This past Saturday, Sustain Charlotte's Board of Directors and staff gathered for our annual strategic planning retreat. Although this is a busy time of year, we place a very high priority on the planning process because it will guide our impact and growth over the next 12 months!

Following a review of 2015's achievements and challenges, board members met in committees to discuss 2016 goals for fundraising, marketing, governance, and fulfilling Sustain Charlotte's mission. We're grateful to OrthoCarolina and Hygge for donating a beautiful retreat space for us to plan and dream! 

We'll be sharing more of our goals in the upcoming months, but here's just a sample of the impact we intend to have in 2016:

• Expand our partnership with a low-income Charlotte neighborhood currently in our Sustainable Neighborhoods Program to engage residents and our Community Corps volunteers on sustainability projects that meet the neighborhood's needs.
• Welcome an additional low-income Charlotte neighborhood to our Sustainable Neighborhoods Program thanks to funding from the Duke Energy Foundation.
• Make it easier, safer, and more fun for Charlotteans of all ages and abilities to walk, ride a bike, or ride transit to their daily destinations. We're doing this through the activities of our Bicycle Program and Transportation Choices Alliance. More specifically, we're planning to bring you some very exciting new opportunities to ride a bike around Charlotte, planning Biketoberfest 2016, and continuing to work with other bicycle organizations.
• Bring you our biggest and best Sustain Charlotte awards yet! For the fifth consecutive year, we'll celebrate the amazing sustainability work being done throughout the area. Mark your calendar for the evening of Earth Day, April 22 and stay tuned for our announcements. We have an incredible sponsorship package this year that includes marketing benefits in a special Charlotte Business Journal Supplement. Click here to learn more.

Here's a short video of our board members sharing why they support Sustain Charlotte. 

Want to read their biographies? Click here to learn more about our incredible board members who volunteer their time, expertise, and passion to Sustain Charlotte.

We need YOUR help to make these goals a reality for 2016. Find out how easy it is to support us as a member for as little as $3 per month!

Would you like to live in a city that diverts ALL of its waste from the landfill and has a neutral carbon footprint? Would you like your children or grandchildren to inherit a city where 100% of creeks are fishable and swimmable and the tree canopy is growing? This is the vision for Charlotte in 2050 that city staff and elected officials are working towards and refining. We're excited to see bold community indicators and tangible metrics in the draft plan!

Charlotte City Council's Environment Committee is moving closer to adopting a FY16 Strategic Focus Area Plan for the environment. In response to councilmembers' requests for tangible indicators of progress, Assistant City Manager Hyong Yi presented a revised version of the plan. A draft of the plan is available in the April 6 meeting agenda.

The plan includes different indicators and metrics for the city and for the community. City indicators can be achieved internal to the City's operations. Community indicators will require involvement and support from residents and businesses throughout Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. 

Let's take a look at the draft City Indicators and Metrics:

How did a partnership between Sustain Charlotte and Charlotte-based printing company Boingo Graphics help to keep 30,000 picture frames out of the landfill? Boingo's Executive Vice President Linda Kirby ended her presentation to last night's mixer attendees by telling that story.

Boingo's Executive VP, Linda Kirby, spoke to over 50 mixer attendees.

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.