5 big ideas for a more sustainable Charlotte

Presented by

Charlotte ranks 47th out of 100 in a recent survey of the greenest cities across the U.S.

The big picture: While that may be better than where we stand in economic mobility (dead last), middle of the road is still a long way from our ambitious sustainability goals laid out in Charlotte’s Strategic Energy Action Plan.

Yes, but: We’ve made big moves this past year:

• Innovation Barn opened in the Belmont neighborhood and showed Charlotteans how a circular economy could work and how to try out a zero-waste lifestyle. And it has a beer bar, of course.
• The city added electric buses to its fleet as it moves toward its goal of going all-electric by 2030.
• CATS’ Gold Line streetcar finally re-opened with its extension to west Charlotte. A more efficient transit system encourages more people to use it and leave the gas guzzlers at home. (Ridership has been lackluster so far.)
• Solar panels were added to more city buildings, which will soon bring the total to 25 buildings using solar.
• More Charlotteans switched to electric vehicles. There are about 4,000 EVs in Charlotte today, the city’s chief sustainability officer Sarah Hazel tells Axios.

What we’re watching: The most notable changes in the next year will be the city’s improvement of sidewalks and expansion of greenways, Hazel says, but Charlotte also has many moonshot ideas for sustainability that we’ll see play out (or not) over the next decade.

Here are 5 big ideas that get us excited:

(1) Turn plastic takeout containers into tiny homes.

When I asked Amy Aussieker of Envision Charlotte what she’s most proud of in the nine months since the Innovation Barn opened, she points to the tons of plastic takeout containers the facility has collected. Soon, she hopes the plastic filament from the containers can be used in 3D printers to create plastic bricks, which can be used to build structures like tiny homes and sheds.

• Since the start of the pandemic, Aussieker and her volunteers have collected four tons of plastic that would have otherwise gone to the landfill.

• Now, breweries have started donating the lids you see on top of four packs to the plastic recycling pile.

(2) Build a pedestrian bridge to connect Uptown and South End.

Construction will start in 2023 on a 16-foot-wide pedestrian bridge. The bridge, with two structural arches that light up at night, will be completed in 2025, city officials say. It aims to solve a major connectivity challenge — how to cross from South End to Uptown on foot (bike or scooter) safely and easily — that’s frustrated pedestrians and city leaders for years, Axios’ Katie Peralta Soloff writes.

The biggest hurdle: Time and money. The project is about two years behind schedule and will cost the city and its partners approximately $11.5 million.

Read more: See the pedestrian bridge that’ll connect Uptown to South End

(3) Expand our light rail with the Silver Line.

If funded, the Silver Line would run from Matthews to the airport, expanding our rail offerings and making it easier to get around Charlotte without a car. Transit planners estimate the expansion would cost more than $8 billion and move an average of 19,000 riders daily by 2050, WFAE reports.

Go deeper: Will Charlotte’s $13.5 billion transit plan benefit those who need it most?

(4) Connect our greenways so they span 40 miles.

The Charlotte area has great trails and greenways, but they’re fragmented across the region. The Cross Charlotte Trail will one day stretch from South Carolina to Cabarrus County, counting existing greenways and building new ones over the next four years.

In the meantime: Here are 20 walking trails in Charlotte for nature lovers and city views

(5) Construct a massive “Central Park” for Charlotte.

The expansive 220-acre community park called Queens Park is still a dream, but more parks and greater access is one big idea to make our city greener.

Biggest hurdle: Norfolk Southern owns the land the park would occupy. And the railroad giant hasn’t always been cooperative with local plans, Katie reports.

Flashback: Plans for a massive central park for Charlotte quietly advance

Back to reality. As it stands, “nobody’s doing enough,” Aussieker says.

What you can do: Make small changes to your routine to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

• Don’t buy what you won’t use at the grocery store.
• Try a service like Crown Town Compost to help dispose of food waste in an environmentally friendly way.
• Take public transit when you can. No, it’s not the most reliable system, but if Emma can go car-less for six months, you can try for a day!
• Go meatless. Check out our guide of vegetarian and vegan restaurants.
• And so much more. I love this list of 101 ideas from Curbed.

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to say there are about 4,000 electric vehicles in the city (not 40,000).

Axios Charlotte thanks our partners for supporting our content. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content.