Forbes: Sustainable Cities Will Have A Competitive Advantage: Charlotte Mayor & Hitachi Experts Weigh In

Jeff Fromm, Forbes

People are becoming more conscientious about where they shop and what brands they interact with. This is also true in regards to where people are willing to live. Studies show that 77% of people want to live more sustainably. Arguably, that should influence which cities people are wanting to live in. Think about living in a place that doesn’t offer recycling. Would that make you mad? Would you willingly choose to live in a place that lacks sustainability efforts?

Cities that are making sustainable choices to better the environment and the lives of people who live there are seeing many benefits. They may even have a competitive advantage over other less-sustainable cities. In an effort to understand how cities are thinking about their future and creating stronger, more vibrant brands, I sat down with Charlotte, N.C. Mayor Vi Lyles. Mayor Lyles was candid not only about the challenges faced by a major city in the Southeast U.S. but the challenges and successes that her city faces in becoming a leader in sustainability.

Jeff Fromm: How does Charlotte identify leading sustainability targets? How are these targets conceived, and what are the roadmaps for business leaders in the region to follow?

Mayor Vi Lyles: Charlotte strives to lead by example in the community when it comes to reducing carbon emissions. We know the majority of our municipal emissions come from the transportation and building sectors. That’s why our goal is to fuel all of our municipal buildings and fleet from zero-carbon sources by 2030.

This year, the City published its first-ever public-facing energy performance benchmarking report for municipal buildings to take stock of progress year-over-year and use data to direct investments. Publishing this information is another example of how Charlotte is leading in the community and invites other large building owners to do the same. This year, Charlotte benchmarked 93 buildings, with every department represented.

Fighting the climate crisis will take every level of government, every sector of business, and every person to make a difference. We work closely with businesses in Charlotte to ensure we are leveraging partnerships and working together to reduce emissions. For example, the City signed an MOU with Arrival, an electric vehicle manufacturer with North American headquarters in Charlotte. Arrival believes, ‘its transformative approach can provide cities with the solutions they need to create sustainable urban environments and exceptional experiences for their citizens.’

The City and our transit system have also been working closely with eTransEnergy, a subsidiary of Duke Energy: procuring 18 battery electric transit buses, charging infrastructure, and bringing zero-emission public transit to areas of our community most impacted by the effects of climate change.

Fromm: How is Charlotte attracting and retaining business in the region? How do you measure this progress?

Lyles: We rely on several partners for attracting and retaining business, including the Economic Development Partnership of NC and Charlotte Regional Business Alliance. We also work with our local real estate community to understand demand and the different types of companies coming into our market.

We’ve intentionally grown into a city that can attract and retain business on its own — companies come here because of our deep talent pool and affordability. We measure progress through the growth we see, not only from projects that our economic development team works on but the growth of certain industries, like manufacturing and life sciences, and the growth of our talent pool.

Fromm: How is Charlotte thinking in an elite way in comparison to other sustainable cities?

Lyles: Charlotte has proven itself a leader in sustainability as we strive to accomplish our carbon emission goals.

In 2021, Charlotte was named a Most Improved City in the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy 2021 City Clean Energy Scorecard. This report showcases their efforts to improve energy efficiency and move toward using a cleaner electric grid and fuels.

We must always be open to the new technologies in this rapidly advancing sector to reach ambitious climate targets. This year's budget includes funds for our first all-electric fire truck and our first all-electric fire station, making Charlotte one of the first cities in the US to have both. We are also purchasing our first all-electric police patrol vehicles.

Moving forward with sustainability efforts is important for all people, and it will take individuals at all levels to make lasting changes. Sustainable cities showcase smart choices that businesses can take examples from. As consumers recognize the importance of sustainability, it will change the way they want to live, shop, and engage with a variety of organizations.

I visited with Kelly Dittmann, Hitachi America Ltd. Commercial Lead, Head of ESG and Sustainability to gain additional perspective, "Mayor Lyles and the great city of Charlotte are in a position to lead efforts in creating a best in class sustainable experience for citizens while attracting public and private investments. We are strategizing with governments and key ecosystem partners to develop and build the sustainable cities of the future, advancing net-zero priorities."

Justin Bean, Hitachi America Ltd. Sustainable Strategy Lead added, "Between new federal funding mechanisms and growing citizen expectations for sustainability, the time is ripe for cities to make the transition to becoming smarter and more sustainable. Cities like Charlotte and others that have been building their visions and targets over the years will be able to execute on these visions faster and more deliberately. These governments are leading the way to address climate change, strengthen physical and digital infrastructure, and tackle social and economic challenges.”

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