skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Home health, hospice nurses in OR call for union contract agreement; MS ranks low among states for long-term care services, supports; and a look at how adopting children changed the lives of two Texas women.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Former Vice President Mike Pence reportedly tells investigators more details about efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley wins the endorsement of a powerful Koch brothers' network and a Senate committee targets judicial activists known to lavish gifts upon Supreme Court justices.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Congress has iced the long-awaited Farm Bill, but farmer advocates argue some portions are urgent, the Hoosier State is reaping big rewards from wind and solar, and opponents speak out about a planned road through Alaska's Brooks Range a dream destination for hunters and angler.

NC businesses leverage Inflation Reduction Act for greener future

play audio
Play

Tuesday, October 3, 2023   

As more companies embrace sustainable practices, businesses in North Carolina are leading the charge through innovative initiatives with funds from the Inflation Reduction Act.

Brad Ives, former executive director of the Catawba College Center, seized on IRA funding to pioneer projects boosting the college's green initiatives.

"The projects that we can do with the Inflation Reduction Act help us lower our emissions," he explained. "In particular, we're looking at Scope One emissions, where we're burning natural gas or operating vehicles here on campus."

Ives added with the help of the IRA, the college has been able to work on projects such as replacing natural gas-fired clothes dryers with electric dryers.

Ives suggested the IRA can greatly assist small businesses by offering financial aid programs such as grants, loans and tax incentives, making projects more cost efficient. He recommends companies start by connecting with peers, attending presentations and webinars, and staying updated on potential opportunities.

"Looking for RFPs to come out from entities like ours. We'll post from time to time that we've got an opportunity for somebody to come in and provide a good or service to us," he continued.

The IRA is estimated to invest over $21 billion in clean-energy tax incentives for North Carolina.

Vicki Lee Parker-High, North Carolina Business Council executive director, said the trend of more small businesses seeking to increase sustainability. She explained their organization is actively supporting members in exploring how the IRA can be beneficial across various industries, especially as environmental, social and corporate governance tracking becomes more important to companies looking to be more sustainable.

"We see that growing, and we don't see it slowing down anytime soon because we're seeing the larger corporations are starting to demand that the businesses along their supply chain also report and track their environmental and social impact on their communities," she continued.

Parker-High added the Inflation Reduction Act is proving to be a game-changer for small businesses in North Carolina, enabling them to actively contribute to environmental improvement while reaping financial benefits.

Disclosure: North Carolina Business Council contributes to our fund for reporting on Civic Engagement, Consumer Issues, Environment, Health Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
By some estimates, more than 15 million people covered through the ACA exchanges nationally, and 20 million insured by the Medicaid expansion would lose coverage if the Affordable Care Act was repealed. (Fizkes/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Advocates for affordable health care are speaking out to remind people what is at stake if the Affordable Care Act is repealed in the wake of recent s…


Social Issues

play sound

Roughly one in eight Nebraskans who have experienced hunger is a child. The state has a chance to help their families afford groceries, but must 'opt …

Environment

play sound

If you live in a flood prone community, soil health from nearby farmland may have something to do with it. Ag voices in Wisconsin say government-…


As of August 2021, there were more than 28,000 children in foster care in Texas and almost 6,000 children waiting for adoptive families. (Alexis Scholtz/peopleimages.com/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

When a Texas woman began her six-year journey to adopt, she hoped to affect one child's life. Felicia Lewis, an adoptive parent, is now making a …

Social Issues

play sound

Many parents complete their families through adoption, and November has been the month to encourage awareness, recognize those still waiting to be …

The PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center in Eugene is closing this year. (Visitor7/Wikimedia Commons)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Nurses who care for patients in their homes in the Willamette Valley are pushing to get their union contract negotiations across the finish line…

Environment

play sound

Women, LGBTQ, and minority farmers in Ohio face compounding stressors, according to a study from Ohio State University. Researchers surveyed and …

Environment

play sound

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a plan extending a natural-gas pipeline in Virginia. The Virginia Reliability Plan and Transcot's …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021