This Friday is Creative Loafing's Best of Charlotte Party and we are the beneficiary this year! Don't miss out on this chance to celebrate with the best of Charlotte and show your support for Sustain Charlotte at the same time! Click here to register now! 

Our 1st Annual Biketoberfest is in less than three weeks! Get your tickets now! On October 17th, participants will bike, walk, and/or ride transit to a variety of destinations in Center City and South End while obtaining stamps in their official Biketoberfest Passport. The more destinations visited, the more chances to win really cool prizes including a NEW TREK BIKE, generously donated by Trek Bicycle Stores of Charlotte! At 7:00pm, there will be an after party at Triple C Brewing with live music, food trucks, and more. Tickets are only $15 and include a 2015 Biketoberfest t-shirt, entry to the after party at Triple C, a craft beer, and discounts and prizes from sponsoring businesses! Click here to get your tickets now. This event is presented by: Triple C Brewing, Crescent Communities, and Passport.

Our October Green Drink Charlotte + Sustain Charlotte Monthly Mixer is next Tuesday! We hope you will join us on October 6th at The Liberty from 6 to 7:30 for an informal and fun evening of networking. You'll get to hear from two of our Gold Partners, Belk and DPS Construction, who will share about their sustainability efforts! Click here to RSVP now and invite friends! 

The recent accident on Parkwood Ave that resulted in the death of a cyclist sparked an important conversation around bicycle infrastructure in Charlotte's cycling community last week. In this featured article in Creative Loafing Charlotte, our Bicycle Program Director, Jordan Moore is interviewed on this topic. He says: It's "time for Charlotte to emerge as the complete leader in bicycle infrastructure. More people are not wanting to drive. It's a terrible experience... In light of correcting that problem, let's throw in this huge model of connectivity that gets people out into the neighborhoods and where they want to go without having to burn gasoline!". Click here to read more of Jordan's view on this important issue.

We need LOTS of volunteers for Biketoberfest! If you are interested, please click here to fill out this simple form.

We are currently seeking raffle prize donations for Biketoberfest! If you are interested in sponsoring or donating a raffle prize, contact Jordan Moore at [email protected] We hope you will take advantage of this great opportunity to gain visibility for your small business, company or non-profit organization, while supporting a great community event!

We are happy to give a warm welcome to our newest members: Semrin Aleckson and Timothy Salizzoni! We sincerely appreciate their support of our mission and your community through membership!

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 to a healthier and more vibrant community for generations to come! Help us do more by becoming a Sustain Charlotte member today for as little as $3/month -- that's one cup of coffee! Click to learn how easily you can support our mission and your community via membership:

You Don’t Have to Be Elected to Make a Difference

In this blog on Charlotte Agenda, Amy Chiou recognizes our executive director, Shannon Binns, on her list of people she admires in Charlotte who don't hold office. She writes, "they work tirelessly, often quietly, to push the conversation, challenge the status quo and make [a] lasting impact...Years from now, when future Charlotteans have greenways, bike lanes, and a smart growth plan that balances development with healthy living, they will have Shannon and his team to thank, in part, for pushing that conversation". We are grateful to see our work in the community is being recognized! With the support of Charlotte area residents, we will continue to educate, engage, and unite citizens around important issues of sustainability and play a role in growing Charlotte into a healthier and more vibrant community for generations to come! Click here to read more. 

The Transportation Innovation Revolution

In this Talking Headways Podcast, Shin-pei Tsay of Transit Center talks about their new report, A People’s History of Recent Urban Transportation Innovation, which examines how advocacy and political leadership have combined in several American cities to produce a more multi-modal transportation network. The City of Charlotte was one of the City's studied for this report, and Shin-pei uses our city as an example of how a mayor can make larger transit projects successful, but in order for small smaller projects to succeed, such as bike lanes and smaller scale connectivity, there needs to be more civic engagement. She says, "Anthony Foxx was such a strong mayor for transportation...but [Charlotte] had a sort of uneven at the time, civic community...the strongest voices in the civic community were the corporate voices." With respect to the level of civic engagement here in Charlotte, Sustain Charlotte was recognized in this report for our advocacy work in the community. Click here to read the report.

From Food Scraps to New Business Venture

Did you know that "Mecklenburg County residences generate some 60,000 tons of food waste annually, with only about 2 percent to 5 percent diverted from landfills by home composting"? In this PlanCharlotte article, Mary Newsom highlights Crown Town Compost and the "three environmentally minded Charlotte entrepreneurs [who] believe they can make a profit by diverting food waste into compost". Click here to learn more about the great work being done by our fellow Charlottean, Kris Steele and his partners to make Charlotte more sustainable!

