Remember, self nominations are welcome! 

*Nominees must live or operate in the Greater Charlotte metro area. Any organization including government agencies, businesses and nonprofits can be nominated. New deadline for nominations is March 6.

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We're proud to welcome Whole Foods Market stores of Sharon Road and Lake Norman as a Silver Awards Sponsor! We are thankful for their commitment to our community's long-term health and vitality. 

Many thanks to all our sponsors so far: MassMutual Carolinas (Platinum), Charlotte Magazine (Gold), S&D Coffee and Tea (Silver), O2 emc (Silver), the Duke Energy (Silver), Blumenthal Foundation (Silver), Moore & Van Allen (Silver), Whole Foods Market stores of Sharon Road and Lake Norman (Silver), NC Sustainable Energy Association (Bronze). Click here to learn more about our sponsorship opportunities, starting at just $600! 

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Big Win in Charleston: Car Lane Converted to Bike/Ped Path on Key Bridge [StreetsBlog]

"Charleston, South Carolina’s Legare Bridge carries about 56,000 cars over the Ashley River daily, but it’s never had a safe path for people on bikes. Connecting central Charleston with population centers to the west and south, it is such a critical corridor that bicycle advocates call it Charleston’s “missing link.” Now, after years of campaigning, Charleston cyclists have finally won a safe route on the bridge" Bridges are more costly to build than surface roadways. But should they only be for cars? A well-designed bridge for bicycles and pedestrians would transform our city! 

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San Diego Plan to Connect a Downtown Protected Bike Lane Network All at Once [People for Bikes]

"It looks like one of the most exciting bike infrastructure trends of the last few years — going big — could be coming to San Diego...The southernmost major metro on the U.S. West Coast is weighing a proposal to rapidly add an entire connected grid of protected bike lanes to its downtown...the combination of major biking and walking upgrades has been repeatedly shown to give positive boosts to retail sales in commercial areas, presumably because they make streets more pleasant to spend time on and easier for more people to reach without a car. This also helps a district free itself from dependence on auto parking, which can itself be great for local retail." We'd love to see this level of investment and dedication to bike and pedestrian infrastructure that would benefit our city as a whole!

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15 Stops Along the Charlotte Rail Trail and 3 Sample Itineraries to Explore [CharlotteAgenda]

"The Charlotte Rail Trail is described as 'a vibrant public park that winds through the very heart of our city.' Specifically, it’s a 4.5-mile urban trail located alongside the Blue Line from 7th Street Station in Uptown to New Bern Station in Sedgefield." We encourage you to spend a car-free day along this linear park! 

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We need volunteers for The Future of Transportation is YOU! 

If you are available to help with various small tasks at this event from 5-7pm, please email Branyn Calegar: [email protected]. 

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* March 3 -  The Future of Transportation is YOU! * SOLD OUT

5:30pm - 8:00pm @ Sugar Creek Brewing Co, 215 Southside Dr, Charlotte, NC. What are the three key ingredients needed to accelerate transportation innovation in cities? Which of them are needed in Charlotte and what role do YOU play? Join Sustain Charlotte, New York City-based research and policy nonprofit TransitCenter, and local city leaders including Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts to find the answers to these questions and more in a fun, engaging, and informal atmosphere! Complimentary appetizers will be provided. Additional eats and a cash bar will be available onsite for purchase. Click here to be added to the wait list! 

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March 5 to April 23 - Particle Falls 

7:00pm - 10:00pm @ West wall of the UNC-Charlotte Center City Building, 320 East 9th Street, Charlotte, NC. Particle Falls is an animated light projection on the side of the UNC – Charlotte Center City building that reveals in real time, the invisible dangers in the air we are breathing. This is a dramatic public art and science project that raises awareness of the presence and impact of particulate pollution. Click here for more information.

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March 8 - Civic By Design Forum 

5:30pm - 6:30pm @ Levine Museum of the New South, 200 E 7th St, Charlotte, NC 28202. Join Peter Laurence, author of the new book Becoming Jane Jacobs. It's the stuff of urban legends, Jacobs, a housewife, single-handedly took on Robert Moses, New York City's powerful master builder, and other city planners who sought first to level her Greenwich Village neighborhood and then to drive a highway through it. Jacobs’s most effective weapons in these David-versus-Goliath battles, and in writing her book, were her powers of observation and common sense. Becoming Jane Jacobs shows that what is missing from such discussions and myths about Jacobs is a critical examination of how she arrived at her ideas about city life and how her ideas related to others. This event is free and open to the public. For more info, email [email protected]   

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* March 12 - Learn to Ride Event *

11:00am - 1:00pm @ Marion Diehl Rec Center, 2219 Tyvola Road. This is a free opportunity to learn to ride a two-wheeler! This event is geared to kids, adults who want to learn to ride, and parents of kids who haven't yet learned to ride a bicycle without training wheels. Sustain Charlotte is working with Bicycle Sport, Mecklenburg County Park & Rec and Health Departments, Trips for Kids Charlotte and AARP put on this great event! For more information, click here. 

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March 18, 19, 20 - Best Minds #CityJamCLT

Event kicks off Friday, March 18, 5:30pm @ Advent Coworking, 933 Louise Ave., Charlotte 28204. City Jam is partnering with Digital Charlotte to brainstorm ways to bridge the digital divide. This year's Best Minds Conference is centered around finding real solutions for real Charlotte issues. Wethinknext #CityJamCLT is an event where you can create the future! Learn more and register for free here. 

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* April 21 - 2016 Sustain Charlotte Awards *

5:30pm - 8:30pm @ LaCa Projects Gallery, 1429 Bryant Street, Charlotte 28208. Please join us for an inspiring, informative, and exciting evening on Earth Day eve to celebrate our region's most outstanding sustainability leaders! Click here to learn more.

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May 1 - Open Streets 704

12:00pm - 4:00pm. Open Streets 704 is a series of four Charlotte events made possible by a grant from the Knight Foundation. Open Streets 704 will literally open a length of city streets for an afternoon just for people! Taking cues from similar events around the country and the world, Open Streets 704 aims to build a better, healthier, connected community by encouraging Charlotte and Mecklenburg area residents to walk, bicycle, and experience the city together in a way that’s just not possible in a car. This event is family-friendly and FREE to all. Click here to learn more! 

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MANY THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS