This week saw two huge steps forward for two of our transportation campaigns! 
Bike and pedestrian issues dominated the conversation at the City Council Transportation and Planning (TAP) Committee meeting on Monday.
Thanks to the thousands of you who have signed our #iBikeCLT petition and made your voices heard at public workshops, Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) has made a recommendation to build a protected bike lane that will provide much needed connectivity through Uptown!
The future for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders on Parkwood Ave and The Plaza also looks much brighter thanks to new CDOT recommendations resulting from more than a year of advocacy by residents and Sustain Charlotte!
Read our blog for details!
We're drawing prizes for this month's Way2Go CLT challenge winners on Monday! You have until Sunday at midnight to log all your March trips for a chance to WIN! 
Here's what you could win:
$20 gift card for Coltrane's Char Grill in the Epicentre
$20 gift card to Birdsong Brewing (21+, ID required to claim)
Entry to Discovery Place + an IMAX film
Coffee at SCORE Retail Lounge & Sweets
Coffee and a Thermo-Mug from Port City Java
Coffee and 1/2 off food item from Not Just Coffee
Haircut by Demichael Gholston at Arcade Men's Room
2 CLT branded pint glasses from Green With Envy
** GRAND PRIZE **
A pair of “Nooka” Mercury Style sunglasses from Score Retail Lounge ($199 value)
How it works: For every 10 trips you log bicycling, walking, riding transit, or car/vanpooling (2+ people in vehicle), you'll receive ONE entry in the drawing for the month's prizes. You can earn up to FOUR entries per calendar month, which equates to 40 trips (or 20 roundtrips).
Haven't registered? It's not too late! Register now and start logging trips April 1 to be eligible for April's challenge prize drawing!
Who's ahead in the Way2Go CLT Challenge and why?
Last week, we met with Sedgefield neighborhood leaders, Scott Willis and Will Johns, to talk about their team's success so far in the #Way2Go CLT Challenge.
Read Way2Go sponsor Integra Architecture's blog to hear tips for team success from Scott and Will, and check out the outstanding early results of our Way2Go CLT sustainable mobility challenge!
Saturday is April 1! Take the pledge TODAY and commit to 30 days of biking for the month of April!
30 Days of Biking is a pledge to ride your bike every day in April, any distance, any destination, and share your adventures online. For every 2 pledges, $1 will be donated to World Bicycle Relief.
With the Way2Go CLT challenge underway, there's no better time to take the 30 Days of Biking pledge than now! Log every trip you take biking at way2goclt.org for a chance to win one of 10 prizes in April!
Use hashtags #Way2GoCLT and #30daysofbiking to document your experience both locally and nationally!
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!
Join for $10/month or $120/year and you'll get a Sustain Charlotte T-shirt!
Volunteer at our Sustain Charlotte Awards Celebration!
We're in need of several volunteers for our 2017 Sustain Charlotte Awards Celebration on April 26th to help with check-in, selling raffle tickets and helping with our live auction. You will also have the opportunity to meet nine award-winning sustainability leaders from our community and nosh on tapas from ROOTS Catering!
WHEN: Wednesday, April 26, 5:30pm - 8:30pm (volunteers arrive at 4:30/5pm)
WHERE: LaCa Projects Gallery, 1429 Bryant St, Charlotte, NC 28208.
If interested, please email Laura Heiser at [email protected].
Volunteer at Sustain Charlotte's Office!
We're in need of volunteers to join us at our office to help us prep for our 2017 Sustain Charlotte Awards Celebration! This is a great opportunity to volunteer with a group of friends or co-workers!
WHEN: Monday, April 24, 12:00pm - 2:30pm and/or Tuesday, April 25, 10:00am - 2:30pm (1-2hr shifts are available!)
WHERE: Sustain Charlotte office, 2151 Hawkins St. #200, Charlotte, NC 20203.
If interested, please reply to this email or email Branyn directly at [email protected].
"After almost two years of study, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force unveiled a wide-ranging report Monday on how to change the trajectory for the community’s poor. The sweeping document – 92 pages and nearly 100 recommendations – surprised few and disappointed some by basically outlining a litany of well-documented urban problems – from the need for more affordable birth control and more affordable housing to access to day care, better-paying jobs and job training." We share the viewpoint of The Charlotte Observer editorial board that the key now will be implementing the recommendations. Sustain Charlotte will continue to address the systemic issues that impact equitable access to opportunities.
"When the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force released its long-awaited report Monday on how to improve economic mobility for the city’s poor, affordable housing was one of the areas with the most concrete recommendations. Charlotte City Council set a goal of either building or preserving 5,000 affordable housing units in the next three years...The city’s estimated shortfall in affordable housing over the next several decades: 34,000 units." It will take a variety of strategies to build enough housing that people of all income levels can afford throughout Charlotte. We need to move beyond our current development pattern that leads to racial and economic segregation.