Cities Are Finally Treating Water as a Resource, Not A Nuisance

According to this article in Ensia, "Houston [is] hoping to reduce the severity of future floods by reclaiming 183 miles of natural waterways that snake through the city and 4,000 acres of adjacent green space from industrial areas through a project known as the Bayou Greenways. The goal is to absorb rain where it falls, reducing the volume rushing into stormwater detention facilities, and to encourage biking and walking as “active transit” in the parks that make up the Bayou Greenways." Given that many of Charlotte's creeks have been covered up by development, we hope we will follow Houston's example of sustainable water management. Uncovering our creeks would likewise create many more opportunities for biking and walking as active transit! Click here to read more. 

Tell your NC State Senator We Can’t Afford to Cap Light Rail Project Funding at $500,000!

According to Transportation For America, “Just two years after instituting a new process to choose transportation projects based on merit and award funds in a more transparent process intended to be free of political interference, a handful of North Carolina legislators reinserted politics back into the process in an attempt to stop a light rail project in the Raleigh-Durham metro area.” The good news is that on Monday night, the NC House approved an amendment to remove a proposed $500,000 cap on state funding for light rail projects -- a cap which would make new light rail projects and expansions economically unfeasible! The amendment now needs to pass the Senate. Please contact your NC Senator and tell them you support the amendment that lifts the proposed $500,000 cap on light rail projects! Read the full article, find your state Senator’s contact info, and tell them why light rail is important to YOUR community.

* October 2: Creative Loafing's 28th Best of Charlotte Party, Benefiting Sustain Charlotte *

6:00pm - 10:00pm @ Harvey B. Gantt Center, 551 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC. Don't miss out on this chance to celebrate with the Best of Charlotte and show your support for Sustain Charlotte at the same time! Click here to read more and to purchase tickets today!

October 3: Exploring Solutions to Climate Change, Green Jobs, and Ending Poverty

2:00pm - 5:00pm @ Little Rock AME Zion Church, 401 N McDowell St., Charlotte. Presented by Justice Action Mobilization Network (JAMN). Hear faith leaders and experts speak on climate, green jobs, affordable housing, clean energy, health and much more. To read more and to register for this free event, click here.  

* October 6 - Green Drinks Charlotte + Sustain Charlotte Monthly Mixer *

6:00pm - 7:30pm @ The Liberty, 1812 South Blvd, Charlotte. 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! This month, you'll hear from two of our Gold Partners, Belk and DPS Construction! Click here to read more and to RSVP.

October 6-7: Making Energy Work Conference

@ Raleigh Convention Center, 500 S Salisbury St, Raleigh, NC 27601. NCSEA's Making Energy Work Conference is the setting for collaboration to move our clean energy economy forward. It is an opportunity to learn about the next in clean energy, network with clean energy leaders, and identify solutions that advance our clean energy economy. Click here for more information and to register.

October 7: International Walk to School Day

This annual event in the United States is a part of an international effort to celebrate the many benefits of walking and bicycling to school. Walk to School Day event registration is free and open to individuals and organizations holding an October event in the United States. Click here to register your event!

October 15: Urban Design Forum: Housing and the Architecture of the Missing Middle with Stefanos Polyzoides

5:30pm - 6:30pm @ Byron's South End, 101 Worthington Ave. #110, Charlotte. Hear renowned architect and urbanist, Stefanos Polyzoids speak about alternatives to conventional housing design. To learn more and to register for this free event, click here. 

* October 15-17: The 2015 NC Bike Summit to be Held in Charlotte *

@ UNC Charlotte - Center City Building, 320 E 9th St. Charlotte. Registration is now open! The 2015 NC Bike Summit promises to be packed full of information useful to bicycle advocates, transportation planners, business owners, elected officials, tactical urbanists, public health practitioners, and livability and sustainability professionals. Our Transportation Choices Alliance is the proud local host for the event!

* October 17:  Sustain Charlotte's Biketoberfest *

Following the 2015 NC Bike Summit, Sustain Charlotte will be holding our very first Biketoberfest -- an event that will bring together bicycling enthusiasts and 'newbies' alike in a city-wide celebration! Interested in aligning your organization with this event? Don't miss out! Click here get your ticket now!

We are happy to give a warm welcome to our newest organizational member of our Transportation Choices Alliance (TCA): Wooden Robot Brewery! We sincerely appreciate their support of our mission and your community through membership! Together we will increase transportation choices, and their use, throughout the Charlotte region to improve traffic, air quality, public health, mobility, and the economy. If you or your organization is interested in becoming a TCA member, click here. 

MANY THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS