Have you saved your seat for the 2023 Sustain Charlotte Awards yet? This year's event -- the 11th annual! -- promises to be an evening of celebration and inspiration. Registration includes dinner, drinks and a front-row seat to amazing stories of sustainability happening in and around the Queen City.

We'll also hold a fun and exciting raffle. Do you have a prize you'd like to donate to this important Sustain Charlotte fundraiser? Let us know!

Thank you to Duke Energy, Truist, Ally, Bank of America, Lowe's, and Mecklenburg County Solid Waste for helping make this event possible through their generous sponsorship.

Mark your calendar for Thursday, April 27 from 6-9 p.m. at The Ruth by Beau Monde. Buy your tickets today!

For a sustainable future, 

Shannon Binns
Founder + Executive Director

Top stories

A Sustain Charlotte statement on the latest climate report

This week, Sustain Charlotte issued a press release on the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report — and why we need to reduce our region's reliance on cars. The report calls for reducing greenhouse gases by half by 2030 and, after that, ceasing to add more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by the early 2050s.

In Charlotte, transportation accounts for nearly 40% of our local greenhouse gas emissions and is our largest source of emissions locally and nationally. This is due to our sprawling development pattern combined with a lack of investment in ways to get around other than driving. This is why Sustain Charlotte advocates for more compact development and increased investment in walking, biking, and public transit infrastructure.

Executive Director Shannon Binns was invited to share our take in this segment on QC News.

For riding, not parking

Chances are, if you ride bikes or take the Gold Line street car, you've encountered cars parked in your way where they shouldn't be. This Axios article shines a light on the perpetual problem and the lack of penalties -- or the enforcement of them -- that could prevent it. 

Before the highway: Learn more

Sustain Charlotte partner AARP recently published a library of articles and videos about communities throughout the United States that were isolated or destroyed by the creation of the interstate highway system.

It's a phenomenal resource that dives into the history of the highway program and the lasting impact it has had on predominantly low-income communities of color. It also sheds light on why so many cities re focused on tearing down their urban freeways or capping them with a park to reconnect neighborhoods of color and why the Biden administration is providing $1 billion to help cities do so.

Charlotte received a $1 million planning grant to better connect the West End to Center City through this grant program. Check out the AARP resources.

Why not ditch the car?

While Charlotte has one of the highest rates of car ownership in the country, there's consumer desire for car-free living.

Last week, Bloomberg covered local firm Space Craft, which recently opened The Joinery (a 2023 Sustain Charlotte Award nominee!), an 83-unit parking-free residential building that quickly fully leased.

Space Craft’s CEO, Harrison Tucker, said the expanding metro was the perfect place for such a project. This is exactly the kind of development Sustain Charlotte advocates tirelessly for.

Read the Bloomberg article.

Events + opportunities

Register today: "Climate Justice: Our Path to Healthier Communities"

CleanAIRE NC’s eighth annual NC BREATHE conference will take place Thursday, April 6, at the 658 Center in Charlotte, N.C. The hybrid event will bring together a diverse group of health professionals, researchers, students, frontline communities, and policymakers to talk about and advocate for the health of North Carolina and its people.

This year’s conference theme is “Climate Justice: Our Path to Healthier Communities.” Speakers include Dr. Aaron Levy, DO, a pediatrician at Atrium Health, Mustafa Santiago Ali of the National Wildlife Federation, and environmental journalist Lisa Sorg.

Learn more and register. 

West Boulevard Corridor Revitalization Workshop

The West Boulevard Neighborhood Coalition (WBNC), in partnership with the Congress of New Urbanism, is hosting a 3-day charrette for West Boulevard residents and stakeholders on Tuesday, Mar. 28 - Thursday, Mar. 30. Everyone is invited to come by and share your input on the placemaking designs and plans to revitalize the West Boulevard Corridor.

If you live, work, or spend time in this area, please join us in supporting the WBNC as they envision a more walkable and sustainable community. The event will be held at Greater Mt. Sinai Baptist Church, located at 1243 West Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28208.

Advocate for the E-BIKE Act

The recently introduced E-BIKE (Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment) Act would create a tax rebate for people buying electric bikes similar to the tax incentive for buying an electric car. By making e-bikes more financially accessible to more people, the E-BIKE Act would help replace car trips with bike trips and get more people in our communities to see the benefits of bicycling.

Studies of e-bike usage show that they are car-replacing, greenhouse gas emission-reducing, congestion-improving, and health-boosting. With the E-BIKE Act, Congress would be providing incentives for electrifying transportation to the most efficient form of transportation ever - the bicycle - not just cars.

Join us in supporting this legislation by contacting your representatives in Congress today!

Partner news

Thank you, WSP and Inspired Plastics!

We are so grateful to WSP for renewing their annual partnership in our corporate partner network as a Silver Partner! This is their third year as a Sustain Charlotte Partner and we couldn’t be happier to have them in our network. WSP develops creative, comprehensive and sustainable engineering solutions for a future in which society can thrive.

Our sincerest thanks go out to Inspired Plastics, who recently renewed their Silver corporate partnership with Sustain Charlotte! Inspired Plastics' mission is to promote zero waste practices and advance the circular economy by engaging the community.

Businesses that join our partner network are committing to support our efforts towards a healthy, equitable, and vibrant Charlotte for generations to come.

To learn more about how your company can become a partner visit sustaincharlotte.org/partnership!

What we're reading

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