Our Green Atlanta

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Archive for December, 2009

Atlanta urban hike along the BeltLine’s newly cleared northeast corridor!

Posted by Our Green Atlanta on December 23, 2009

Urban hike along the Atlanta BeltLine corridor on December 19, 2009

A view looking north towards City Hall East on our Atlanta BeltLine urban hike this past Saturday. Click to see more photos of the walk, including a panoramic view of downtown as seen from the North Avenue bridge by the Masquerade!

A few weeks ago, I posted a blog about the old Norfolk Southern railroad tracks coming up along the Atlanta BeltLine’s northeast corridor to make way for the new hiking path arriving in early 2010. We’ve done two major trash and underbrush clean-ups along this stretch (as well as in the West End), so I’m pretty familiar with isolated stretches, but this past Saturday morning I had the opportunity to walk a continuous three miles of the path from Piedmont Park to DeKalb Avenue with almost 30 other intrigued residents.

Eli Dickerson (of WonderRoot Urban Hiking) and Angel Poventud (BeltLine and Trees Atlanta volunteer extraordinaire) gathered our crew together behind Amsterdam Walk at the intersection of Monroe and Amsterdam in Morningside / Virginia Highland. Heading on the path up the hill behind the complex, we were greeted with a view of the Piedmont Park expansion, slated to be completed next year. We couldn’t hike north through the construction site to Ansley Park, but Angel gave us an overview and turned us around to head south.

The actual rails, dating back to the very early 1900′s, have been pulled up and set aside for future recycling, but the crossties are still in place for the most part. Everything is scheduled to be uprooted in the next several weeks and replaced with a mulch hiking trail in advance of the permanent concrete path to follow in the next few years. The walk itself transports you back in time, giving urban hikers a glimpse of Atlanta’s industrial past – the Terminus of old that was criss-crossed with tracks, railroad yards, industrial warehouses and factories.

For all those who complain about Atlanta traffic (and we all do), I highly suggest parking the car and taking a walk as the crow flies. It’s incredible how much ground you can cover on this flat railroad bed when you cut through neighborhoods, over and under major streets – a completely uninterrupted walk in the heart of Atlanta’s northeast quadrant. Not to mention the expasive, unique views of downtown and Midtown Atlanta – the old Sears building (now City Hall East) being one of the most notable. The path cuts directly beside the Historic Fourth Ward Park, a gem that is currently under construction from the Masquerade on North Avenue down to the skate park beneath Freedom Parkway. By next year, Historic Fourth Ward Park will sparkle with a new storm water retention pond (which will be as practical as it is aesthetically pleasing) along with almost eight miles of BeltLine trail open to the public.

This urban hike held another perk – the company. I had the pleasure of meeting (or getting to know better) a number of people – everyone with a varied background and different approach to their interest in the BeltLine.

  • Robby Astrove, Program Coordinator with Trees Atlanta, has been the #1 advocate of the BeltLine Arboretum and has been actively working with schools along the BeltLine to “better connect students to nature through service and explorations… collective outdoor learning, student leadership opportunities, and hands-on projects..”(more to come on that in a future post!).
  • Michael Bryan of Emory is studying the public health impact of the BeltLine and how having a network of trails can lower obesity and health issues due to increased walking and physical activity (side note: he would love to tackle green roofs and document the potential for them here in Atlanta – love it).
  • Craig Durkin of Concrete Jungle has been mapping residential fruit trees across metro Atlanta, harvesting the fruits and nuts when in season, and donating the fresh produce to the Atlanta Community Food Bank (more to come on this project, too! I’ve read about what they’ve done in Portland and look forward to following Craig’s expansions). Check out his blog here, www.Concrete Jungle.com!
  • Jack Walsh, in the small world that is Atlanta, is my neighbor and, as it turns out, is a producer and editor for Public Broadcasting Atlanta (we’ll see each other running in the morning and have crossed paths volunteering for the Atlanta Community Food Bank, but never talked about our day jobs). He was out on that cold morning to cover urban hiking and the hidden places that you can uncover. Look for the story to come out around April!
  • Eli Dickerson and I also had the chance to talk more. We met initially at the Trees Atlanta Fall Fest where we had information tables next to each other (his had composting worms) and I found out that he works for Fernbank Science Center, a place near and dear to my heart. Stay tuned for more from WonderRoot Urban Hiking and more!
  • And, of course, Angel – the fellow BeltLine volunteer who, in another small-world twist, is a CSX train conductor for the rail line that runs directly behind my house (home to the future Brain Train? we’ll see).

