West Atlanta Watershed Alliance and National Wildlife Federation are excited to present the 5^th Annual Urban Forestry Festival. This event invites all families and friends to the Outdoor Activity Center on Saturday, April 2, 2011 from 11am-4pm to celebrate Southwest Atlanta’s urban forests. The festival is free to the public, so bring your family to learn more about Atlanta’s incredible urban forest and its wildlife inhabitants. The festival will feature educational and entertaining exhibits, tours of the 26-acre OAC urban forest, food, giveaways, and hands-on activities and demonstrations by WAWA, NWF’s Earth Tomorrow program and their partners. Transportation to the OAC, located at 1442 Richland Road, S.W. in Atlanta, GA 30310, is easily accessible via MARTA. RSVP to info.wawaonline@gmail.com to be entered into our special drawing. For more information, please visit www.wawaonline.org or call 404-752-5385 or 404-876-8733 ext. 230.

The luncheon keynote presentation by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (Charlottesville, VA) will cover “Working Landscapes: Urban and Rural Parkland Solutions from Around the Globe.” Hear how parks and greenspace will influence the future of our urban and rural spaces, including public health, economic growth and re-invigorating distressed communities.  Plus, a full day of speakers & presentations covering how parks & greenspaces are bridging to the future. You can view the updated schedule online.

Registration is only $104, including parking! Register for the Parks and Greenspace Conference now!

New for the 2011 event! Brief on-site tours of Piedmont Park and the Atlanta Botanical Garden are also being offered during concurrent sessions at the conference.  More details under events on Park Pride’s website.

Greenwash (verb, \ˈgrēn-wȯsh\) – to market a product or service by promoting a deceptive or misleading perception of environmental responsibility.

Companies are launching major green marketing campaigns. But many of their claims are misleading or just false. It’s becoming extremely difficult to tell when claims of eco-friendly products are legitimate. “Greenwashing” is eroding the credibility of environmental marketing and making consumers more skeptical than ever.

The U.S. is still a leader in financial accounting (thanks in part to accounting software systems), but we need to develop the environmental accounting to the same level to defeat greenwashers. Enterprise Carbon Accounting (ECA) software is becoming the foundation of this infrastructure, and the market is growing rapidly. ECA software enables companies to consistently track the many components of their carbon footprint while identifying opportunities for cost savings and waste reduction. When the software is fully developed, excuses will wear thin for failing to provide carbon footprint disclosure. The resulting transparency could make greenwashing obsolete.

For ECA software and environmental accounting adoption to drive away greenwashers, we need action in five main categories:

Clear government action on regulations - like increased coverage of the EPA’s Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule, which requires companies that emit 25,000 metric tons or more of greenhouse gases annually to disclose their carbon footprint measurements to the EPA;

Wider adoption of carbon accounting principles - requiring more businesses to disclose their emissions would provide precise measurements of a company’s environmental record – making it much easier to catch the tricksters;

Expansion of Scope 3 emissions standards - mandatory inclusion of suppliers’ emissions in environmental reports (Scope 3) would prevent under-reporting of emissions and more quickly spread adoption of carbon accounting in general, all along the supply chain;

Better green business incentives - using ECA software to identify eco-friendly savings opportunities can make it cheaper to truly go green, making it unneccessary to greenwash in the first place;

Informed consumer decisions - demanding the numbers from standardized carbon accounting reports before purchasing a supposedly green product forces businesses to prove their sincerity with real evidence. It’ll be the death of greenwashing.

The Spirit of the Gulf Coast Exhibition is a multimedia event that explores the complexities of oil dependency and alternative energy futures through the intimate accounts of Gulf Coast residents affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It will take place tomorrow night in the LeCraw Auditorium at Georgia Tech’s College of Management from 6pm-8pm. The event is free and open to the public and we’d love to see you there!  The schedule of events is as follows:

• Fine Art Photo Exhibit featuring the stunning photography taken on the expedition by photographer Terrell Clark
• Documentary Short by filmmaker Nathan Black that reveals the stories, and experiences of the various coastal residents who we interviewed during the expedition.
• “Special Guest” - A special speaker whose talk will leave you with a new perspective about what really happened during the Oil Spill
• Social Psychologist Jeff Duvall - He will discuss the coastal response to the oil spill from a socio-psychological perspective
• Nobel Prize Winner, Marilyn Brown - Dr. Marilyn Brown will discuss what public policy could do to set us on a path of sustainable energy sources
• Call to Action - the part of the exhibit that features you!
• Panel Discussion - A Q&A giving you the chance to ask questions of any of our speakers or the Spirit team

You can RSVP on to the Spirit of the Gulf Coast on Eventbrite here or Spirit of the Gulf Coast on Facebook here.

Thanks t0 guest blogger Kim Campbell for sharing the Spirit of the Gulf Coast with Our Green Atlanta readers!

Since we learned so much in the few hours we were on Will’s farm, I’ve divided this blog post up into three sections: the processing plant, the land, sustainability, and Serengeti model, and Will’s other projects.

Part I: White Oak Pastures’ Processing Plant

We arrived a little after 3 p.m. and Will was in his office in the processing plant, which you can see from the road (highway 27). The Harris family built the plant after deciding to opt out of the industrial meat industry and to raise cattle in certified organic, certified humane facility. Throughout the cattle’s lives, they roam 2,500 acres of open pasture and eat only native hay and sweet grasses grown right on the farm. One of the most impressive accomplishments of White Oak Pastures in that it is a completely zero waste facility (which I’ll explain more in part two) and that this true southern rancher could talk all day about sustainable, organic agriculture. After handshakes and introductions to the dogs, we commenced the tour.

We took a quick photo with Will Harris in front of his processing plant at White Oak Pastures with grass-fed, free range cattle

The first stop was the office of Brian Sapp, the manager who oversees the farm’s day to day operations and compliance. After much searching for the perfect candidate, Will recruited him from the University of Florida after Brian received his master’s in Meat Science. Brian is an artisan meat cutter and, as Will said, “he’s been a true godsend” as a borderline obsessive-compulsive about crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s, which in turn frees up Will to handle the ranching side of the business. He also showed us the office of the federal USDA agent who is required to be on-site every single day the plant is in operation (which is Monday through Friday), who maintains his own locked office, and who, by law, has a separate bathroom and shower.

Next, we entered the room where the cows are humanely slaughtered. I know that may seem like a contradiction, but consider this: most industrial processing plants kill up to 400 cattle an hour where as White Oak Pastures kills 25 cattle a day – one at a time, so the animals stay calm and unaware of their fate (which, I found out, can have a profound effect on the taste of the meat). Each cow follows the following steps:

White Oak Pastures slaughters 25 cows a day compared to industrial farms who slaughter up to 400 an hour

1. The cows are brought to a large, covered area just outside this door.
2. One at a time, they are led through this door and into the chute by the cowboys who have handled them their whole lives, so that they don’t get panicked or flustered.
3. This wall raises and lowers and would be down, flush with the floor, when the cow walks in. The worker stands on the platform and, using a pneumatic captive bolt, stuns the cow so it is rendered senseless (called “Dr. Temple Grandin’s humane animal handling process”). While the heart is still beating, the animal can feel no pain.
4. The worker raises the wall and the stunned cow tumbles down the small ramp to the floor.

Next, the cow is hoisted up by its back legs to hang from an overhead conveyor chain while a worker cuts its carotid artery over a funnel that catches the blood. The cow then moves on to have its head, hooves, hide, and viscera removed (all of which goes on to serve a purpose, whether on or off the farm, which we’ll get into).

The slaughter room for the cattle was smaller than I expected, but then again, I'm not really sure I knew what to expect!

After that, the cow moves into a refrigerated section (to the left of Will in the above picture) which connects to the butchering room next door. As we walked over to the butchering room, I mentioned to Will that it was over a year-and-a-half ago that I decided to start down the path of eating less meat by giving up sandwich meat. That’s as far as I got. Instantly, Will said,

“You don’t want to eat that sh*t. Ever. I know what goes into it and it’s the worst of the worst. Lips and anuses. Hotdogs? Awful. All they do is take a bunch of parts and liquefy them completely. Stay away from all of it.”

Zack told him about a friend of his who feeds hotdogs to her cat because the cat loves it and it’s cheaper than actual cat food. Not that it’s okay to feed anuses and lips to our family pets, but shouldn’t we set the bar a little higher for ourselves than cat and dog food? Anyway, onto the butcher room…

Whole cows hang in the refrigerated area between the slaughter room and the butcher room (in the front are livers and other edible organs)

The slaughter room and the butcher room are kept completely separate from each other. The workers keep to their sections and every part of the processing plant is thoroughly cleaned before anyone goes home for the day in order to prevent any sort of contamination (it was completely spotless – you would have no idea that 25 cows were killed a day in this plant). The only part that connects the two rooms is the refrigerated “closet” where the carcasses move from one side to the other to get divided up.

The butcher room at White Oak Pastures

The whole cows emerge from the door seen here and move along the conveyor to a butcher standing at the head of the table. With his masterful skills, he cuts away pieces of beef and places them on the table for the other butchers to refine. The animal automatically lowers as he cuts pieces off so it stays level with where he’s working. Will pointed out that this is one of the toughest jobs because it requires pushing around almost 600 pounds of hanging beef.

So, from the grassy field to the ready-to-ship box, here are the numbers:

• 1,000 pounds – the weight of one, live cow
• 580 pounds – the weight of one cow after it leaves the slaughter room (minus the head, hooves, hide, and viscera)
• 380 pounds – the weight of one cow after it’s butchered
• 7 – the number of boxes one cow is sorted into for delivery to stores (like Whole Foods); each box is labeled with the date the cow was slaughtered, the date it was butchered, and the tag number from its ear. This is the ultimate in source verification and traceability.
• ~200 pounds – the amount of meat you would get boxed up, ready to cook or freeze, should you decide to order an entire side of cattle (which you can do on their website)
• 1 week – the time that passes between each store’s delivery (so I need to check and see on what day of the week Whole Food on Briarcliff gets their shipment in…)

After the tour of the facilities, we headed back out to the office where another young couple was parking and getting out of their vehicle. They had also driven down the road and were headed to her family’s farm when they decided to stop in and check the place out. Both had heard of White Oak Pastures previously and wanted to see if they could pick up any meat to take on to their family (which they did). Will said he was just showing us around and about to take us out and show us the farm. He asked if they would like to join us, to which they agreed, so Will loaded us up in his truck and we headed out.

Keep reading with part II: White Oak Pastures’ land, sustainability, and Serengeti model of this Georgia grass-fed beef farm.

In addition to being Jenny’s cousin (and therefore privy to all sorts of funny stories about her), I am the Area Volunteer Coordinator for a really amazing organization called Heifer Project International Jenny is letting me guest-blog because I believe that the followers of Our Green Atlanta would be interested in and passionate about the type of work that Heifer does.  If, after reading the scintillating summary below, you would like to learn more about Heifer or volunteering, please respond to this post, friend the Atlanta volunteer organization on Facebook (Heifer in Atlanta), or check out their website at www.heifer.org. This is the first of a series of blog entries focusing on the different aspects of Heifer’s work. Today’s blog will give a brief overview…

Heifer Project International (HPI) is a non-governmental, non-profit aid organization that was begun in 1944 with the goal of sustainable, long-term community development. Heifer is not a relief organization like the Red Cross; instead, HPI partners with community organizations and leadership to achieve long range goals of ecologically respectful economic growth. Heifer’s mission focuses on ending hunger, combating poverty and caring for the Earth via seven initiatives: agroecology, animal well-being, gender equity, HIV/AIDS awareness/assistance, microenterprise, urban agriculture, and youth programs. Heifer’s approach towards development equips individuals and communities with the training and resources necessary to obtain a sustainable source of food and income and manage that source in an ecologically appropriate manner. HPI offers 30 different kinds of livestock, trees, or seeds to project partners as they work towards long term, sustainable development.

Instead of a top-down approach, HPI is entirely a grass-roots organization.  All country staff are from the areas they serve, and to meet their goals of community development, Heifer partners with other, existing humanitarian groups – preferably indigenous to an area, but they will also partner with larger NGOs such as Save the Children – to achieve their goals. Heifer’s policy is to never tell communities what they need, but instead, to ask how they can be helpers as individuals reach their own goals.

Find out how you can get involved with the Heifer project in Atlanta!

Before the first gifts of livestock or seeds are given, Heifer will have already been in a community anywhere from 6 months to one year giving training and supporting the community as they develop the skills necessary to care for themselves and the gift they will be given. HPI considers this training process integral to long term project success/sustainability as well as goals of gender equity. Field staff offer training on everything from how to manage a business for individuals receiving microloans to what medications are needed to keep a hive of bees healthy. Once individuals receive a gift of life stock, seeds, microloan or training, they become responsible for passing on the gift (where an individual or community has to present to another individual or community something of the same value as they were already given – a flock of chicks, a pregnant cow, the same amount of money given in a microloan, etc.) This concept of passing on the gift is the most significant of Heifer’s twelve cornerstones.

These cornerstones are the framework guiding HPI’s practice and are the reasons that HPI is so protean, sustainable and successful. They are: passing on the gift, accountability (individuals and communities must reach self-established goals), sharing and caring, sustainability and self-reliance, improved animal management, nutrition and income, gender and family focus, genuine need and justice, improving the environment, full participation (of all family/community members, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, educational background, etc.), training and education, and spirituality (as appropriate to whichever group). HPI believes that these guiding structures provide the scaffolding to achieve socially just and economically appropriate development. Throughout the process, the goal is to leverage existing community knowledge and strengths while equipping individuals for advocacy by using the cornerstones above.

Heifer’s goal is to end their initial involvement with a community within 5 to 6 years. By that point, HPI hopes that their cornerstones have become community values so that community members will continue to pass on the gift long after they are gone. Heifer believes at this time that groups should be well versed in advocacy and that bonds committing communities to each other and to development should be well established. However, communities can re-apply for a different type of project help at the end of the first term. For example, in northern Honduras, a community that originally received gifts of livestock ten years ago has reapplied and is now working with microloans to establish a small, marketable milk and cheese business.

HPI began nearly seventy years ago with one man organizing the original donation of 16 cows to families in Puerto Rico. Today, 10.4 million families can trace improvements in their life to Heifer’s work as direct beneficiaries or recipients of a gift pass on. HPI runs nearly 900 projects in 28 U.S. states and 53 different countries.

Come and join us as we change our world!

The Trees Atlanta TreeKeepers Certification Program is Trees Atlanta’s volunteer training and certification program that applies skill, appreciation, and pride to the stewardship of our urban forest.  TreeKeepers consists of seven workshops, including indoor & outdoor activities, presentations, and engaging hands-on demonstrations.  Each three-hour session takes place at the Trees Atlanta Kendeda Center, and is taught by Trees Atlanta staff or community tree professionals.  Upon completion of the program, which includes volunteering 24 hours to tree projects, graduates will receive an official TreeKeepers hat, a native tree, a training manual, and a signed TreeKeepers certificate, as well as opportunities to put their new knowledge into action.  Register now!

Training will take place on the following dates from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. with a light breakfast served beforehand: August 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, and September 11th, 18th, and 25th.  The cost is $65 and TreeKeepers will receive an official TreeKeepers hat, a manual, a native tree, and a signed certificate when they have volunteered 24 hours to tree projects, whether with Trees Atlanta or another organization.

To assist toward the completion of these hours, Trees Atlanta has regular planting, tree care, and forest restoration projects where TreeKeeper leadership is valued. Additionally, TreeKeepers may choose to work independently in their own community.

Don’t forget to register now! You can also contact Bethany at Trees Atlanta at 404-681-4898.

The one- or two-week sessions of day trips out of downtown Oakhurst feature introductory, expert-trained fun in hiking, rock climbing, canoeing, whitewater rafting, geocaching, swimming, kayaking, boating/tubing and more to destinations including Callaway Gardens, the Chattahoochee Nature Center, the Georgia Nature Center, Amicalola Falls, Fort Yargo State Park and the Chattooga River.

Owner/director Scott Seitz is a middle school science and math teacher year-round, but his summer lesson plans, which complement the camp’s daily activities and destinations, exclusively cover the environment. Topics include Georgia wildlife and eco-regions, energy conservation, alternative energy, waste reduction, recycling, composting, stream/wetland ecology, water conservation and air pollution.  Camp Scene is a member of the Environmental Education Alliance.

“Without a doubt, there’s one irreplaceable way for kids to learn to appreciate nature and our interdependency,” Scott said. “And that’s to simply experience it. Start early, and then their daily life is infused with that natural sensibility.”

Scott, and his wife, Jennifer, also have an infant son, and they are excited to include him and expand their programming to feature all-ages family adventures starting in the fall. Already, families are encouraged to get in on the summer camp fun, with Weekly Green Challenges during each session and resources for at-home environmental exploration.

Discounted rates of $35 off each session are being offered with DISCOUNT CODE: GO GREEN before May 15. Visit www.campscene.com or call today! 404-502-3196. For information about financial scholarships, e-mail info@campscene.com.

Thanks to Jennifer for passing this along! I asked her is grown-ups could participate and she said they’re working on that.

ABOUT CAMP SCENE:
Camp Scene, a summer day camp based in Oakhurst Village in Decatur for ages 8-12, teaches environmental stewardship through outdoor adventure. Hands-on field studies are based on lesson plans from the Environmental Education Alliance and adapted to the daily field trips and Georgia destinations. Rigorous procedures during travel and on site keep campers safe, happy and healthy, and the well-trained, professional staff consists of certified Georgia teachers who are also certified in first aid and CPR. Camp Scene donates 5% of proceeds to local environmental organizations and gives back to the community by offering financial scholarships and organizing volunteer service projects.

Trees Atlanta invites you to join them for their second annual "City in the Arboretum Conference" this year with a theme of "Bringing the Arboretum Home." Click the image above to register!

Atlanta is known as “The City of Trees” thanks to our canopy of ancient oaks and mature trees, but we still have work to do to expand our greenspaces and plant and preserve native tree species. At this second annual “City in the Arboretum Conference: Bringing the Arboretum Home,” Trees Atlanta will share with guests how to do just that. 25 years ago, Trees Atlanta began their mission to plant trees throughout the city and, as a part of that, have developed seven neighborhood arboreta for educational, scientific, and aesthetic purposes.

Here is more information about the goals of both the Arboreta Program and the Arboretum Conference:

The goals of the Arboreta Program:

• To educate the public about trees and tree species.
• To increase the biodiversity of our urban forest.
• To create new citizen advocates for trees.

The goals of the Conference:

• Share information, tools, and resources to implement arboreta projects and support Trees Atlanta’s mission.
• Connect citizens, neighborhood arboretum leaders, and city leaders through facilitated discussion and networking. We will create a cohort of tree advocates and supporters!

The objectives of the Conference:

• Provide background and accomplishments of BeltLine Arboretum and Neigborhood Arboreta programs.
• Discuss opportunities for getting involved and upcoming events (such as tree walks, maintenance days, and more).
• Learn how to leverage a neighborhood arboretum as a neighborhood asset and attraction.
• Understand arboreta themes and collections, and how to properly document them.
• Discuss the importance of biodiversity.
• Learn basic tree care needs.
• Hear from keynote speakers and professional horticulturalists.
• Facilitate learning, dialog, and feedback that address current and future program needs. Arboreta leaders will exchange successes and challenges in an open forum.
• Take a walking tour of the Inman Park arboretum.

The Arboretum Conference will take place on May 22nd, 2010, from 8:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. You can get all the details and register online right now on the Trees Atlanta website!

Thanks to Robby Astrove with Trees Atlanta for sending this along!

• What: What it Means to be Green in Wine
• When: Thursday, February 18, 2010, from 7 – 9 p.m.
• Where: in The Wine Room of the Atlanta Wine School at 1570 Holcomb Bridge Road, Roswell, GA 30076
• Cost: $39
• RSVP: Pre-registration for this event is required and you can register by clicking here!

1. The commercial track: greening campuses; high performance, eco-friendly office buildings; corporate sustainability; creating zero waste in the workplace; sustainable design; LEED for existing buildings; and the role of the lifecycle assessment
2. The residential track: leverage the power of Earth Craft; the new Energy Star; water efficiency; integrating sustainble practices into multifamily development; embracing the value of new technologies
3. The sustainable communities, economy, and policy track: new energy programs for Georgia; federal legislation and the southeast’s energy use; municipal sustainability efforts; green building programs; sustainable urbanism and emerging trends; green building sales and financing
4. The workshops and seminar track: if you’re looking for continuing education credits, this is the route for you with a focus on sustainable development; renewable energy potential; advanced energy design guides; and historic preservation as sustainable practice

In addition, you get admission to the Greensprints Tradeshow with green products and services from across the southeast.

Register online now at www.Greenprints.org – pre-conference discount of $55 ends on Friday, February 19th!

Fernbank Science Center Arbor Day Tree Sale

From 8 a.m. until noon, the Fernbank Science Center will hold a plant sale with trees and shrubs in honor of Arbor Day. The sale will only go until noon, so make sure you get there in time. Click here for a map of the Science Center’s location. Their plant sales are usually in the back parking lot to the right of the building, but if you have any questions, you can contact Mary Larsen, Volunteer Coordinator at 678-874-7116 or larsenm@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us.

Atlanta’s Champion Tree Search & Walk

Calling all Atlanta Champion Trees! Trees Atlanta is now accepting big tree nominations for the Atlanta Champion Tree Search. Unsure how to evaluate a big tree? This weekend on February 13, 2010, from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m., Robby of Trees Atlanta along with Fernbank Museum of Natural History will be conducting a guided walk through the Fernbank forest to practice identifying and measuring trees! Please RSVP for the workshop by emailing Robby at robby@treesatlanta.org.

Other Arbor Day events

The tree celebration continues with Trees Atlanta’s free-and-open-to-the-public Arbor Day Photography Exhibit on Friday, February 19, 2010 from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. Photo will feature tree images by noted Atlanta photographers Kathryn Kolb and David Knox. So mark your calendar and head to the Trees Atlanta Kendeda Center, 225 Chester Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30316. The opening will serve as the official launch party for their”My Favorite Tree” Photo Contest, sponsored by a grant from the Georgia Forestry Commission. Check the Trees Atlanta website for info on applications and contest details – coming soon!

Below, you’ll find a press release from Southeast Green about their upcoming GREEN Real Estate Summit next month!

Southeast Green is pleased to announce its partnership with BOMA-Atlanta to present the inaugural GREEN Real Estate Summit, held Feb. 16 and 17, 2010 at the Emory Conference Center Hotel in Atlanta. As the first meeting of its kind in the state of Georgia, the Summit brings together commercial real estate owners, property managers, facility managers, building engineers and companies providing green products and services to learn about the benefits of utilizing sustainable practices. Specifically, the event will focus on sustainable operations and maintenance of existing buildings.

The Summit will feature educational seminars equipping you with the knowledge and skills you need to go green successfully. Session topics include presentations about ENERGY STAR®; creating buy-ins for green programs; taking advantage of low-cost/no-cost ways to green-fit your building; dispelling “green” myths; analyzing the ROI of going green; and much, much more. Every session will include three take-aways you can implement at your property.

Visit the GREEN Real Estate Summit website to view the summit schedule, session descriptions and speaker bios. Exhibitor and sponsor information are also available.

Don’t miss out on this educational opportunity – register online today! Late fees apply after February 5th.

For more information or if you have specific questions about the GREEN Real Estate Summit, please contact BOMA-Atlanta at (404) 475-9980, Sandra Cummins at sandra@southeastgreen.com, or Beth Bond at beth@southeastgreen.com.

Local and international transportation experts, business leaders and policy makers will explore solutions to Georgia’s growing transportation challenges in a three-part program covering:

• The Future of Georgia’s Transportation Grid
• What Choices Do We Have?
• Where Do We Go From Here?

Expert presentations will forecast our future traffic capacity and transportation demands. Outstanding examples of sustainable transportation solutions from Switzerland – a world leader in passenger rail – will be highlighted. Political realities and financial constraints will also be explored.

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.

Gardening classes at the Oakhurst Community Garden in Decatur will teach you how to grow vegetables from seed as well as how to cook them to maximize taste and health value!

Oakhurst Community Garden in Decatur has published its upcoming list of gardening classes, including everything from beehives to slow food eating to worm composting to holiday glass dishes! I’ve had people suggest adding a calendar to this site and I need to work on that, especially with all of the Atlanta events coming up for the holidays. In the meantime, continue to click on my “Events” category in the right sidebar and read on for more from the Oakhurst Community Garden! And there is indoor classroom space, too. Sign up online here!

Build a Beehive
Students will work together to assemble standard hives from an ordered kit. Instruction will also include hands on work with mounting foundations and frames. If the weather cooperates, the class will also work with directly with the bees.
Sunday, November 1, 3-5 p.m.
$15 Garden Members, $20 non-members

Lasagna Gardening: Not Cooking, but Gardening!
This is not a cooking class or a gardening class that talks about growing ingredients for the perfect lasagna, but rather a method that requires no digging, no tilling, or removing your grass. It’s true! Join Amy Hanlder in this hands-on class to learn about a nontraditional method of layering organic matter to create a rich bed ready to plant with greens for the fall and summer veggies next spring.
Saturday, November 7, 3-5 p.m.
$15 Garden members, $20 non-members

Create a Holiday Glass Dish
Join Brenda Griffith in this all ages class as you create a 7.5 inch round glass bowl using an assortment of colors. The glass will be slumped over a mold, fired, and ultimately you will have new bowl created by you just in time for the holidays. Class will take place at Brenda’s studio at 2480 Memorial Drive. (4-9 year olds need to be accompanied by an adult, 10 and up can be dropped off.) Each session is limited to 8 participants / pairs.
Sunday, November 8, 1-3 p.m. or Tuesday, November 17, 6-8 p.m.
$35 for Garden members, $40 for non-members. Fee includes 1 bowl per person/pair.

Cheap and Healthy Food Come and learn techniques for saving money and eat dinner with Charli Vogt, RN, who loves doing anything that involves the kitchen. She will take you through the process of shopping, planning, preparing and eating the meal. Research has shown that you save money if you go to the store with a list. Each student will receive a grocery list, a planning form for a week of food, and recipes for 4 different meals that are easy, cheap and healthy. Plan to eat one of these meals with us. Use of the pressure cooker and slow cooker will be covered. Check out Charli’s Website: www.CharliVogt.com.
Thursday, November 12, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
$25 for Garden members, $30 for non-members

Worm Compost: The Basics of Great Worm P–p!
Learn about the benefits of composting with worms. According to the EPA, approximately 10% of the waste stream is food and over 38% of the waste stream is paper. These materials can be used as food and bedding for a worm bin. It’s easy, fun, odorless and produces a great soil additive! Class participants will learn how to house, feed, harvest and care for their own worms. Be prepared to roll-up your sleeves and make your own worm bin including the instructions and worms ready to start composting. From ages 6 and up, accompanied by a parent.
Saturday, November 14, 10 a.m.-noon
$35 for Garden members, $40 for non-members

Gluten-Free Desserts for the Holidays
Learn to make Gluten-Free Desserts that your guests will prefer over the others. Taught by Charli Vogt, RN, MN, MPH. Charli has a private practice in mind/body medicine in Decatur. Her enthusiasm for helping people be well through food is evident in her classes. Students come
back to learn again and again. In this hands-on class be ready to cook and to sample what we make. Bring containers to carry home samples, (if we don’t eat them all). www.CharliVogt.com
Thursday, November 19, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
$30 for Garden members, $35 for non-members

Winter Sowing a Perennial Garden
An innovative way to successfully start plants from seed without the expense of an extensive lightstand or even a greenhouse! Using plastic containers and the freeze/thaw cycles of winter….find out more by joining Glynis Ward in this fun and educational class. Native and
non-native perennial seeds, soil and supplies are provided, you bring as many clear and opaque recyclable containers as you would like: milk jugs, soda, water or juice bottles, plastic food tubs with lids, clear take-out “hamburger” boxes.
Monday, November 30, 7 – 9 p.m. $20 Garden members, $25 non-members

The Oakhurst Community Garden Project is located at 435 Oakview Road, Decatur, GA 30030 and you can reach them at 678-642-4977! Online at www.oakhurstgarden.org.

