Sustain Charlotte Executive Director Shannon Binns was interviewed for a Charlotte Business Journal article on the ongoing debate over how to expand the transit network and pay for it. We remain hopeful that the $13.5 billion transit and mobility expansion plan introduced in 2020 can finally get moving in the year ahead. Continue reading

This is a most critical time of year for county programs and departments that depend on public funding. Specifically in Mecklenburg County, the Board of Commissioners is weighing all of the County’s budget priorities en route to the County Manager’s development of the FY2024-2025 budget. Sustain Charlotte is consistently one of our partners advocating for greener, healthier, and yes – sustainable community. Part of that effort relies on maintaining public dialogue about funding for parks, greenways, and equitable access to green spaces. That includes rallying like-minded constituents to call or email their representatives at the County level, signing petitions, or speaking at public hearings. Continue reading

Mecklenburg County commissioners heard more about funding parks and recreation than any other priority Jan. 17 during a public hearing about the 2024-25 fiscal year budget. Chairman George Dunlap described the hearing as an opportunity for the public to have their say prior to commissioners creating their budget. More than 20 individuals and groups took that opportunity, bringing attention to education, childcare, the arts and other causes. Continue reading

Sustain Charlotte Urban Design Specialist Eric Zaverl joined WBTV's QC Life on Wednesday to talk about our areas of focus for 2024. He talked about why these priorities are so important for the sustainable growth of the Charlotte area and what residents can do to get involved in advocating for the policies and plans that will make them possible.  Continue reading

Sustain Charlotte Urban Design Specialist Eric Zaverl joined WCNC's Flashpoint host Ben Thompson for an interview about our priorities for 2024. Continue reading

The City of Charlotte is paying to have a massive solar farm built in Davidson County. This week, leaders approved a contract for the South Davidson Solar Project as part of their Strategic Energy Action Plan. Next fall, construction will start on the 537-acre solar farm in Denton, North Carolina, which will create clean energy for the Queen City. Continue reading

Transit in Gastonia is set to pivot from fixed bus routes to on-demand microtransit in 2024 with the approval of a new contract by the Gastonia City Council. On Wednesday, the city government announced the council had approved a 36-month contract with River North Transit to provide the new service to riders. It's set to launch on July 1, 2024, and is expected to cost $1.65 million in the contract's first year. Continue reading

According to Queen City Nerve’s tracking of traffic deaths on Charlotte streets throughout 2023, the total number of people killed in vehicle-related incidents on Charlotte roads last year reached 70, an increase from 2022, which saw 61 such deaths on city streets. The city saw the same amount of vehicle-related pedestrian deaths in 2023 as the previous year, 20, with four of those coming within the last 10 days of the year between Dec. 22 and 31. Continue reading

The push for greener energy has hit the Carolinas. Those who live in the area have seen farms on the outskirts of their cities. Very soon a North Carolina city will get a different kind of farm. https://country1037fm.com/2024/01/11/north-carolina-city-to-get-a-different-kind-of-farm/WCNC says a solar farm is on its way to the Davidson area. The solar farm will help city government buildings be less reliant on fossil fuels. Continue reading

The roads will soon be filled with more soft buzzes and sounds of electric school buses humming along the streets. North Carolina will receive 114 electric buses from funding through the EPA Clean School Bus Program, and 27 of those buses will come to Charlotte, which will be distributed specifically to lower-income and rural communities. Continue reading