Ready to go on an urban hike yourself? Stay tuned to Angel’s facebook page or Eli’s blog – they happen just about every Saturday. And, come April of next year, prepare yourself for an all-day hike of the full 22-mile BeltLine loop!

Posted in Atlanta BeltLine, Developments | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Are plastic water bottles really all that bad? Here’s an infographic with facts to help answer that nagging question

Posted by Our Green Atlanta on December 22, 2009

The following illustration from Online Education addresses the facts about bottled water and it’s true impact on the environment – from the creation of the plastic bottles to the tap water used to fill many of them up to the consequences of only recycling 1 in 5 water bottles.

Is the environmental impact of plastic water bottles and recycling really all that bad? This chart tells the story.

Is the environmental impact of plastic water bottles and recycling really all that bad? This chart tells the story.

Thanks to my brother Byron for sharing this!

Posted in Environment, Water | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

“Gardening for Food, Fitness and Fun” – Atlanta gardening classes brought to you by DeKalb Extension

Posted by Our Green Atlanta on December 20, 2009

Are you looking to get your garden off to a great start in 2010? You can start planning now – whether you’re anticipating a vegetable garden, excited about landscaping, or angling for a rose garden, the DeKalb County Extension Service has everything you need to get started or increase your current knowledge base! Below is the schedule of DeKalb County’s 2010 gardening classes, “Gardening for Food, Fitness, and Fun.” You can find a registration form and more info in their PDF brochure here! Be sure to register early!

Gardening Series 2010 – Gardening for Food, Fitness & Fun

  • All classes are at 4380 Memorial Dr., Decatur, GA 30032
  • Cost is $10 per class if you pay at door or get all 7 for $50 if you pay in advance through the mail
  • First 50 registered are guaranteed a seat.
  • For more information or to request a printed copy of the brochure, please call 404-298-4080. You can also visit www.dekalbextension.com.

Class #1 - January (Thursday), 2010 from 7 to 9 p.m.
“Understanding soils” |  Speaker: Walter Reeves  |  WSB radio, speaker and writer will tell you about soils
“Basics of composting” |  Speaker: Dr. Jim Spotts  |  well known agronomist, master gardener and King of Compost will share his famous composting secrets

Class #2 – February 2 (Tuesday), from 7 to 8:30 PM
“Basic Vegetable Gardening” |  how to start and what to grow |  Speaker: Bob Westerfield, University of Georgia Home Gardening Specialist.

Class #3 – February 16 (Tuesday), from 7 to 8:30 PM
“Growing Specialty Vegetables” |  emphasizing crops that are popular in other parts of the world but that will grow well in Georgia.

Class #4 – February 23 (Tuesday), from 7 to 8:30 PM
“Identifying and Limiting Common Pests & Diseases of Vegetables” |  Speaker: Gary Peiffer, DeKalb Extension Agent and Horticulture Manager

Class #5 – March 18 (Thursday), from 7 to 8:30 PM
“Roses and Their Care” |  Speaker: Stan Leacock, a well known local rosarian who cares for roses every day in his business and at his home.

Class #6 – April 20 (Tuesday), from 7 to 8:30 PM
“Using Color in the Landscape and Color Trends 2010″ |  Speaker: Tara Dillard, local, well known speaker, designer and garden writer. Tara knows plants and design and she presents her subjects with great wit and enthusiasm.

Class #7 – May 18 (Tuesday), from 7 to 8:30 PM
“Tropical Plants to Know and Grow” |  There are many wonderful tropical plants that will do well in the Atlanta area with the right conditions and the right kind of care. Speaker: Dr. Bodie Pennisi, University of Georgia, Horticulture Specialist in Griffin, GA. Dr. Pennisi is an expert in her field and she works closely with our Georgia commercial plant producers.

Posted in Education, Gardening | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

DeKalb County awarded “Green Community” designation by the Atlanta Regional Commission!

Posted by Our Green Atlanta on December 18, 2009

Earlier this month, DeKalb County joined the City of Decatur as one of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Green Communities. What does this mean for one of metro Atlanta’s biggest counties? This designation recognizes DeKalb County’s efforts to become more environmentally sustainable and sets the county as an example for other local governments to follow suite. DeKalb is one of only six counties and three cities in the state of Georgia to be tapped by the Atlanta Regional Commission in earning this bronze certification.

DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis stated:

We are working to clean up brownfields and underutilized shopping centers; we have placed a priority on transit-oriented and mixed-use communities that reduce traffic and promote affordable housing options; we are developing incentives to create new green communities; and we are focused on maintaining our long-term commitment to sustainability.

