Transit provides mobility and independence for many residents of Greater Charlotte who are unable to drive. In the fourth video of our Six Stories, One City series, Christine explains how transit allows her to maintain an independent lifestyle despite her visual impairment. 

Sustain Charlotte has been named a Charlottean of the Year by Charlotte Magazine. Executive Director Shannon Binns founded Sustain Charlotte in 2010 after recognizing a need for a local organization that would raise awareness of Greater Charlotte's sustainability challenges and their solutions.

The 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Sustain Charlotte was featured in the December 2014 issue in an article called "Six Charities Worth Your Dollar" for their contributions to Charlotte this year in the area of Philanthropy. Charlotte Magazine's editorial staff spent months sorting through and discussing nominations from readers and city leaders. The only criteria: Nominees had to make Charlotte a better place in 2014. Sustain Charlotte and other honorees will be recognized at a luncheon on Friday, December 12.

Today's video takes you inside of a small business that reaps the benefits of proximity to transit. Scott is one of the owners of Triple C Brewing Co, a local brewery located near the LYNX Blue Line in Charlotte's South End.

He's seen the tremendous economic impact of the light rail on businesses and residents. "When we first picked the location...there wasn't too much development in the area. But I think the light rail had a big part to do with a lot of current development around our location because of the convenience for people to get an apartment and then ride the light rail downtown...10 years ago, this was an industrial, hard-hit area. Now there's people moving into the area, there's small businesses growing, and it's a direct result of the light rail."

Triple C Brewing Co. is within walking distance of the New Bern light rail station. "We even named a beer after it. We have a Light Rail Pale Ale."

We've enjoyed hearing your feedback on the video series. Please leave a comment below and let us know what you think!

We hope you were inspired by Natalia's transit story that we released last week as part of our Six Stories, One City transit series featuring six diverse users of transit in Greater Charlotte. Today we're sharing Margarita's story. Margarita is a mother, immigrant, and small business owner. She rides the bus to make deliveries for her business and to travel with her children.

When asked why she values transit, Margarita said, "It's good because my children enjoy riding the bus and light rail. For my kids it is something fun to do. When I tell them we are going uptown, they say "Yay, let's take route 9! Let's ride the train!" Sometimes I take them to the library uptown, Imaginon. It's a longer trip, and my kids love the city's landscape, and enjoy what they see."

Starting today, and each of the next five Fridays, we're releasing the video story of a different public transit rider in Charlotte! What do a banking executive, high school student, senior citizen, small business owner, immigrant mother, and visually-impaired woman have in common?

Every weekday in November, Charlotte area residents are invited to participate in a unique Sustainable Commute Challenge hosted by the Transportation Choices Alliance (an initiative of the local nonprofit Sustain Charlotte) and funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

The contest will begin on Monday, November 3. Contestants can participate by uploading photos of themselves, friends, co-workers, or family members traveling to their daily destinations on foot, by bike, or by public transportation on the Transportation Choices Alliance’s Facebook page. The contestant who uploads the photo that receives the most “Likes” by 10:00 p.m. each day will receive a $50 cash prize. 

We’re excited to unveil the new look of our website, complete with user-friendly functionality, easier-to-find resources, and even a mobile-friendly browsing experience! Best of all, we’ve redesigned our website to better highlight the important work we’re doing to educate, engage, and unite residents across the Charlotte metro area to inspire choices that lead to a healthier, more vibrant community for generations to come.

More than 30 adult and youth residents participated in Reid Park’s clean-up.

On the sunny Saturday morning of October 4th, residents of the historic Reid Park neighborhood in west Charlotte gathered at the Amay James Recreation Center for a morning of service. Following a brief presentation about how to separate trash from recyclables, they split into three groups and  picked up litter from the grounds of the recreation center, Reid Park Academy, and neighborhood streets. Three hours later, approximately 900 gallons of  trash and 450 gallons of recyclables had been collected, along with two pickup truck loads of bulk waste.

This month we’re kicking off our October membership drive and now, for just $5 a month, you can become an official member of one of Charlotte’s most important and impactful nonprofits.

JOIN NOW TO BECOME A MONTHLY MEMBER FOR ONLY $5 / MONTH!

Susan Patterson, Program Director for the Knight Foundation in Charlotte, traveled to Denmark and Sweden with four Charlotte team members in August to learn firsthand how cities become truly livable. As the team cycled the streets of Copenhagen and toured Malmo, they encountered delightful surprises around every turn: playgrounds designed for both children and adults, outdoor concerts, picnics, vibrant sidewalk cafes, and residents of all ages and skill levels cycling as their primary means of transportation.

The team returned to Charlotte with a deeper appreciation of how important sustainable transportation and well-designed urban places are. They also discussed ideas for transforming our sprawling, car-dependent city into a walkable, bikeable community that will attract a talented workforce and boost quality of life for all of Charlotte's residents.

To learn more about the trip and how it inspired ideas for Charlotte, read the Op-Ed in the Charlotte Observer by Susan Patterson: