Achieving community sustainability is a complex challenge that requires a comprehensive and community-wide approach.
Sustain Charlotte advocates for diverse transportation options and sustainable land-use. Our volunteers, ambassadors, and supporters play a critical role in helping us achieve our mission.
Start making an impact today
Become a donor
Will you join us and help inspire choices that lead to a healthier, more vibrant, and equitable community for generations to come?
New donors who give at least $10 a month or $120/year will receive a complimentary Sustain Charlotte t-shirt!
Advocate
Our mission is to make smart growth advocacy easy and accessible to everyone in our community. We do this through education and calls to action. Whenever we see opportunities to inspire choices that lead to more sustainable land use and transportation options, we invite you to use your voice. Our latest areas of focus have been Growing our Parks and Greenways and Building our Bike Network.
Join our partner network
Through our partner program, we provide year-round brand exposure, positive publicity, and business development opportunities to those businesses and nonprofits that are helping make our community become more sustainable through their products, services, or commitment to move their organization towards greater sustainability.
Volunteer
Sustain Charlotte offers a unique training program to evolve volunteers into Sustain Charlotte Ambassadors, which empowers volunteers to succeed as effective speakers of our mission, vision, and values at tabling and other outreach events.
Find out more about the ambassador program and other volunteer opportunities at the link below.
Stay informed and ready to engage locally
Start supporting sustainable growth in Charlotte by signing up for our weekly newsletter. Each edition is packed with updates about our work, upcoming events, local advocacy opportunities, and news about constantly evolving issues.
Make gradual changes to your commute
We know a car-free lifestyle isn’t a feasible reality for everyone. However, you may be able to reduce some of your car trips and therefore reduce your carbon footprint.
- Navigate Charlotte without driving
- Get familiar with your nearest greenways, trails, and bike paths
- Find what bus routes make the most sense for you
- Choose to walk, bike, or take the bus to the grocery store or other nearby errands
- Batch your errands into one car ride, instead of making several trips
- Plan events closer to home
- Explore ridesharing or carpooling to events when possible
- Download and explore the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) app for more options
Reach out to your local neighborhood association
Neighborhood associations connect neighbors and local business owners to preserve and improve their communities, allowing you to weigh in on areas such as neighborhood safety, beautification (like planting trees!), and even walkability and transportation needs in your neighborhood.
Find your neighborhood association here.
Consider downloading the Nextdoor app.
Say “yes” to new neighbors in your area! Learn about why diverse housing options build resilient communities.
Join the conversation online
Do you know what the strongest form of marketing is? It’s word of mouth. That means every time you like, share, repost, or retweet content from Sustain Charlotte, you’re helping get the word out about our mission in ways we can’t achieve alone!
Follow Sustain Charlotte on social media: Instagram, Twitter (X), Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Send an email to one or more of your local or state officials.
Depending on the issue, this email could be addressed to the City Council or Town Council members, County Commissioners, School Board members, or State elected officials. Use the link in resources to find out who your representatives are.
Sign up and speak at a local government public meeting or forum.
Choose your audience, depending on the smart growth issue that you would like to speak about. You might consider taking part in a County Commissioners' meeting, City or Town Council meeting, School board meeting, and/or Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) meeting. If you live outside of Charlotte/Mecklenburg County and need help figuring out how to sign up to speak at the public meeting/forum where you live, please reach out to Meg Fencil. (meg.fencil@sustaincharlotte.org).
Attend your neighborhood association/coalition meeting (if you have not attended previously).
Attend your neighborhood association or neighborhood coalition meeting. To find out which neighborhood organizations are active in your area, use the link in resources. Sometimes, checking Facebook groups might be a good way to find those organizations. When attending the meeting, we encourage you to talk to three new people about a smart growth topic relevant to your community.
Invite one of your local/state elected officials to attend your neighborhood organization meeting.
If you are already attending your neighborhood organization meeting, invite one or several of your local representative (elected officials) to those meetings to speak and/or listen to residents regarding a smart growth topic that’s relevant for your community.
Bring a friend along on a trip by walking, biking, or public transit.
Plan and take a trip by walking, biking, or public transit. Bring a family member, co-worker or friend with you and discuss the importance of transportation choices for our city. Alternatively, you can bring a friend to our Growing our Greenways event on November 19th.
Public transit: To download the CATS app, click here.
Reach out to CATS to share your feedback at telltransit@charlottenc.gov.
Bike: Use Google maps to plan a bike trip in your neighborhood (select the bike or walking icon to build a route).
Learn more about Growing our parks and greenways.
Do a walkability audit of your neighborhood
Take a group of friends or neighbors and walk around your neighborhood. Notice: Is it easy to walk to the closest grocery store or bus stop? Share the audit results and your recommendations with your neighborhood organization or elected officials (City or Town Council members) or your local planning staff (especially if you live in a town).
Organize a walk or bike ride on a greenway (or other active transportation routes) in or near your neighborhood.
Plan and host an “all ages, all abilities” walk or bike ride in your neighborhood to either introduce residents to a greenway, bike route, walking route OR to highlight the need for this type of infrastructure. Use this as an opportunity to talk to your neighbors about the importance of active transportation.
The City of Charlotte has 35 boards and commissions. Residents of Mecklenburg County can volunteer to participate by applying for a vacancy. The boards have an advisory function, which is another great opportunity to make your voice heard. Serving on resident boards and commissions is a commitment, so it’s important to ensure you have time available for this.
Interested residents should complete the online application and submit it to the Office of the City Clerk. To apply for a board position, click here. The City Council vacancy notice can be accessed here.
More details about City of Charlotte boards can be found here.
Mecklenburg County also offers residents an opportunity to serve on boards and commissions. More details on the Mecklenburg County board are here.
Download the CLT+ App
CLT+, a mobile application, is now available on both the Apple App and Google Play stores. It is free to download. It offers a new way to interact with CharMeck 311, which serves as the customer contact center providing information and services for customers in the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.
Residents wishing to get in touch with 311 can still speak with a representative on the phone, request a service online, or use the online chat function.