Local environmental organization, Southest Green, went into more detail on what the Atlanta Regional Commission took into consideration for DeKalb’s Green Community:

Communities are judged in 10 categories—green building, energy efficiency, green power, water use reduction and efficiency, trees and greenspace, transportation, recycling and water reduction, land use, education, and innovation—and earn points based on the difficulty and overall impact of the sustainability effort.

DeKalb is certified at the bronze level for its green projects and programs including the Gregory Adams Juvenile Justice Center, which is the county’s first LEED certified building and the state’s first LEED certified courthouse; Seminole Landfill’s conversion of methane gas to electricity; and the county’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing and Lights Out/Power Down policies.

Read more on Southeast Green’s website here!

And find out more about the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Green Communities and how your local government can apply for consideration!

Posted in Environment | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Can the construction industry leave paper blueprints behind to go paperless in 2010?

Posted by Our Green Atlanta on December 15, 2009

Can the construction industry leave blueprints behind to go paperless?We’re all well-aware of the value of recycling office paper, newspapers, magazines, junk mail, etc. but what about another large source of paper that could potentially be eliminated all together? Every year 42,000 trees are killed to print blueprints for the construction industry. The solution? Replace paper blueprints with electronic plans.

That’s precisely the goal of Houston Neal, author of The End of Blueprints on The Construction Blog, a part of the website www.SoftwareAdvice.com. Neal would like to see the construction industry go paperless in 2010. This is no small feat, but not due to the lack of design and estimating software, but more due to the traditional mentality of the construction field.

Neal and his team got together and set out to research just what impact the 167-year old practice of blueprinting has on the environment and found that approximately 37 million blueprints are freshly printed each year, not to mention the carbon footprint left behind by the repographics shops and the courier vans used to pick up or hand deliver the tangible documents. What their studies offer are viable alternatives to deforestation via cost analysis and possible industry guidelines. You can read more about The End of Blueprints on his blog here!

Posted in Environment | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Looking for fair trade, certified organic coffee in Atlanta? Turn to Cafe Campesino in the Sweet Auburn Market!

Posted by Our Green Atlanta on December 6, 2009

Cafe Campesino and Maria in the Sweet Auburn Market

Maria serves up cups (and whole beans by the pound) of certified organic, fair trade coffee at the Sweet Auburn Market!

Yesterday, I stopped by the Sweet Auburn Curb Market to check out Cafe Campesino, a relatively new addition to the farmers’ market. I heard about them on Friday at Southface’s Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable where they’ve been providing attendees with their fair trade and certified organic coffee for years. Based out of Americus, Georgia, Cafe Campesino offers Atlantans a line of single origin coffees, blended coffees, espressos, teas, green bean coffees, and more.

When I stopped by, Maria (pictured to the right) was putting finishing touches on the Cafe Campesino mural on the wall and stopped to talk to me about their various coffees. I was leaning towards getting a dark roast when I tried a sample of their medium-bodied coffee named Sweet Auburn after their home in the market (it’s also the most popular selection). I ended up going with the Sweet Auburn with the intention of trying the dark roast next time (they have sample cups where you can taste before you buy).

Cafe Campesino also has free WiFi and an outdoor patio area at the entrance to the Sweet Auburn Curb Market. For a snack, they also have baked goods.

If you’re looking to purchase coffee by the pound bag, you can order from their wide selection online at www.CafeCampesino.com by Thursday and pick up at the store on Saturday (the store will absorb the shipping cost of $4.95). Or just walk in and buy your bag of whole coffee beans! If you’re like me and don’t have a coffee grinder at home, Maria can help you out with her commercial machine. And for every bag of fair trade coffee you purchase – whether online or in the store – you get a free cup of coffee!

Sweet Auburn Curb Market is open Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.!

Posted in Food | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Growing Edgewood’s urban forest with over 50 native trees planted by Trees Atlanta

Posted by Our Green Atlanta on December 5, 2009

Trees Atlanta planting in Edgewood

Volunteers came out to plant native Georgia trees in Edgewood with Trees Atlanta!

