We're excited to share that this week CATS CEO John Lewis decided to purchase hybrid electric buses instead of diesel or CNG!

You may have heard that we just moved offices, from our previous location along the Rail Trail to a cute little office with views of Bank of America Stadium. Now that we're settled in, we’re excited to share the little things that we’re doing in our new space to make our office more sustainable. Check out the list below, and then give them a try at your own office!

Last year Charlotte City Council approved a plan that aims to make Charlotte a low carbon city by 2050. And last week 75 people gathered with us at Triple C Brewing to hear more about how this plan is getting off the ground.

“You can’t talk about sustainability without talking about equity,” according to Ray McKinnon, the pastor of South Tryon Community United Methodist Church, and keynote speaker at our Charlotte Sustainability Summit.

We were thrilled when we heard that local teens Kate Harrison, Lucia Paulsen, and Logan Rackowitz were planning a rally as part of the global student strike for climate action. These young leaders see the threat posed by our rapidly changing climate, and are pushing our elected leaders to do something about it.

We attended their rally, held in solidarity with student climate rallies around the globe. Here's a look at the event.

On December 17th, the Charlotte City Council voted unanimously in favor of the Strategic Energy Action Plan (SEAP). This historic vote places Charlotte on the path to source 100% of its energy used in its own buildings and fleet from zero-carbon sources by 2030 and dramatically reduce city-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

With this move, Charlotte has taken a major step in the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and significantly increase the quality of life for residents by investing in our air quality and growing our economy with green jobs.

With our state still reeling from the devastating impact of Florence, the world’s most esteemed climate scientists issued a dire warning: we have 12 years to act to avoid catastrophic climate change.

Here in North Carolina, we already know what catastrophe looks like.  Florence gave us a taste of it, with unusually intense and destructive rainfall that scientists tell us was a result of climate change. 

But if you’re like most Americans, you have moved beyond the tired debate about whether our climate is changing.  You want to know how you can help prevent things from getting even worse. 

At the October 22nd meeting of the Charlotte City Council Environment Committee, staff presented an update on the development of the Strategic Energy Action Plan (SEAP).

At the October 8th meeting of the Charlotte City Council Environment Committee, council members received updates on the Strategic Energy Action Plan (SEAP) and tree canopy master plan.

Strategic Energy Action Plan

Charlotte Sustainability Director, Rob Phocas, and Assistant City Manager, Kim Eagle, provided an update on the SEAP development process. The timeline for introducing the SEAP has been pushed back one month.

At their September 10th meeting, the Charlotte City Council Environment Committee received an update on the Strategic Energy Action Plan (SEAP) that outlined the timeline and stakeholder engagement process.