Mecklenburg County staff and commissioners are already planning for the next budget year, which begins in July. A big part of that process includes the next Capital Improvement Plan, a five-year program that funds a range of projects, including expanding our parks, nature preserves and greenway system.

Mecklenburg County commissioners held their annual budget retreat Jan. 25-27, and we tuned in. How governments budget and spend available funds reflects their values and determines their ability to address existing problems. For this reason, it’s important to pay attention to the budget and ensure it reflects what residents want.

In 2023, Sustain Charlotte resolves to work for an expanded greenway network, dependable public transit, equitable community involvement and more! (Photo: Charlotte Area Transit System)

In 2023, what would it look like to collectively aspire to a better future for our community? Here are the big-ticket items Sustain Charlotte resolves to continue working for in the new year -- and we're committed to making it easy for members of the community to do so, too. Won’t you join us in supporting a better way forward for our climate, health and equity? 

On Thursday evening, several dozen community members gathered for Sustain Charlotte’s Impact 704 Academy's third and final session of 2022 to discuss local land-use challenges. This series of education and engagement programs focused on sustainable, equitable, and resilient urban development in the Charlotte area. 

At the beginning of December, Sustain Charlotte joined eight local organizations in signing a letter organized by the Southern Environmental Law Center urging North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and state Department of Transportation leadership to prioritize transportation investments that reduce single-occupancy driving rather than building and expanding highways. 

We believe that greenways, parks, and nature preserves are fundamental to a healthy, vibrant, equitable community. That’s why we spent 2022 advocating for Mecklenburg County to create more of them.

Editor’s note: This is a guest blog post from Sunlight Financial, a sustaining sponsor of Sustain Charlotte’s Biketoberfest in 2022. 

Renewable energy is a key element in ensuring our country grows in a sustainable way. Recently, the U.S. government took a monumental step forward in the fight against climate change when President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 into law.

Sustain Charlotte’s Impact 704 Academy, an educational series about sustainable, equitable, and resilient urban development in the Charlotte area, kicked off on Oct. 6 at Camp North End with an introduction to the concept of smart growth and why it matters. 

On Wednesday, Sept. 21, Sustain Charlotte and CleanAIRE NC held a presentation and discussion about the county’s Environmental Justice Action Plan, which presents a framework for working toward racial equity and environmental justice among all communities, particularly unfair exposure of Black, Brown and other marginalized communities to environmental harms.  

In July, the Biden administration introduced a proposal that would require states and municipalities to track and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.