Duke Energy makes $ 170,000 grants to organizations that conserve and improve North Carolina’s natural resources | Duke of Energy

• Investments range from planting trees and maintaining wetlands to providing equitable access to parks and farmland for people of color.

• Since 2015, the Duke Energy Foundation in North Carolina has awarded more than 150 nature grants totaling nearly $ 7 million.

CHARLOTTE, NC – The Duke Energy Foundation has awarded $ 170,000 in nature grants to support a variety of environmental initiatives across North Carolina to fund responsibility and education programs that help communities protect their natural resources and reduce the impact of the environment Mitigate climate change.

Since 2015, North Carolina’s Duke Energy Foundation has awarded more than 150 nature grants totaling nearly $ 7 million, investing in and working with green community partners to protect and improve access to the state’s natural resources .

“As we advance North Carolina’s clean energy transition, we remain committed to investing in organizations that will help future generations enjoy our state’s amazing natural heritage,” said Stephen De May, president of Duke Energy in North Carolina. “By supporting nonprofits that deliver meaningful results in this important work, we are helping conserve natural resources and ensuring equitable access to programs in the communities we serve.”

The Nature Conservancy, which has received more than $ 1.2 million in Duke Energy Foundation funding over the past decade for a variety of initiatives in North Carolina, will use this year’s $ 25,000 grant to help make the story of indigenous and enslaved communities in their sanctuaries in Bladen. Counties of Brunswick, Henderson, Hoke, Pender, Robeson, and Sampson – specifically TNC locations of Dunohoe Bay, Calloway Forest, Green Swamp, Nags Head Woods, Bat Cave, and Black River.

“This Duke Energy grant will provide resources to research the history of our protected areas and understand their importance to indigenous peoples and enslaved Africans,” said Debbie Crane, North Carolina communications director for The Nature Conservancy. “When The Nature Conservancy purchases land, we usually focus on the location, biodiversity, bank corridors and current landowners. Understanding the deeper history of these sanctuaries is one way the conservancy can respect and take a first step to honor the indigenous and enslaved communities that came before us.

“Duke Energy has been a valued partner in our work across North Carolina for more than a decade,” she continued. “Such year-to-year continuity is vital for nonprofits like ours as we help people connect with nature.”

This year’s nature scholarships were awarded to the following community organizations. You can find quotes from everyone on the impact of the grants here.

Recipient of the nature scholarship 2021

Nationwide

• Historic Monument – $ 20,000. The Conservation Corps North Carolina program will create a new community weekend program to introduce teens to local wildlife, conservation, and camping. Teens will work on projects that maintain parks and trails in or near their communities while learning about environmental stewardship. The program will strengthen access to natural areas, cultivate an environmental ethic, and inspire participants to consider a career in natural resources.
• North Carolina Wildlife Federation – $ 25,000. NCWF will mobilize 1,200 volunteers to restore habitat to urban and rural communities that have been historically marginalized and are more likely to experience the negative effects of climate change. By removing 75,000 pounds of trash and planting 3,500 trees and pollinator plants, NCWF will restore habitat, improve water quality, store carbon and lower urban temperatures.
• Conservation – $ 25,000. TNC will work with academic researchers to investigate the role of indigenous peoples and enslaved Africans in its sanctuaries in Dunohoe Bay, Calloway Forest, Green Swamp, Nags Head Woods, Bat Cave and parts of the Black River that flows through Bladen, Sampson and Pender designate counties working to better understand and honor those associated with the land prior to its preservation.

Regional

• Cleveland County Water / Lawndale Park (Cleveland) – $ 25,000. The proposed Lawndale Park is located on the First Broad River on Main Street. The grant will help support the wider development of a riverside beach, paddle access area, walking loop with picnic platforms, fishing area, open green, toilets, visitor orientation area, maintenance facility and parking lot, and recreational and educational opportunities for local residents and residents Draw to offer tourism to the area.
• Sylvan Heights Bird Park (Halifax) – $ 15,000. The funds will enable the current Duke Energy Nature Walkway to be expanded and connect to an existing wetland bridge to help visitors and K-12 students on educational field trips to identify and understand the importance of wetlands in the natural environment.
• The Conservation Fund (Wake) – $ 25,000. Working with the City of Raleigh, the Walnut Creek Wetlands Community Partnership and residents of the Rochester Heights and Biltmore Hills neighborhoods, the grant will help restore the natural habitat of wetlands and improve access to Walnut Creek Wetlands Park to provide fairer park access for these create historic African American neighborhoods.
• Trees Charlotte (Mecklenburg) – $ 20,000. The funds will support a city-wide tree-planting program, TreesCharlotte’s popular “everything must go” tree giveaway at the end of the spring-planting season, in which at least 600 trees will be given away. The event is open to all Charlotteeans who can receive two free trees for their garden – a long-term investment in healthy air, energy savings and rainwater reduction while creating visual beauty and shade.
• Triangle Land Conservancy – $ 15,000. The Good Ground Initiative aims to preserve primeval forest and farmland permanently while giving colored farmers access to affordable land in the Triangle region. The grant will help workers in a land acquisition and distribution program that will expand the opportunities for people of color not only to buy land but also to care for their local communities.

Duke Energy Foundation

The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic assistance to meet the needs of the communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The foundation contributes more than $ 30 million annually in the form of charitable donations and is funded by Duke Energy’s shareholder dollars. You can find more information about the foundation at duke-energy.com/foundation.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, NC, is one of the largest energy holding companies in the United States. Its electricity suppliers serve 7.9 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky and together have 51,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,500 people.

Duke Energy is implementing an aggressive clean energy strategy to create a smarter energy future for its customers and communities, aiming to reduce carbon emissions by at least 50 percent by 2030 and net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The company is a leading US renewable energy company on track to own or purchase 16,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2025. The company is also investing in major grid upgrades and expanded battery storage, and researching zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear power.

Duke Energy was named one of Fortune’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” in 2021 and Forbes’ “America’s Best Employers” list. You can find more information about the company at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains press releases, datasheets, photos, videos, and other materials. Duke Energys Enlightenment offers stories about people, innovations, community and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Bill Norton
800.559.3853