March 15 Weekly Brief!

Do you want a safer West Boulevard? Join us March 21!

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We met with transportation agency staff from CDOT and CRTPO at our February meeting with the Equitable Transportation team.

Since last summer, Sustain Charlotte has been working in partnership with the Equitable Transportation team comprised of West Boulevard neighborhood resident advocates for safer streets. 

We share the residents' growing concern about the high incidence of speeding, driver inattention, collisions between cars and pedestrians and cyclists, and lack of safe places to cross West Boulevard. 

You can be part of the solution. Whether you live along West Boulevard, travel on it regularly, or just want to help make a difference to the communities negatively affected by the current street design, please come to the West Boulevard Corridor Study Kick-off Meeting! 

  • Date: Tuesday, March 21
  • Time: 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. (drop-in when you're able)
  • Location: West Boulevard Library, 2157 West Boulevard, Charlotte 28208

Read more on our blog!


Early Bird ticket sales for the Sustain Charlotte Awards Celebration END TONIGHT at midnight! Get yours now before prices increase!

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Nine award-winning visionaries. Nine locally curated courses. One incredible journey into Charlotte's future through the eyes, hearts, and hands of our sustainability leaders. 

Join us on April 26 at the LaCa Projects Gallery to meet our 2017 winners, while noshing on nine unique tapas with ROOTS Catering!

Ticket purchase includes two drinks, and nine unique tapas provided by ROOTS Catering!

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Many thanks to our event sponsors: 

Food Sponsor ROOTS Catering; Media Sponsor Charlotte Magazine; Print Sponsor Boingo Graphics; Gold Sponsor Rodgers Builders; Silver Sponsors Blumenthal FoundationCenter For Intentional LeadershipDuke EnergyO2 emcS&D Coffee and Tea; and Bronze Sponsor Little.

Way2Go CLT Challenge Update: Surprise Prize Winners Announced! 

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If you're participating in our Way2Go CLT sustainable transportation challenge, you've probably heard that you can earn an entry in our monthly prize drawing for every 10 eligible trips you log by April 1 (and if you're not participating, sign up now!). 

But did you also know that keeping your trip log up to date makes you eligible for drawings to win "Surprise Prizes" throughout the month? Today, we drew 2 random winners from among all our participants who have logged a sustainable trip within the past week. 

Congratulations to Parker J (1.5 mile walking trip on 3/10) and Stephen H (3 mile transit trip on 3/13). They each won a $20 gift card donated by Birdsong Brewing Co.


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Haven't registered yet? You can join as an individual or join a team for free RIGHT NOW and be entered in the running for this month's challenge.

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Congratulations to our top teams on the Leader Board (as of 10:30 this morning)!

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Way2Go CLT is Powered By:

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Local residents like you play a critical role in ensuring we have the resources to carry out our work in the community to inspire choices that lead to a healthy, equitable and vibrant community for generations to come! Click below to be the change and become a sustaining member today!


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Join for $10/month or $120/year and you'll get a Sustain Charlotte T-shirt!


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Attend the 2017 Davidson Green Ball Benefiting Sustain Charlotte this Saturday!

Hosted by the Environmental Action Coalition, Green Ball is a night of dancing, fun and fund-raising for the Davidson Lands Conservancy and Sustain Charlotte. The Green Ball features swing dancing and silent auctions of prizes donated by local artists and businesses. Tickets start at just $10. We hope you will attend this event in support of our work! Click here to register. 

When: March 18, 7:30pm - 10:30pm 
Where: Davidson College, 405 North Main Street, Davidson, NC 28035.

We'll have a table set up at the beginning of the event, so be sure to stop by! 


Attend the West Blvd Corridor Study public meeting to support safer streets for pedestrians and bicyclists!

The City of Charlotte invites the community to participate in the West Boulevard Corridor Study kickoff meeting on March 21, 2017 from 5pm - 7pm in the West Boulevard Branch Library Community Room located at 2157 West Boulevard.

The purpose of the study is to develop recommendations about potential improvements along this corridor between Camden Road and Billy Graham Parkway. This study will focus on improving conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists, and is being conducted by the City in close partnership with NCDOT.

Participants will have the opportunity to work with designers and City staff to shape options for the West Boulevard Corridor! Click here to learn more!


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Here’s Why Plaza Midwood Residents Want to Cut Lanes on a Key Route to Uptown [The Charlotte Observer] 

"Plaza Midwood residents are pleading with the city to reduce the number of traffic lanes on Central Avenue and The Plaza to slow traffic and make the area safer for pedestrians...'As we speak over 2,000 new apartment units are being added on Central Avenue,' Renee Bradley said at Monday’s City Council meeting. 'The risk of accidents will only increase if we don’t address this problem immediately.'" We're so glad to see residents of Plaza Midwood and surrounding neighborhoods leading this initiative to call for safer streets that meet the needs of everyone! We are proud to have provided them support throughout the process. 


You’ll Soon Have a New Way to Pay for a Light Rail Ride – and Can Avoid the Line [The Charlotte Observer]

"Light rail passengers may soon be able to use a smartphone app to pay for a ride, instead of waiting in line to buy a ticket. The Charlotte Area Transit System is partnering with a local company, Passport, to develop an app to to buy Lynx Blue Line tickets." We welcome the updates to the fare system because people will have more choices about how they pay for rides!