Survey Offers Guidance for Biking Equity in Charlotte [PlanCharlotte]
"More butts on bikes means less congestion and noise on local roads, cleaner air, fewer traffic fatalities and ultimately a lighter burden on our health care system. Given these benefits, biking as a means of daily transportation in Charlotte remains depressingly rare... But before we dismiss cycling in Charlotte as a perilous novelty, a recent survey administered by the Charlotte Department of Transportation reveals a more active and dynamic bicycle community hiding behind those low census figures. The data discussed [in this article] offer the city a benchmark to determine what “inclusive” and “equitable” cycling means." Sustain Charlotte is working on your behalf to advocate for safe cycling routes that allow people of all ages, ability levels, and incomes to reach their daily destinations without a car!
"The metro Charlotte region's population continues to grow at a rate similar to that of previous years, adding nearly 50,000 residents from July 2015-16, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau figures. About 2.47 million people called the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia area home, as of July 1, 2016, according to the Census data released Thursday. That puts metro Charlotte's populace growth at 2% over the previous year." Our region is growing by leaps and bounds! The time to prioritize sustainable land use and transportation is now.
3 Ways to Learn about Affordable Housing Solutions [PlanCharlotte]
"What can the community do to encourage and protect housing that more low-income families can afford? Three upcoming events at UNC Charlotte will look at the many interrelated issues, from development challenges to neighborhood action to innovations. All events are free and open to the public." Check out these three in-person opportunities to learn about the importance of housing affordability in Charlotte!
West End Will Soon Get Some Nifty Traffic Improvements [Charlotte Agenda]
"West End is hopping, and the city of Charlotte is preparing a few new street projects that will improve traffic conditions. The area just on the west side of I-77 from Uptown is in the middle of an influx of development and residents. Charlotte Center City Partners is working on developing an identity there around Historic West End. Now the city of Charlotte is moving forward on some road infrastructure." We're thrilled West End is about to become a friendlier place for walking and biking!
* 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 Sustain Charlotte Gold Partner WeeklyRides 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:
* 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 unique tapas with ROOTS Catering! Ticket purchase includes two drinks, delicious local food, and an evening of celebration you don't want to miss! Click here to view our 2017 nominees.
April 10 - Green Career Panel
6:00pm - 8:00pm @ UNC Charlotte Center City, 320 E. 9th Street, Charlotte, NC 28202.
During this professional development event, students and emerging professionals meet sustainable industry professionals who advise on how to tailor work history, academic achievements and life experience to meet potential employer needs. This is a free event hosted by USGBC North Carolina EPROS & UNCC USGBC Student Chapter. Click here to register!
April 20 - Engagement Café Hosted by Livable Meck
8:00am - 10:00 @ Harris Conference Center, 3216 CPCC Harris Campus Dr. Charlotte, North Carolina 28208.
April's engagement café will feature subject matter experts, relevant data, and highlight Mecklenburg’s new designation as an “Age-Friendly Community.” All partners are welcome – whether your clients are in elementary school or retired. This experience will challenge your way of thinking about aging issues. Click here to RSVP!
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.
May 3 - Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for Little Sugar Creek Greenway Cordelia Park Segment/ Cross Charlotte Trail
4:30pm - 5:15pm @ 700 Parkwood Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28205.
Don't miss the exciting opening of this greenway segment that extends the Little Sugar Creek Greenway from Parkwood Avenue through Cordelia Park to 24th Street at Davidson. This is a portion of the Carolina Thread Trail, a regional network of greenways, trails and blueways that reaches 15 counties and two states. This segment was built jointly by the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. After the Ribbon Cutting, come celebrate the kick off of the Greenways for Mecklenburg Foundation! Take a walk down the Greenway to the Free Range Brewery, located at 2320 N Davidson St.
We're happy to announce that Moore & Van Allen has joined the Sustain Charlotte Partner Network at the Bronze level! We're proud to have their support of our mission and your community!
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!
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
SILVER
The Home Collection - NC Sustainable Energy Association - Neighboring Concepts - O2 emc
Overcash Demmitt Architecture (ODa) - Pasta & Provisions - Radiator Specialty Company - RED Group - Stantec
USGBC North Carolina
BRONZE
AT&T - Barrett G. Moore, DDS, PA & Associates - Carolina Urban Lumber - Charlotte Agenda - Choices Do Matter - Craft Growler Shop and Tasting Room - Dharma Construction Group, LLC - Domtar - Duke Energy - Flywheel Group - Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont - Greater Charlotte Apartment Association - Green LED Efficiency - Greffen Systems - HDR - Healthy Home Market - HNTB - Insight Architects - Interstate All Battery Center - Charlotte - Javesca Coffee - Moore & Van Allen - Okra Charlotte / Gumbo: The Store - Queen City Bicycles - Renewable Energy Transition Initiative - SAROS Desalination - Studio Cellar - STV Engineers, Inc. - TC Lifestyle Fitness - WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff
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