Sustain Charlotte Weekly News Brief!

How do you reduce waste? Now through the end of June, we invite you to participate in our first Sustainable Choice Challenge. The focus of this challenge is to find creative ways to reduce the amount of trash you throw away each day. Post what you do to reduce waste to our facebook page (with a photo if possible) and we will share your ideas along with our favorite strategy and photo in our weekly brief! If you are not on facebook, no problem! Just e-mail it to [email protected]. We can’t wait to hear what you do to reduce waste!

Recyclables and landfill waste mixed on Church Street.

Sustain Charlotte is hiring! We are currently seeking a full-time Bicycle Program Manager. To read our job posting and how to apply click here, and please share with others to help us spread the word!

On Wednesday our staff and two of our board members met with a group from Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela at International House to share ideas on promoting sustainable development in our respective communities. The visitors came from a variety of fields including journalism, government, academia, business, and non-profit. They were invited to the United States via the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. To read more about what was discussed, visit our blog.

Sustain Charlotte staff and board members discussed sustainability with visitors from Latin America Wednesday.

Will City Council have strength to slow sprawl in University City? The unanimous vote by Charlotte’s City Council for the University City Area Plan this month was totally predictable. But for University City to shed its reputation as a haven for big-boxes, sprawling parking lots and scattershot drive-thru franchises depends on what level of zoning enforcement the council is willing to support. TOD zoning levels combined with a corrective rezoning initiative are essential to the transformation of University City. Read more of this article by Martin Zimmerman at Charlotte Observer. And to read more about City Council's latest decision regarding corrective rezonings for the plan, read our blog.

Protected bike lanes are now official federal policy! Eight years after New York City created a Netherlands-inspired bikeway on 9th Avenue by putting it on the curb side of a car parking lane, the physically separated designs once perceived as outlandish haven't just become increasingly common from coast to coast — they've been detailed in a new design guide by the Federal Highway Administration. "Separated bike lanes have great potential to fill needs in creating low-stress bicycle networks," the document says, citing last year's study by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities. "Many potential cyclists (including children and the elderly) may avoid on-street cycling if no physical separation from vehicular traffic is provided." Read more at People for Bikes.

May 23

Catawba River Keeper Spring 2015 Lake Wateree Cleanup!
9am-12pm @ Catawba River Taylor Creek Access and Clearwater Marina. Join Catawba River Keeper for a cleanup that will cover the entire lake. Click here for more details and to sign up!

May 27

Monthly Sierra Club Meeting - Interfaith Perspectives on Caring for the Planet
6:30pm-8:30pm at Freedom Park, 1900 East Boulevard, Charlotte. The NC Central Piedmont Sierra Club group will host a panel of distinguished local religious leaders of different faiths who will share with us their religion’s perspectives on caring for the environment and the planet. The program is free and open to the public. Click here for more information.

June 2

Green Drinks Charlotte + Sustain Charlotte Monthly Mixer
6:00pm-7:30pm @ The Liberty, 1812 South Blvd, Charlotte. Join us at The Liberty for an informal and fun evening of conversation and networking. Our Monthly Mixers provide an opportunity where you can learn more about us, our partners, and meet others interested in local sustainability! Click here to read more and to RSVP.