Our Mission
Charlotte Mecklenburg Climate Leaders (CMCL) is a broad coalition of Charlotte-area organizations and individuals working to ensure the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and its municipalities set ambitious climate goals and successfully meet them. Together we are improving the health of our communities by advocating for equitable clean energy, carbon-reduction strategies, and climate justice.
Our Story
In late 2017 a handful of environmental and religious leaders presented a draft resolution to the Charlotte City Council requesting them to state its intentions to reduce carbon emissions. At the time, many cities, towns, and counties across the state were adopting similar resolutions.
While the initial resolution wasn’t adopted, in early 2018, the Charlotte City Council invited local leaders from the environmental, health, faith, justice, business, and government sectors to provide input on a suite of climate-related policies and commitments. Many of these stakeholders formed Charlotte Mecklenburg Climate Leaders (CMCL) and engaged former mayor Jennifer Roberts as one of its leaders. The leaders began meeting at the mayor’s office and at CleanAIRE NC. The result of this collaborative work was the Sustainable and Resilient Charlotte by 2050 Resolution which was adopted unanimously by the Council in June, 2018.
Collaboration between the City and CMCL continued during the development of the Strategic Energy Action Plan (SEAP) which laid out a detailed plan with steps designed to achieve the goals laid out by the resolution. The SEAP was approved by Charlotte City Council in December, 2018 and was chosen shortly thereafter to be one of 25 American cities to receive resources and support to accelerate climate action as part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s American Climate Cities Challenge.
Nearly six years later CMCL has evolved to include individuals, non-profit organizations, small businesses and other key stakeholders. We continue to be engaged with the City to help them meet their goals. Committee meetings are held monthly and membership meetings are held quarterly. Bi-monthly newsletters keep members up-to-date. To get involved in our important climate education and advocacy work, click here.
What Members Are Saying…
“Before connecting with others through CMCL, I felt alone in the fight against the climate crisis. This community has afforded me opportunities to get more involved and learn from leaders in our area!”
~ Billie Anderson
Organizational Members
