Our History

In 2001 the Charlotte Conservation Commission launched a number of reading groups, using the curriculum series of the Northwest Earth Institute (NWEI). The first topic was “Voluntary Simplicity.” Several of the groups continued meeting for the next several years reading the rest of the NWEI series, including, but not limited to “A Sense of Place” and “Deep Ecology.” Sometime in late 2004, one group suggested that the groups do more than read and discuss, but also include actions on taking better care of the planet. 

In 2005 those interested in action launched the Charlotte Sustainable Living Network (CSLN). They hosted documentaries, re-skilling workshops, and talks on various issues related to localization, resilience, and sustainability and began to gather information for a “Community Assets Survey” where people could indicate the skills and resources they were willing to share with others in the community. They launched a website that gave basic information about the organization and its projects as well as announcements about upcoming events.

In 2008 the CSLN members became aware of the Transition Movement (TM), which had started in 2006 in Totnes, England. Many of the goals and activities of the TM aligned with what CSLN members believed and were practicing and it made sense to become a part of this exciting Movement. So CSLN changed its name to Transition Town Charlotte (TTC) and became a member of the Transition Network in 2009.

After a number of years TTC members realized that many people did not understand what kind of organization TTC was, and so in 2020 TTC began the process of changing the name to Sustainable Charlotte Vermont (SCV), while continuing to be a Transition Initiative with membership in the Transition Network and Transition US. SCV also became an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in late 2021.

This history is a good example of being flexible and open to new ideas. Today SCV is thriving with a number of ongoing community projects and continues to offer events and book groups to the whole community. SCV also often effectively collaborates with other groups in Charlotte. Those partners are listed on the homepage.