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. 

This is the fourth and final part in a series highlighting how the Strategic Mobility Plan could benefit Charlotte’s three E’s: the environment, equity, and economy. In this post, we’ll be covering how the plan could support Charlotte’s economy, cutting the costs of car dependence and boosting businesses.

The plan is designed to improve Charlotte’s public transportation system and make the city safer to navigate for people who walk, bike, and ride transit. 

This is Part 2 in a series highlighting how Charlotte’s new Strategic Mobility Plan could benefit the three E’s: the environment, equity, and economy. In this post, we’ll be wrapping up our discussion on the environment, focusing on how the plan could protect Charlotte’s air and water quality.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be covering how the Strategic Mobility Plan could benefit Charlotte’s “three E’s”: the environment, equity, and economy. Up first, we’ll focus on the environment and how the plan could reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and help Charlotte grow more sustainably.

Mecklenburg County commissioners' decision last month to earmark $50 million to buy land for greenways, parks, and nature preserves this fiscal year has been a hot topic in the news this week — along with Sustain Charlotte's advocacy for that funding.

Sustain Charlotte applauds Charlotte City Council for passing the Strategic Mobility Plan on Monday night, a significant step toward creating a community with safe and equitable mobility choices.