This morning, dozens of volunteers braved the windy, chilly weather to come out to Whitefoord Elementary School in Edgewood to help Trees Atlanta plant over 50 new, native Georgia trees around the playground and surrounding streets (at least there was no snow as predicted). After a demonstration on how to properly plant a large, 15+ gallon tree from Trees Atlanta leader Greg, students from the school, volunteer groups, individuals, and Trees Atlanta regular volunteers grabbed shovels and pick axes and starting moving dirt. Blake, who’s been with Trees Atlanta for about a year, led the project and helped coordinate our volunteer groups, distribute the trees, and run the water truck (fed by the huge rain collection systems at the headquarter’s LEED-certified building). Angel Poventud, one of the most active volunteers with both Trees Atlanta and the Atlanta BeltLine, was also on-hand to guide the tree planting.

After we finished at Whitefoord, we moved down Hosea Williams to Coan Middle School where we planting a long line of trees behind the school. I also discovered an Edgewood community garden that I didn’t know about before (more to come on that soon).

Do you know how much it costs to plant each tree with Trees Atlanta? Between the cost of the tree itself, the watering and mulching for three years after planting, and pruning for five years, it all adds up to about $150 per sapling. Not too bad considering that spans five years worth of work and is an invaluable resource for Atlanta’s urban tree canopy and air quality!

If you’re interested in volunteering with Trees Atlanta, please visit www.TreesAtlanta.org and sign up to receive Susan’s weekly emails that will let you know where the projects are for that weekend. Projects are every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Posted in Trees, Volunteer | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Southface to tackle Atlanta’s transportation woes and our transit-based future development at December’s Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable

Posted by Our Green Atlanta on December 2, 2009

Southface Energy Institute's Sustainable Atlanta RoundtableEventually, the voices promoting (and implementing) a more expansive, workable transportation system for Atlanta will drown out those complaining about our traffic problems. This Friday, Lee Biola (President of Citizens for Progressive Transit, an all-volunteer, non-profit focused on a comprehensive transportation plan) and Erik Steavens (Georgia DOT’s Director of Intermodal Programs) will speak at Southface Energy’s monthly Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable (SART). Here is an excerpt from the Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable’s website:

Many governing, advisory and informal bodies are looking at various travel modes, from high-speed trains, to commuter rail and buses, to streetcars – all intended to serve different purposes and various types of movement. Georgia Department of Transportation is undertaking studies for linking Atlanta and Chattanooga with a high-speed passenger rail line and has raised its Office of Intermodal Transportation to Division level.  The Transit Implementation Board has adopted a governing structure to implement its regional transit plan.  Application has been made for stimulus funds to begin the construction of a portion of the Peachtree Streetcar project.  MARTA has recently completed a new overview and drafted guidelines for transit oriented development.  Groups such as Citizens for Progressive Transit have been formed to advocate for regional transit.

What will it take to implement and build support for better transit services and transit oriented development in the region?  Who is on board and who must be won over?  How can transit help shape a more livable and satisfactory future?   Find some answers at the December Roundtable.

Here are the details:

  • What: Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable’s monthly program for December: “Atlanta’s Transit Oriented Future”
  • When: Friday, December 4th, 2009; doors open at 7 a.m. for networking and the program runs from 7:30 – 9 .m.
  • Where: All Saints’ Episcopal Church at 634 West Peachtree, Atlanta
  • How much: $15 for individuals, $10 for students, $20 for individuals receiving AIA CEUs and for all walk-ins; $5 for Southface members with a valid discount code
  • Register online now!

You can also check out a map of combined existing and proposed transportation projects throughout the metro Atlanta area and beyond here on the Citizens for Progressive Transit website!

Posted in Community Meetings, Environment, Events, Transportation | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Have you volunteered with the BeltLine this year? We want your feedback! And we’ll feed you, too.

Posted by Our Green Atlanta on December 1, 2009

Evan Zeigler in the BeltLine booth

This could be you! Evan Zeigler, one of our star volunteers, showed visitors around the BeltLine booth at Virginia Highland Summerfest

Are you one of the many people who volunteered with the Atlanta BeltLine at local festivals over the past two years? Thanks to all of you, we just wrapped up our second successful festival season! And the BeltLine would like to thank you – and offer you food in exchange for your feedback. Next week, the BeltLine is hosting an end-of-year event for all of our volunteers to meet each other as well as the BeltLine staff and to ask everyone how we can improve your volunteer experience.

  • What: An invitation to BeltLine festival volunteers to come out and meet one another and give feedback on volunteer experience
  • When: Thursday, December 10th, 2009 from 5:30 – 7 p.m.
  • Where: 660 Apartments at 660 Ralph McGill Blvd., Atlanta, 30312
  • RSVP to Sharron at Sharron@beltlinepartnership.org or 404.446.4407

Look forward to seeing you there!

Posted in Atlanta BeltLine, Volunteer | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »