Green Options

Yesterday, the City of Atlanta announced its municipal carbon footprint and plans to reduce that impact by 7% over the next three years.

[Creative Commons photo by Steve Hardy]

That might not sound like a huge reduction, and I know that 7% (or 37,800 metric tons of greenhouse gases) isn’t going to save the world, but it’s a good first step! It’s the equivalent of 179 rail cars’ worth of coal or protecting 239 acres of from deforestation.

The City of Atlanta released a Sustainability Report outlining where they’re at and where they plan to go in terms of lowering the city’s carbon footprint.

Atlanta’s Brown Middle School teamed up with Trees Atlanta and Atlanta Audubon to launch a pilot environmental education partnership.

[Creative Commons photo by Jesse Budlong]

Together Green, the folks behind Pennies for the Planet are at it again! They’ve issued a grant that’s allowing Trees Atlanta to work with local schools on plantings and education. The program kicked off on Thursday with a student-only tree planting at Brown Middle that’s focused on giving Atlanta’s West End neighborhood along the BeltLine bird-friendly, native trees and shrubs.

Sopo Bicycle Co-op’s annual fund raiser, bicycle scavenger hunt, and dance party is coming up this weekend in Atlanta!

At least year’s event, 150 cyclists raised over $2000 for the local nonprofit.

Located right in the heart of East Atlanta, Sopo Bicycle Co-op is an amazing resource for local cyclists. The shop provides tools, education and free bicycle maintenance to anyone who pops in with a ride. You can even build your own bike there! Frames and various parts are available on a suggested donation basis, and their knowledgeable volunteers are always around to help out during shop hours.

The producers of Go Green Expo have planned 4 expos across the country for this year. The first one already took place in LA back in Janurary. The next expo is planned for March 13-15 in Philadelphia.

What’s the expo all about? Here’s what the event’s website has to say:

A truly unique event from the ground up, Go Green Expo will change not only the public’s perception of environmentalism but also how events like this are produced and managed. Inviting companies large and small to showcase what they are doing to reduce their respective carbon footprint, consumers will have hands on experiences with “eco-friendly” alternatives to current everyday products and services.

Even the event itself is environmentally friendly utilizing a ZERO Carbon footprint approach to event production. Biodegradable trash bags, eco-friendly printing, table coverings, recycled signs, compostable sponsor banners and more. Event waste will be separated and sorted to ensure the least amount of refuse going to the landfills. Staff travel and a portion of every ticket that is purchased will be carbon offset.

[Creative Commons photo by Anne Norman]

The weather in Atlanta felt like Spring this weekend, which got me thinking about our Spring garden and, of course, our compost bin. Composting is a fabulous, cheap source of fertile soil. On top of that, keeping a compost bin prevents your food scraps from heading to the landfill where they break down and produce methane, a more powerful greenhouse gas than CO2.

While some communities offer curbside composting, most do not. Luckily, it’s really easy to get your own bin going! Whether you’re living in a house or an apartment, there are great composting solutions out there. Here’s a roundup of some options, so you can have your compost ready in time to get that Spring garden going!

In the wake of MARTA announcing a 60 million dollar budget shortfall, Atlanta got hit with more bad news for anyone hoping to ditch their cars. AMTRAK and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) are putting the proposed system of light rail, trails, and planned development into jeopardy.

[Creative Commons photo by Brett Weinstein]

What is the BeltLine?

The Atlanta BeltLine is a solution. While Atlanta does have a rail and bus system now, MARTA, the rail portion is pretty limited and the buses are a bit unreliable. The BeltLine was going to change the face of Atlanta’s transit system, connecting neighborhoods and making alternative transportation a viable option for more folks in the Atlanta area. They describe the BeltLine:

Our vision is that the BeltLine will be a continuous, connected corridor of parks, trails, greenspace, quality development and transit - completely unique to anything in any other U.S. city. It will connect in-town neighborhoods and promising business centers throughout the city and will link directly into MARTA rail and other public transit systems. Ultimately, the BeltLine is how Atlanta chooses to develop over the next 50 years.

Why would anyone want to stop a project like this?

Last night, Scott Kellogg from the Rhizome Collective spoke at Charis Books in Little Five Points. He talked about permaculture and taking back the word sustainability.

[Creative Commons photo by Chad Hanna]

Marketers and large corporations have co-opted the word sustainability to sell products. It’s come to mean expensive bamboo counter tops and organic cotton bedding. We need to take back that word to its original meaning. Sustainability is living within your means. It’s closing the waste cycle and finding ways to turn trash into something that’s usable again. Last night, Kellogg talked about some ways that Rhizome is accomplishing these things. Ways that we can, too!

Having spent a number of years working in and enjoying Atlanta, Georgia, I developed an affinity for southern hospitality. After moving away, I would call directory assistance for the 404 area code occasionally just hear that distinctive and luring southern twang again. I really fell in love with the South when a girl I was dating at the time took me to her family’s home for a New Year’s Day meal. I could taste the customs and flavors that have been passed down for generations.

Though the foods may vary, New Years day has a number of good luck food traditions throughout the world. Some foods are said to bring luck or money; others safety and a good life. And some are just tasty.

[Creative Commons photo by Josh Hallett]

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) is $60 million in the hole - double their expected revenue shortfall for 2008. Administrators are talking about raising fares and reducing consumer services to help the transit system cope with the losses.

[Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Incase Designs]

The state of Georgia has asked county and city governments to reduce their solid waste by 25%. Most counties offer curbside recycling programs, and there are facilities throughout the state for recycling drop off. Gwinnett County, though, is taking things a step further with their “Greener Tomorrow” program. A new ordinance passed last week and taking full effect next July, includes fines of up to $500 for recyclables in the trash or for trash mixed in with recyclables.

[photo by Becky Striepe]

Eating food that is locally grown can really help you cut down your carbon footprint. Most food travels hundreds or even thousands of miles from farm to table. All of the processing, packaging, and travel accounts for almost 80% of the energy use in the U.S. food system. Eating more local, unprocessed, organic produce is a great (and tasty) way to cut back on those food miles! Services like Atlanta’s Vegetable Husband make eating local that much easier.