The City of Charlotte's environmental newsletter brings you up-to-date on some of the City's latest environmental initiatives, programs, and successes. We hope that you find this information useful as you join with us in helping build a greener and more sustainable Charlotte-Mecklenburg, through the choices we make every day.

Residents of Charlotte-Mecklenburg can now submit their ideas and suggestions online about how the City should spend $6.7 million as part of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. A web-based survey enables residents to provide feedback for the best use of stimulus dollars, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. To submit ideas or take the Community Input Survey, visit the City's Energy Strategy web site. The survey will close at midnight, Monday October 5.

The goal of the block grant is to invest in projects that reduce fossil fuel emissions, reduce energy consumption and create new green jobs and renewable technologies.

Web site visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about the grant program and share ideas. Those suggestions, along with ideas and information from recent greenhouse gas inventories and other sources, will be used to develop the City's Energy Strategy, which will be presented in November to both the City Council and the public. The final document will be sent to the Department of Energy for review.

If approved, Charlotte's grant would come in two lump sums of $3.2 million apiece.

The re-broadcast of the public meeting held September 29th to collect the community's ideas is also available for viewing on the Energy Strategy page. By watching the re-broadcast, viewers will have the opportunity to see presentations regarding results of the greenhouse gas inventory on City facilities, along with details on the energy strategy plan criteria and process.