Gastonia Aiming to Establish City Bus Route to Crowders Mountain State Park [Gaston Gazette]

[Gastonia] "city leaders are now moving forward with a plan to run a Gastonia Transit bus to the popular recreational site on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Members of the City Council's Transportation Committee will discuss the proposed route addition for the first time publicly during a meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall, at 181 S. South St. downtown." Transit connects people not only to jobs and education, but also to recreation, culture, and fitness opportunities. We're thrilled to see the city of Gastonia, NC wants to add hourly bus service from their downtown to Crowders Mountain State Park on weekends & holidays.


10 Years After Charlotte's Light Rail Opened, What Lessons in Development Have Been Learned? [Charlotte Business Journal]

"'(The Blue Line) is also going through older neighborhoods just south of University City,' Heater said. 'We’re starting to see remarkable transitioning in housing prices in Villa Heights and Belmont. We’ve been sounding that alarm and getting the city’s attention. If we are not being intentional about how we are developing the rail line, we’re going to lose that affordability.'" Charlotte is falling far short of our need for a diverse range of housing types and prices. Intentional is the key word when we develop land around transit lines.


Can Buses Be Cool? Transit Advocates Hope So [Boston Globe] 

"Public transportation advocates have long lobbied the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority for better bus service, with varied success. Now, they’re trying another approach: giving the humble bus an image makeover in hopes of boosting its popularity and, perhaps, its perceived status." Did you know that about 4 of 5 daily trips taken on Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) network are bus trips, not rail? We love the work transit advocates in Boston are doing to bring the fun back to riding buses! Stay tuned for details coming soon about how you can volunteer for our #Walk2Transit tours to help make walking to bus stops safer and more comfortable for Charlotteans.


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* April 12 - Sustain Charlotte Monthly Mixer with Green Drinks Charlotte * 

6:00pm - 7:30pm @ Free Range Brewing, 2320 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205. 

Join us for an informal and fun evening of conversation and networking! Our Monthly Mixers provide an opportunity to learn more about us, our partners, and meet others interested in local sustainability issues. At 6:45, our program will begin and you'll hear from one of Sustain Charlotte's partners (currently TBD) who will tell you about their sustainability efforts! This is a family-friendly event and everyone is warmly welcomed. Please be sure to register to let us know you're coming: 

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* April 26 - 2017 Sustain Charlotte Awards Celebration *

5:30pm - 8:30pm @ LaCa Projects Gallery, 1429 Bryant St, Charlotte, NC 28208. 

Nine award-winning visionaries. Nine locally curated courses. One incredible journey into Charlotte's future through the eyes, hearts, and hands of our sustainability leaders. Meet our 2017 winners, while noshing on nine courses with ROOTS Catering! Ticket purchase includes two drinks, a delicious, locally-sourced nine-course meal, and an evening of celebration you don't want to miss! 

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March 13 to 29 - KEEPING WATCH Mechanical Eye Exhibit Opening Reception

5:00pm - 7:00pm @ Projective Eye Gallery at UNC Charlotte Center City, 320 E 9th St, Charlotte, NC 28202. 

The Department of Art & Art History and Rowe Galleries present Mechanical Eye, March 13-29, featuring the work of Rob Carter, McColl Center for Art + Innovation/UNC Charlotte Artist-in-Residence, and students in Associate Professor of Art Jeff Murphy’s Video Art course. Working in a variety of media, including video and photography, Rob Carter often explores historical developments in agricultural science and human relationships to the natural world. His new video piece, Catawba, focuses on Cowans Ford Dam and Lake Norman and will be the centerpiece of the Rowe exhibition. Click here to learn more!


March 23 - Uptown Gallery Crawl

6:00pm - 9:00pm @ Projective Eye Gallery at UNC Charlotte Center City, 320 E 9th St, Charlotte, NC 28202.  

The Projective Eye Gallery joins other local art venues for the Uptown Gallery Crawl. Hop on a trolley bus and check out artist Shaun Cassidy’s new earthwork installation in our gallery, then see exhibitions at The Mint Museum, Harvey B. Gantt Center, Sozo Gallery, McColl Center for Art + Innovation, and more. Click here to learn more!


April 22 - Roots Festival — Earth Day at Savona

12:00pm - 5:00pm @ Blue Blaze Brewing, 528 S Turner Ave, Charlotte, NC 28208.

The First Annual Roots Festival hosted by Savona will provide live music, food trucks, family activities, local vendors, and beer throughout the day. Don't miss the Bennu Gardens community garden ribbon cutting at 11am! Free admission. We will be attending this event and hope to see you there! Click here to learn more. 


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We're happy to announce that HDR has joined the Sustain Charlotte Partner Network at the Bronze level!  We're proud to have their support of our mission and your community! 

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MANY THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS

Is your company interested in joining the Sustain Charlotte Partner Network? Our generous partners play a critical role in supporting our work. Through our corporate membership program, we provide year-round brand exposure, positive publicity, and business development opportunities to those businesses and nonprofits that are helping make our community more sustainable through their products, services, or commitment to move their organization towards greater sustainability. Become a partner today!

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PLATINUM

The Center for Intentional Leadership - Free Range Brewing - Shook Kelley - TreeCycle America - Wooden Robot Brewery

GOLD
 Abundant Power Group, LLC - Alta Planning + Design - Boingo Graphics - DPS Construction - Epic Capital Wealth Management - Integra Design Group - Leaf Burrito - Logan Community Music School - National Gypsum - Natural Awakenings - Optima Engineering  - S&D Coffee & Tea - Weeklyrides.com

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