No, Raleigh isn’t being invaded by hipsters, but it is the 23rd municipality in North Carolina to be named a “Cool City” by the Sierra Club.

To qualify for the designation, local governments must pass the U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement; the Raleigh City Council did so in early August. Under that agreement, Raleigh commits to several initiatives:

  • Work toward a 7 percent reduction from 1990 greenhouse gas emission levels over the next five years. These reductions could come from public transit and carpooling; more than three-fourths of drivers in the Raleigh-Durham area travel alone.

  • Implement green policies including those regarding land use and open spacea thorny issue for Raleigh and its sprawling suburbs.

  • Urge Congress to pass greenhouse gas reduction legislation.

Other Cool Cities in the Triangle include Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, Hillsborough, Wake Forest and Orange County.