town. The town's public space and sustainability division and its tree board work with the Hillsborough Garden Club to develop the program and educational materials, including actions residents can take.

Tree City USA

As a Tree City USA, the town's Public Space and Sustainability Division and Tree Board work to protect the town's trees and educate community members about the importance of urban forestry.

The town has a grounds maintenance contract with environmentally friendly requirements for pruning and mulching and for limited use of chemicals.

Compost blankets have been added to Cates Creek Park, Gold Park, Riverwalk and other town land in Hillsborough. The blankets, which are seeded with native grasses and flowers, help prevent erosion and filter pollutants from stormwater. They help to maintain sloped areas.

The town’s tree board and volunteer invasive species removal team remove invasive plants along the Riverwalk greenway and from other public spaces. The volunteers also have planted more than 30 species of native plants along Riverwalk. The plantings include sycamores, oaks, strawberry and elderberry. 

The Tree Board and its invasive species team work year-round, planting native plants in the winter and removing invasive plants the rest of the year. 

The invasive species removal team gathers on Wednesdays for two hours in the afternoon in the cooler months and in the morning during the summer. Contact Administrative Support Specialist Lindsay Rhew by email or at 919-296-9600 to get connected.

The town has an integrated pest management plan to control pests. The plan combines cultural, mechanical, biological and chemical tools to minimize health, economic and environmental risks. It applies to buildings and grounds owned and maintained by the Town of Hillsborough. 

Cultural Management

Cultural methods are cost-effective, pose little risk to the environment and can be very effective. They change conditions to interfere with the pest and its life cycle. Cultural methods of suppressing pest problems include ensuring that site conditions are not attractive to pests.

Mechanical Management

Mechanical management practices include handpicking, traps, barriers, pruning and raking, water sprays and irrigation, heat treatments, and frightening devices. Mechanical methods require time and can be more practical for small sites.

Biological Management

Biological management reduces a pest population by using predators, parasites or disease organisms that ordinarily occur in nature. Plant-feeding insects are best kept from overwhelming the planet by serving as food for other insects.

Chemical Management

Chemical options may be considered as a last resort if a pest has been correctly identified and is still a problem after other management strategies have been implemented. Herbicides are available to kill weeds, insecticides to kill insects, and fungicides and antibiotics to manage diseases. The selected chemical must be labeled both for management of the offending pest and for use on the specific type of plant to be sprayed. All users are legally required to follow the instructions on the pesticide label, including the amount and timing of application.

Pollinator and Rain Gardens

Pollinator gardens have been installed in several town parks, at the police station and in the West King Street parking lot.

Some of the pollinator gardens also are rain gardens, slowing the flow of stormwater and filtering nutrients from the stormwater before it reaches the streams and creeks that flow to the Eno River. Rain gardens have been installed at Cates Creek and Gold parks, the Dorothy N. Johnson Community Center and along the Eno River close to Allison Street.

Other Stormwater Management

To help capture stormwater for filtration, the town has installed cisterns at Cates Creek Park and Dorothy N. Johnson Community Center. The town also has installed rain barrels at the community center and assisted homeowners on Odie Street with acquiring rain barrels.

In 2023 and 2024, the Stormwater and Environmental Services Division undertook a major green infrastructure project on Odie Street. This involved the installation of bioswales along the newly redeveloped street to capture and filter stormwater. Many of the bioswales were planted with native plants.

Energy

A major Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade in 2014 significantly reduced the amount of electricity used in treating the town's wastewater.

Other energy-saving initiatives have included:

• Replacement of the windows in the Wastewater Treatment Plant's administrative building.
• Use of programmable thermostats and a tankless water heater on the Town Hall campus.
• Use of LEDs in streetlights of newer developments.
• Retrofitting of LEDs in older streetlights and in town buildings.

Fuel and Vehicles

Fleet Maintenance Operations has:

• Extended oil service intervals from 3,000 to 5,000 miles where possible.
• Replaced a chemical-based parts washer with a water-based washer.

It also:

• Separates oil from water drained from the shop and wash pit.
• Advises other departments on vehicle replacement, selecting vehicles with the smallest engine sizes feasible.

The Police Department has replaced older vehicles with hybrid models and limits vehicle idling to reduce fuel use and emissions. 

The Public Works Division has designed efficient solid waste collection routes to reduce fuel use. Newer dump, brush, leaf vacuum and garbage trucks use diesel exhaust fluid to lower exhaust emissions. Public works employees use a battery-powered cart when collecting trash and recyclables along the Riverwalk greenway.

The town has partnered with Orange County for curbside collection of recyclables throughout town and to provide collection bins for recyclables downtown, in community parks and along the Riverwalk greenway.

The town collects appliances and scrap metal for recycling. See the Garbage Collection page. 

Fleet Maintenance Operations recycles used oil and oil filters when maintaining equipment. 

The town uses direct deposit to pay employees and pays vendors through electronic transfer if possible.

Water and sewer customers are encouraged to enroll in the online billing program to receive emailed bills and to pay electronically. 

The community newsletter is available electronically. Its paper version was reformatted to a single piece of paper that is included with water and sewer bills rather than mailed separately.

The town addresses discovered water main and water service leaks immediately. It performs routine water leak detection with an outside consultant. Plumbing at town facilities also is checked for maintenance issues that could waste water.

The town also now flushes its water system once a year instead of twice. The annual flushing of hydrants to remove sediment uses about 6 million gallons of water. Staff are determining whether key hydrants can be flushed instead of each hydrant in the town's system.

Sewer Overflows

The Water Distribution and Wastewater Collection Division cleans sewer mains to prevent sanitary sewer overflows and the environmental damage they cause. The town provides educational presentations at schools and public events and communicates frequently about keeping wipes, fats, oil and grease out of the town’s sewer system.

Stormwater Pollution 

The Stormwater and Environmental Services Division protects waterways by:

• Reviewing new development plans to ensure compliance with stormwater and stream buffer requirements.
• Inspecting compliance of:
  • New development construction sites with environmental regulations.
  • Town facilities with stormwater pollution prevention practices.
  • Town construction projects with environmental permits.
• Inspecting private and public stormwater control measures for functionality.
• Implementing stream buffer protection and illegal discharge and dumping programs.
• Providing stormwater pollution prevention training to town staff and environmental education programs for schools and civic groups.
• Coordinating community trash cleanup programs and volunteers for wetland and stream buffer plantings.
• Supporting the Clean Water Education Partnership, Upper Neuse River Basin Association and Eno River Hydrilla Task Force.

The division also has coordinated with community members on a number of projects to improve stormwater conditions around Hillsborough.