Committees

The steering committee oversees the direction, advocacy initiatives, and continued expansion of the coalition. Members also organize the annual strategic planning retreat in January. Membership is currently composed of chairs of our committees, representatives from organizational members, former elected officials, and other volunteers with environmental leadership skills. It meets monthly on the second Tuesday from 12:00 – 1:00 pm.

This committee was formed after the Strategic Energy Action Plan (SEAP) was approved by Charlotte City Council in 2018. Members have continued to be engaged with implementation of the Strategic Energy Action Plan over the years by participating in energy, transportation, workforce development, and buildings groups, having City sustainability staff report updates at our meetings, and advocating for additional funding for SEAP at City budget hearings. Members have also challenged City Sustainability staff to provide the public with updated goals, which they’ve done. The Charlotte City Council approved the SEAP+ in 2025. Three members of CMCL are members of the SEAP+ Advisory Board: Nancy Carter, Steve Copulsky, and Shobita Suresh. This coming year, we will focus on outreach to businesses and the faith community to join the City’s Power Down the Crown program.

The committee also tracks the activities of the Mecklenburg County Commissioner’s Environmental Stewardship Committee and other governmental bodies on issues related to climate change. 

This committee meets on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at noon.

CMCL has worked on a variety of transportation issues over the past six years, following the lead and guidance of Sustain Charlotte. Issues included submitting comments to the City about the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), meeting with and submitting comments to Charlotte City Council about the Strategic Investment Areas project and monitoring the new transit tax implementation.

In 2026, the committee will provide support to Transforming Nations Ford, a community development nonprofit dedicated to serving and empowering the residents of the Nations Ford/Arrowood Corridor. With the City Council approval of the expansion of I-77 South from six to ten lanes, the negative impacts on this community will be significant. CMCL will work closely with Transforming Nations Ford and other partners to create a plan to minimize those impacts and provide remarks during the public comment period.

This committee meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 3pm.

The Clean Energy and NC Carbon Plan Committee focuses on the expansion of clean, renewable energy in North Carolina and advocates for a strong NC Carbon Plan which previously required Duke Energy to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 70%  by 2030 as a result of bi-partisan legislation. In 2025 the NC legislature removed that requirement and Duke has since planned for an expansion of gas plants. Our focus this year is to recruit as many people as possible to attend public hearings in the spring and the fall related to Duke’s latest version of the NC Carbon Plan and a proposed rate hike of 15% over two years.

This committee meets on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 6pm.

CMCL is advocating for clean energy, energy efficiency, electric school buses, and other conservation efforts for Charlotte Mecklenburg School (CMS), charter schools, and private schools in our community. We have made initial contacts with some school board members and CMS staff department heads. Given the multiple problems that our schools have faced, including educational challenges, teacher and staff turnover, funding shortages, and new school board members, it has been very challenging to direct attention to the importance of clean energy to protect our environment and the long-term potential for financial savings with solar energy. We need your help!

This committee meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 11am.

This committee is tasked with expanding community awareness about CMCL through events, social media, newsletters, and other strategies. This committee also communicates with our organizational members to promote their events and get them involved in overall coalition work. In 2026, committee members are focusing on youth engagement and expanding the coalition.

This committee meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7pm.