Tomorrow is the last day of our Summer Fund Drive and we still need 17 new members to reach our goal! 

Will you join NOW and help us reach our goal of 50 new members by midnight tomorrow? 

Join for just $5/month or $60/year and receive a free t-shirt, bike bell, and Biketoberfest 2016 ticket! 

PLUS, you'll get to join us at our member events, including this month's Member Potluck + cornhole tournament!

Many thanks to our 33 new members who have joined during this campaign so far! Together, we are encouraging smarter growth and a sustainable Charlotte region!

With our member support, already this year we have:

• Organized 8 public events attended by over 800 local residents to inform, engage, and unite them around local sustainability issues. 
• Informed and engaged over 300 residents in low-to-moderate income neighborhoods via 8 sustainability workshops and inspired them to work towards bettering their community together. 
• Created 10 short videos that tell the stories of local residents who get around the city by bicycle to highlight the diversity of people who choose this form of transportation.
• Attended 42 government meetings to inform and engage local citizens in important public policy changes that affect their ability to make sustainable choices.
• Honored over 70 local sustainability leaders at our Fifth Annual Sustain Charlotte Awards.
• Played a major role in the planning of the city's first Open Streets event that attracted over 10,000 residents.
• Designed and implemented the city's first demonstration protected bike lane.
• Helped ensure that Charlotteans who live in apartments continue to have an opportunity to recycle by advocating for city recycling service for multi-family buildings not be cut, as had been proposed.
• Launched a campaign (#ibikeCLT) to inspire more residents to travel by bicycle and build public support for a safe, connected network of protected bike lanes in Charlotte.
• Informed over 30,000 local residents via our website, social media, 16 blog posts, 25 community events, 20 e-Newsletters, and 22 media reports about our work.

By growing our membership program, we will have even greater impact in our community! 

#ibikeCLT Campaign Update:

1,451 people have signed our online statement of support and over 850 have signed offline!

Over 2,200 local residents are asking Charlotte City Council to approve a protected bike lane through Uptown, connecting Irwin Creek and Little Sugar Creek Greenways! Add your name and join them! 

Attend the Uptown Urban Trail Connections Study Input Sessions and Walking Tours!

The Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) is leading an effort in partnership with Charlotte Center City Partners to develop the Uptown Urban Trail Connections Study.  

On Tuesday through Thursday, June 14-16, a series of stakeholder interview sessions will be held to obtain public input and ideas. 

The goal of the Uptown Urban Trails Connection Study is to identify challenges and resolutions of cycling and walking through Uptown between existing and future greenways and urban trail facilities. This study will also recommend a comprehensive bicycle network!

View times and sign up here!

Nominate a Company for a 2016 Wells Fargo Green Award!

The awards recognize member companies that have incorporated innovative, sustainable practices in the products they produce, the services they provide and within the culture of their company. 

This year’s awards will recognize two Charlotte Chamber member companies (in good standing) that fall into the following categories:

1. Small business – Any company with 1-49 employees.
2. Large business – Any company with more than 50 employees.

Nominate your company by Friday, June 17, 2016. The 2016 Wells Fargo Green Awards will be presented at the Charlotte Chamber’s Energy Summit scheduled for November 18, 2016. Click here to submit a nomination.

City of Charlotte - Bicycle Program Coordinator Position - open until 7/7/16

The City of Charlotte currently has 140+ miles of trails, bike lanes and bike routes.  The City is currently funding a $35M (26-mile) trail project that will “cross” the city and is known as the Cross Charlotte Trail.  The City is also pursuing its first “cycle-tracks” on several projects.  The Bicycle Program Coordinator will serve as the City’s primary bicycle advocate, planner and facilitator in making Charlotte a more bicycle-friendly city.  Click here to learn more and apply.

Atlanta Puts $1 Billion Toward Biking and Walking Projects [Bicycling.com]

"The Atlanta Regional Commission has approved a $1 billion plan to make the area safer for cyclists and pedestrians...The 'Walk. Bike. Thrive!' plan will roll out over the next 25 years and bring more bike lanes, sidewalks, and multi-use projects to communities in the metro that could use them most." How could the ways we travel be transformed if the Charlotte metro area made this kind of commitment?

Charlotte’s Mass Transit Must Keep Up, or Growth Will Choke Our City [The Charlotte Observer]

 "CATS is facing stiff crosswinds at the moment. Low gas prices aren’t helping. And as highly-regarded as the Blue Line is, ridership in the hot South End district isn’t growing at nearly the same rate as the population there. CATS head John Lewis told the editorial board Friday that he sees room to partner with ride-sharing services. And while the Blue Line and the Gold Line streetcar are “game changers,” he said, far more people ride CATS buses. In coming months, he wants to sketch out a redesign of the city’s entire bus network." We're glad to see Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) exploring fresh approaches to improving our transportation options! 

Greenville, SC is Moving Forward on Protected Bike Lanes [Greenville Times]

In late May Greenville installed a temporary protected lane downtown, and started collecting public input this week: "93 percent of those survey responders said they’d like to see the city develop a network of protected bike lanes downtown. Frank Mansbach with Bike Walk Greenville said the effort to install protected bike lanes in Greenville is not about recreational bicycling, but a smarter and safer way for the city’s growing population to get to and from work, restaurants and shops downtown. 'Providing a network of protected bike lanes in downtown Greenville is critical to the future transportation needs of our city,' said Mansbach. Mansbach believes the move would ultimately reduce vehicle traffic and improve quality of life in Greenville." Wouldn't you like to see Charlotte give the public a chance to test out a protected bike lane in uptown like Greenville is doing?