Sustain Charlotte is a community-based nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, engaging and uniting citizens to solve Charlotte’s sustainability challenges. We inspire choices that lead to a healthy, equitable and vibrant community for generations to come. LEARN MORE
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How YOU can stop using single-use plastics and more.
If you’re not using plastic bags, you’re on the right track, according to the panelists at our November Grow Smart CLT event. Same if you’re working to reduce your food wasted, or reading up on which products can actually be recycled curbside.Continue reading -
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Confronting Racial Inequities in Charlotte's Transportation and Land Use
It's no secret that past and present racism and racial bias have led to profound inequities in quality of life for many Charlotteans. Our Program Director Meg Fencil attended the Facing Race conference in Detroit last week. Here are just a few of the concepts that we plan to incorporate into our work. We strive to do all of our work through a lens of racial equity and recognize that it's a learning process. Facing Race was a fantastic opportunity to conceptually center our work in racial justice and equity. In an equitable community, each person has the resources that they need. (image: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)Continue reading -
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Equity in Public Transit: What We Learned at Rail~Volution 2018
Our Executive Director Shannon Binns and Program Director Meg Fencil traveled to Pittsburgh to attend Rail~Volution, an annual conference focused on how land use, transportation and development can transform communities into livable places — healthy, economically vibrant, socially equitable, and environmentally sustainable. Here are some key points they learned about transit and equity! Sustain Charlotte program director Meg Fencil moderated a panel on Transit-Oriented Development.Continue reading -
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Five steps YOU can take to slow climate change
With our state still reeling from the devastating impact of Florence, the world’s most esteemed climate scientists issued a dire warning: we have 12 years to act to avoid catastrophic climate change. Here in North Carolina, we already know what catastrophe looks like. Florence gave us a taste of it, with unusually intense and destructive rainfall that scientists tell us was a result of climate change. But if you’re like most Americans, you have moved beyond the tired debate about whether our climate is changing. You want to know how you can help prevent things from getting even worse.Continue reading -
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Nearly 600 people explored South End and Uptown during Biketoberfest presented by the Charlotte Knights!
Thank you to everyone who made Sustain Charlotte's 4th annual Biketoberfest presented by The Charlotte Knights a success!Continue reading -
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Bicycle Program Manager Kate Cavazza Speaks at BikeWalk NC Conference
The state advocacy organization BikeWalk NC hosted the 7th Annual BikeWalk NC Summit on October 19 and 20 in Raleigh, and Sustain Charlotte was a featured presenter. As the bicycle program manager, I want to share the top three things that I learned during the conference.Continue reading -
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Charlotte City Council Environment Committee Presented With Strategic Energy Action Plan
At the October 22nd meeting of the Charlotte City Council Environment Committee, staff presented an update on the development of the Strategic Energy Action Plan (SEAP).Continue reading -
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Transportation and Planning Committee looks ahead at Comprehensive Plan and electric scooters
News crews packed the room to hear the City Council Transportation and Planning Committee meeting on Monday, October 22nd. Continued discussion about the Comprehensive Plan and what to do with electric scooters dominated the agenda.Continue reading -
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Creating a city-wide vision for Charlotte
Our October Grow Smart CLT event started with some disappointing news. The Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), which Charlotte’s Planning Director, Taiwo Jaiyeoba, had promised would be revamped by June of 2020, won’t actually be finished by then. But there’s a good excuse.Continue reading -
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Charlotte City Council Environment Committee Receives Updates on Strategic Energy Action Plan and Tree Canopy Master Plan
At the October 8th meeting of the Charlotte City Council Environment Committee, council members received updates on the Strategic Energy Action Plan (SEAP) and tree canopy master plan. Strategic Energy Action Plan Charlotte Sustainability Director, Rob Phocas, and Assistant City Manager, Kim Eagle, provided an update on the SEAP development process. The timeline for introducing the SEAP has been pushed back one month.Continue reading