Featured Coming Attractions

Engage Charlotte After Hours
June 15, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Vida Mexican Kitchen y Cantina
Join us for our quarterly, after-hours networking. Complimentary appetizers will be available.

Connecting Your Workforce Through Mobile Apps, N.C. Technology Association
June 23, 8:30 to 11 a.m., Charlotte Chamber - Belk Action Center
Cell phones don't just make calls anymore. Smart Phones don't just check email any more. Now, our mobile devices are mobile computers. Companies are working more efficiently through the use of mobile applications.

Upcoming Charlotte Chamber Events

The Charlotte Chamber has many great evets for you to attend:

Opportunities in Franchising: How to Be in Business for Yourself But Not By Yourself
June 8, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friendship Missionary Baptist Church

The Airport of Today and Tomorrow, featuring Jerry Orr - Charlotte's funniest civil servant
June 16, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn - Ayrsley

Business After Hours
June 16, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Hotel Sierra - Charlotte Center City

The Impact of Doing Business & Building Relationships with the Latino Community
June 21, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., The VanLandingham Estate

Visit www.charlottechamber.com/events to view more events and to register.

News

GreenWorks Initiative Focuses on Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility
from Engage Charlotte Board Member Megan Sadler

As a follow up to Brett Carter’s (president of Duke Energy Carolinas) discussion at our May 2011 lunch meeting, doyou know about the Charlotte Chamber’s GreenWorks initiative? The mission of the GreenWorks is to provide information on “environmental responsibility and sustainability for businesses and connections to likeminded members of the Charlotte Chamber.” It also focuses on employing sustainable habits at the Charlotte Chamber and highlighting members of the Chamber focused on these issues through interviews and committee involvement.

Why does sustainability and environmental responsibility matter? Changing some of our most mundane habits can have a profound impact – for instance:

• If you drink a can of beer after work and then tossed it in the recycling bin, that one (aluminum) can saves enough energy to watch television for three hours after dinner!
• If every single newspaper was recycled after we read them, we would be able to save 25 million trees per year!
• Plastic material being dumped into the ocean is responsible for killing up to a million sea creatures yearly.
  
• Recycling just one glass bottle can run one of your 100 watt light bulbs for three to four hours. (Source: Go Green Lifestyle, www.gogreenlifestyle.net)

For more interesting facts on sustainability or to get involved with GreenWorks go to charlottechamber.com/greenworks/the-facts/.

N.C. Ranks 10th for economic growth over past 50 years

North Carolina ranks 10th among the 50 states for economic growth during the past half-century, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data. Read more in the Charlotte Business Journal.

Charlotte City Council decision will turn down the volume on outdoor music

The Charlotte City Council unanimously passed a new noise ordinance recently. The new ordinance caps outdoor music at 85 decibels on Friday and Saturday nights from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. The noise must drop to 60 decibels from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. There can be no outdoor music on any night between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. Read more from the Charlotte Observer.

Event Recap

Thanks to everyone who came to our luncheon at Mez. We had another fantastic turnout and filled the theater up very nicely. Brett Carter from Duke Energy gave a fun and informative presentation about energy and what his company is doing to make strides going forward. We would like to say thank you to Brett for taking the time to do this presentation. We would also like to thank Mez for hosting another very successful event. Our next event is our quarterly after hours on June 15. See the registration link above for details.

Engage Charlotte Blog

Read the Engage Charlotte blog for more from our board on topics of interest to young professionals. And feel free to let us know how we're doing by leaving a comment in the comments section.