Can the message of sustainability be spread through Charlotte by way of a bumper sticker?  That was one idea pitched Tuesday night at a forum dedicated to green issues in the Queen City. It was hosted by Civic By Design and moderated by Shannon Binns of Sustain Charlotte.  Can the message of sustainability be spread through Charlotte by way of a bumper sticker?

That was one idea pitched Tuesday night at a forum dedicated to green issues in the Queen City. It was hosted by Civic By Design and moderated by Shannon Binns of Sustain Charlotte.
Binns organized the event at the Levine Museum of the New South in response to Charlotte’s low ranking by SustainLane.org, which placed the city 35th among 50 U.S. cities for its environmental practices. Portland, Ore., ranked No. 1.

Speakers included Rob Phocas, Charlotte’s energy and sustainability manager. He said the city is working on realistic targets for reducing emissions. “We don’t have a whole staff like Portland does.”
Helene Hilger — director of UNC Charlotte’s Infrastructure, Design, Environment and Sustainability Center — says change starts by raising public awareness. She advocated using a bumper sticker as a visual way of showing support of green initiatives in the community.

“Our students at the university, they get it,” Hilger told forum participants. “It’s not a hard sell.”
One suggestion for a slogan came from a comment by Martin Zimmerman, executive director of the Charlotte Area Bicycle Alliance. “Green is not a dirty word for me,” he told the group. READ MORE