Sustain Charlotte honors over 70 sustainability leaders at awards event

Against the stunning backdrop of the LaCa Projects Gallery in Uptown, Sustain Charlotte welcomed over 300 guests to celebrate the achievements of dozens of sustainability leaders based in the Charlotte region.

Awards were given to First, Second, and Third Place winning organizations in the categories of Energy, Food, Land Use, Social Equity, Sustainable Economy, Transportation, Waste Reduction, and Water. Click here to learn more about the work of the winners and all of our nominees!

Our judges bestowed this year’s highly coveted Outstanding Leader Award on Damon Barron, founder of Treecycle America. Damon’s passion for keeping Charlotte’s fallen trees out of the landfill and crafted into beautiful products is so inspirational!

Outstanding Leader winners Jill Walker (3rd), Damon Barron (1st), Bill Zuehlke (2nd)!

Sustain Charlotte’s Founder and Executive Director, Shannon Binns, challenged every attendee to make sustainable choices and remember to honor those who work behind the scenes to make Charlotte an incredible place for current and future generations.

Guests enjoyed appetizers donated by our Presenting Sponsor, Roots. Following the awards ceremony, a coffee and dessert reception was hosted with delicious desserts prepared by Heirloom and The Art Institute of Charlotte, and accompanied by freshly brewed coffee from S&D Coffee & Tea and Javesca. The Farm at Dover Vineyards donated red, white, and rose wine for the event, and Lenny Boy Brewing Co. donated crafted-brewed IPA and lager.

16 year-old guitarist Sophie Pedersen entertained guests with lively tunes. Photographer Sean Busher captured the crowd’s enthusiasm for sustainability through photos and video.

Guests shared their ideas for building a brighter future on chalkboards.

Four lucky winners won raffle prize packages valued at an average of $1,000 each. The prizes included bundled event tickets, food and drink, and other goodies in the categories of Uptown Fun, Foodie, Date Night, and Sports Fan!

Congratulations to all of our nominees and winners for doing their part to advance sustainability in the Charlotte region!

Thank you to all who joined us last night, our volunteers, raffle prize donors, and all the incredible sponsors who made the evening of celebration possible!

Thanks for reading!

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