July 6 Weekly Brief!

Our July Mid-Summer 'Mega' Mixer is next week! Join us for a fun evening of great food, a fantastic speaker + national expert from Portland, Oregon, and a chance to WIN a new BIKE!

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Join us on July 12th to learn how we can bring world-class bike infrastructure to CLT!

Meet us at Free Range Brewing at 6:00pm to enjoy complimentary appetizers provided by Whole Foods Market

Then, at 6:45pm, our program will begin and you'll be part of an engaging presentation + discussion with Nick Falbo of Alta Planning + Design! At Alta, Nick contributed to the NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide and has worked on bicycle and pedestrian master plans across the country. At our mixer, you'll have the unique opportunity to engage in a discussion about why and how to design safe and appealing streets for pedestrians and cyclists in Charlotte!

And for the program finale? We'll be raffling off a NEW BIKE!

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Special thanks to The Bike Medics for donating this great new beach-style cruiser for our July 12 Mega Mixer!


Become a member at the event and get one raffle ticket FREE! Already a member? Sustain Charlotte members will receive a free raffle ticket for each friend you bring along! 

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Big changes are ahead for Charlotte area transit network!

ProposedServiceChanges.jpegProposed changes to bus routes for the Blue Line Extension opening.


We're excited to see the first proposed changes to the CATS (Charlotte Area Transit System) bus network! This first round of route changes is scheduled to roll out when the LYNX light rail BLE (Blue Line Extension) opens, currently scheduled for March 2018. 

These changes are the first phase of implementation for CATS' Envision My Ride initiative to redesign the bus network to better meet the needs of current riders and attract new riders. At their June 28 meeting, the MTC (Metropolitan Transit Commission) voted to approve this Bus-Rail Integration Plan.

Read more on our blog!


We're only halfway through the Air Awareness Clean Commute Challenge and have already had a HUGE impact -- the numbers and voices tell the story:

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Way2Go CLT has seen a big jump in progress toward our goal of driving 1 million miles less by October 31 since the start of the Clean Commute Challenge on June 1!


Here's what Julie B., a newcomer to Charlotte from Germany, had to say about her participation in the Clean Commute Challenge.

"This challenge reminds me again of how important and great it is to ride a bike and to take the bus/carpool rather than drive a big car. I feel the community, a community of bike riders, a community for sustainability. It is wonderful to be part of this and to do more through Clean Commute Challenge." 

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Our Way2Go users have not only helped improve the health and sustainability of our community as a whole. Like Julia, they've also experienced first-hand the many personal benefits!


Reminder: Trips taken more than 5 weeks ago cannot be logged, so be sure to log all your early June trips if you haven't yet!

Want in on the fun? It's not too late! Register for free for a chance to win at myway2goclt.org

NOTE: If you've already registered for Way2Go CLT, you're already entered into this challenge and are helping us make a BIG difference. Keep logging those commutes!


How YOU can help make Charlotte a better city for bicycling! 

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On July 20th, with support from the Knight Foundation and WeeklyRides.com, Sustain Charlotte will be hosting the first in a series of public action workshops called Shifting Gears to propel cycling in Charlotte forward. 

Join us from 6:00pm - 7:30pm at CPCC to be part of this unique opportunity to make a difference! 

Following a presentation from CDOT’s Ben Miller about the City’s new five-year bike plan, we will break into small groups to identify specific actions that WE as community members can take to help transform this plan into reality!

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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!

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Join for $10/month or $120/year and you'll get one of these Sustain Charlotte T-shirts!

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Participate in an online survey for the North Carolina Public Transportation Statewide Strategic Plan!

The N.C. Department of Transportation is developing the Public Transportation Statewide Strategic Plan to improve bus, rail, and paratransit services across the state by better matching transit services to the needs of North Carolinians. 

Take the survey now! (Available until the end of July.)


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‘We Can’t Be Bought.’ Can this Charlotte Neighborhood Stop Investors from Moving In? [The Charlotte Observer] 

"Like homeowners in other historically black areas across west Charlotte, some residents now face a difficult choice: Take an immediate lucrative payoff from a real-estate investor or forego the money to help keep the neighborhood affordable for future generations." As home prices skyrocket in many of Charlotte's historic neighborhoods, long-time residents are literally losing ground. We applaud neighborhoods that are uniting to create innovative solutions like the West Side Community! By banking land, they're working to ensure affordable housing choices for current and future generations of lower income residents.


It's Time to Change How We Measure Affordable Housing [CityLab]

"If your rent is low, but you have to spend a disproportionately large share of your income on transportation, then your living situation isn’t affordable." Charlotte needs to do a better job of supporting AFFORDABLE LIVING throughout the city in proximity to transportation choices.


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* July 12: * Join us for an informal and fun evening of conversation and networking at Sustain Charlotte's Mid-Summer Mega Mixer! Enjoy appetizers provided by Whole Foods Market, be inspired by a fantastic speaker, and enter an exciting raffle! This is a family-friendly event and everyone is warmly welcomed. 

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* July 20: * With support from the Knight Foundation and WeeklyRides.com, Sustain Charlotte will be hosting the first in a series of quarterly public action workshops called Shifting Gears to propel cycling in Charlotte forward! Are you interested in helping make Charlotte a better city for bicycling? Would you like to learn what the City and others are already doing and work with them to achieve this goal? Join us for this FREE event!

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July 11: Learn about the Better Block -- a non-profit that applies tactical urbanism techniques to show the potential of a space that is no longer working -- at this month's Building Community Speaker Series Featuring Jason Roberts! 


July 19: Mecklenburg County Solid Waste is hosting a Hazardous Waste Collection Event for businesses. This one-day collection event will be managed by ECOFLO, Inc., a licensed hazardous waste processing company in North Carolina. 


September 29 & 30: Sustain Charlotte has partnered with Carolina Jubiliee 2017, which means you can support two great LOCAL nonprofits with your ticket purchase! This festival includes great music, good food, and is centered around bringing the Carolinas together to support local farming and community businesses. Use discount code SUSTAINCLT (case sensitive) and half of the ticket proceeds will be donated to Sustain Charlotte and the other to the Carolina Farm Trust! 


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We're happy to announce that UNC Charlotte has joined the Sustain Charlotte Partner Network at the Bronze level! 

The UNC Charlotte is committed to becoming a regional model of sustainable stewardship via understanding their impacts on the natural systems and using this knowledge to reorient their research, educational, outreach and operational activities to embrace sustainability as a core value of the university.

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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!

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PLATINUM

The Center for Intentional Leadership - Free Range Brewing - ROOTS Catering 
Scalable Consulting - Shook Kelley - TreeCycle America - Whole Foods Market

GOLD

 Abundant Power Group, LLC - Alta Planning + Design - Boingo Graphics - DPS Construction - Epic Capital Wealth Management - Integra Design Group - Leaf Burrito - Little - Logan Community Music School - National Gypsum - Natural Awakenings - Optima Engineering  - S&D Coffee & Tea 
ULI Charlotte - Weeklyrides.com - Wooden Robot Brewery


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 - Moore & Van Allen - NC Sustainable Energy Association - Okra Charlotte / Gumbo: The Store - Queen City Bicycles - Renewable Energy Transition Initiative - SAROS Desalination - Studio Cellar - STV Engineers, Inc. - TC Lifestyle Fitness - UNC Charlotte - WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff

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