Stories

Sustain Charlotte

Meet Sustain Charlotte, your local nonprofit that focuses on three major strategies to unite Charlotte and solve sustainability issues: 
Educate – Educate the public about the value to our community of sustainability and how it is achieved, including the best ideas and practices from other cities around the country.
Engage – Provide opportunities for increased public engagement in the discussions and decisions that determine our future’s sustainability.
Unite – Unite citizens, businesses, nonprofits, public agencies and academic institutions to develop shared visions, goals, and strategies for a sustainable region.

We spoke with Jasmine Bamlet from Sustain Charlotte, to learn more about how their programs impact your community, for our #SpotlightOnCLT Great Outdoors series.

What would you like the community to know about the challenges your organization is trying to solve?

Sustain Charlotte was founded in 2010 to address the environmental, economic, and social challenges that area residents face as a result of decades of population growth combined with lack of investment in sustainable transportation (walking, bicycling, public transit).

What is your organization’s role in the community?

Sustainability, or "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own," is the reason that Sustain Charlotte exists. We recognize that long-term economic vitality, environmental health, and social cohesion are interdependent; the health of one determines the health of all. Sustain Charlotte serves all residents of our community by educating and engaging residents on the importance of increasing transportation choices that allow all people to access opportunities.

We believe that the best strategy to achieve a sustainable community, including a healthy environment, is through smart growth. This means an approach to development that encourages a mix of building types and uses, diverse housing and transportation options, development within existing neighborhoods, and community engagement. This approach supports local economies, protects the environment, and furthers opportunities for all.

We love impact stories, could you share one?

We inspire choices that lead to a healthy, equitable, and vibrant community for generations to come.    "Sustain Charlotte is leading the way to a healthy, safe, and prosperous community for those in all parts of Charlotte, but most strategically in neighborhoods that have historically experienced under-representation and under-investment in transportation and land-use decisions. People living in these neighborhoods historically and currently bear a disproportionate share of negative environmental consequences resulting from sprawling land use patterns and an auto-dominated transportation network.

Areas with fewer trees as a result of sprawl are hotter on average, which drives up the energy cost burden on low-income households and makes it less comfortable (and for people with chronic health conditions, often unsafe) to walk or ride a bike on hot days. Charlotte's interstates were built through the heart of African-American neighborhoods, resulting in more air and water pollution, and also made these neighborhoods difficult to access without a car.

We are the Charlotte area's leading organization focused on overcoming systemic root causes of environmental injustices through advocacy for more equitable land use and transportation decisions. In the US, the ways that we travel and build our communities contribute more climate pollution than any other source. The environmental impacts of climate change are being addressed by most of Charlotte's environmental nonprofits, but Sustain Charlotte is uniquely positioned to tackle the transportation and land use angle.

About the image pictured above: Ribbon-cutting for the introduction of Charlotte's new electric buses.     

Contact: Jasmine Bamlet

Email: jasmine.bamlet@sustaincharlotte.org