Consider your thirst quenched. Having already tapped serious cred (read: ranked No. 3 H2O in the world, NBD), the city is now teaming up with Trophy Brewing Co. to can—and add a bit of sparkle—to Raleigh’s prized aqua. Think San Pellegrino, City of Oaks-style. Find the bright-blue cans making the rounds in local gov buildings. Hydro high, indeed
With last week’s ribbon-cutting for the Bioenergy Recovery Project, Raleigh joins a small but savvy group of cities turning waste into public transit fuel—and, yes, we mean human waste. The move has been years in the making, sparked back in 2019 when the city greenlit an ambitious goal of cutting community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.
At the same time, the city was also staring down another challenge: The equipment treating biosolids at the Neuse River Resource Recovery Facility—where the Bioenergy Recovery Project now operates—was due for a facelift.
This got the city thinking bigger—and greener. Raleigh Water Assistant Director Erika Bailey recalls in a written statement how her department worked on identifying “not only a solution to effectively manage our biosolids for the long-term, but also one that would provide environmental resiliency, producing a high-quality product to support beneficial reuse of the biosolids.”
They found the solution in an advanced anaerobic digestion process—aka a process speeding along the bacterial breakdown of waste—and the driver behind the Bioenergy Recovery Project. From there, the biogas gets upgraded into renewable natural gas, which now fuels more than 70 GoRaleigh buses.
Bailey said getting the system running took significant planning. The Neuse River treatment plant couldn’t just stop processing, meaning the city had to get creative with the install.
Not to mention producing renewable natural gas is pretty new to NC. “With this project, we have been charting new territory and working closely with our stakeholders to understand requirements associated with renewable natural gas production,” notes Bailey.
Over a decade later, though, and all their efforts have paid off. Per the city’s numbers, the Bioenergy Recovery Project is not just a step toward their sustainability goal, but a stride estimated to slash citywide greenhouse gas emissions by 11%.
And Raleighites are giving it two green thumbs up. “It… is very tangible in that you see the GoRaleigh buses around town as a regular reminder that we are taking our waste and turning it into a valuable resource that is fueling the GoRaleigh buses,” says Bailey. “It means the community is helping to contribute to fueling the buses with every flush!”
For Raleighite and self-proclaimed “water baby” Amber Thayer, there’s no place she’d rather be than diving in a lake or splashing in the ocean. “Water is my happy place,” says the former swim instructor, who also served in the Navy for 10 years. “Always has been.”
So when the pandemic hit and she needed an outlet, Thayer channeled her inner Moana and answered the water’s call. At first she debated getting a kayak, but didn’t want to have to lug it around. “Then I found Freedom Boat Club online,” she shares. “I went and talked to them and discovered they would give me all the training—[and] I don’t have to do the maintenance. I was like, ‘This sounds like a win-win.’”
Today more women are following Thayer’s lead and turning to clubs like Freedom—which boasts locations at Falls Lake and Jordan Lake—that empower them to pursue boating as a hobby by offering robust training programs, women-only social groups and outings, and an easy booking system with access to a wide variety of boats. Globally, Freedom has more than 90,000 members and 35% of its members are women—a percentage that is much higher than the industry average of female boat owners.
Women Making Waves
246% increase in women boaters 2017–2023
“As a father to a young girl, it’s incredible and empowering to see so many women take the helm with Freedom Boat Club,” says Max Curtis, general manager of Freedom Boat Club of Raleigh. “Boating previously had a perception of being a male-dominated hobby, and over the past few years, we have seen a significant increase in women captaining our boats and finding their confidence on the water.”
Thayer concurs: “I do see more and more women doing it. It’s an empowering thing, not to be afraid. I think Freedom does a really good job of being that lifeline.”
Since joining the club in 2020, Thayer has received one-on-one training from Freedom’s licensed captains to learn how to safely navigate our local lakes, and has even traveled to the coast for additional, more intensive training on the ocean. Now, whether she’s solo or has friends or her boyfriend in tow, Thayer feels equipped for success on the water.
At Falls Lake, you can typically spot her driving a tritoon. “We’ll ride way out to the dam, as far out as I can, and then we normally find a little offshoot,” she says of her perfect boat day. “I’ll drop anchor, and we’ll just swim and listen to music and just enjoy being in nature.”
And, of course, no aquatic adventure is complete without her furry co-captain. “My favorite thing is the fact [Freedom Boat Club] lets me bring my dog,” says Thayer.
When asked what advice she’d give to other local women thinking about taking the plunge into boating, Thayer simply responds, “Just do it.” Besides being convenient and hassle-free, “they will help you,” she continues. “I think the hardest part is finding the courage to just try.” So, ~water~ you waiting for?
freedomboatclub.com