• What: Atlanta Science Café
• When: the first event is Tuesday, October 13th from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
  
• Where: ChocoLaté Coffee on Lavista Road (map it!)
• Topic: Climate Change: Past, Present & Future
• Speaker: Kim Cobb, School of Earth and Atmospheric Science Georgia Institute of Technology

Thanks to Hussein Sayani for sending this along! And thanks for the calendar idea, too, Hussein!

• There’s a lot more under-the-breath swearing that goes on while trail running…
• The scenery while trail running is usually amazing! Even though you don’t necessarily get to see that much of it since you’re concentrating on every step…
• I’m okay with a run / hike combination on trails whereas when running, my ego doesn’t often let me run / walk, which makes trail running more enjoyable. (I would venture to say I feel less competitive on trails, but we’ll see after my first trail race…)
• You’re a little more likely to sprain your ankle running on trails versus roads.
• When trail running, I hit my squirrel zone earlier. If you’ve ever run with me before, you’ve probably heard me talk about the squirrel zone. It’s the point you reach while running where your mind and body are so tired that you can’t be trusted with logical decisions. Poor judgment prevails and it would be in your best interest to have someone looking out for you (so you don’t cross roads into oncoming traffic, etc.). On streets, this usually hits around mile 18-20, but on trails, I’ve found it happens in the early teens. This is due, in part, to the constant mindfulness of every single step as well as the dappled sunlight – which sounds romantic, but actually kind-of messes with your eyes as you keep running in and out of shaded leafy patterns.
• Trail running should be easier on your body since you’re not pounding pavement, however, we’re still trying to figure out if we end up more sore from trail running than road running. Last weekend, after 15 miles in Blue Ridge, I was pretty sore, but I hadn’t really been before that. We’ll see after today’s run – perhaps it’s just that you’re using more muscles and in different ways when you’re on trails?…
• You don’t usually get a view like this when running on roads:

Taking a break by Sweetwater Creek after running for a few hours

• If you’re lucky, you get to do this after a trail run:

Why not lie down in the river and cool off? You can't do that on streets!

When I started out this morning, I took the blue trail to the white trail loop (5 miles) and then did that same loop in reverse. Following that, I cut back through the parking lot by the interpretative center, and headed out to the yellow trail loop (3 miles) to do that twice. Several months ago, Zack and I did the blue-white loop and I loved it because parts of it were pretty technically challenging (roots, stumps, boulders, etc.) and enjoyed it just as much this time (except for the never-ending hill halfway through the white trail, but even that wasn’t as bad as I remembered it). Then it was pretty straightforward, open trail back to the parking lot. The part where the trail runs through the woods on the soft ground is a pleasant change of pace. Both trails follow along the river for sections and have hilly parts for your running enjoyment. When it came to the latter legs of my workout, perhaps I should have done a better evaluation before choosing to do the yellow loop second…

The yellow loop runs north of the other two and consists of a steep hill, intense enough to where I was cursing it as I was walking part of the way up and wondering how I was going to do this loop again. Of course, what goes up, must come down, and the downhill on the other side was quick and dirty. So by the time I made it back to the parking lot and coerced myself into leaving the proximity of my car and heading back out again, I had decided to do the loop backwards, which proved to be better since the hill going that way was steeper, but took less time. And all I wanted at that point was to get in the water!

On a side note, another thing to love about Sweetwater State Park is their platinum LEED certified interpretive center / visitor’s center. More to come in a separate blog post, but here is a photo of the green roof and building:

Sweetwater State Park's interpretive center is platinum LEED certified by the U.S. Green Building Council

You can also take a Green Building Tour and the upcoming dates are:

• Sunday, Sep 13, 2009 2 PM to 3:30 PM
• Sunday, Oct 18, 2009 2 PM to 3:30 PM

The cost is $5 plus $5 to park. You’ll learn about environmentally-friendly buildings, sustainability, and what sets this one apart. Please call 770.732.5871 for more information!

And if you’re a fan of Georgia’s parks, you may want to check out the Friends of Georgia State Parks website here!

Check out this new report from the Trust for Public Land on the economic and health benefits of parks and greenspace!

Today, I downloaded the Trust for Public Land’s (TPL) latest report on the economic benefits of parks and conservation, Conservation: An Investment That Pays. The goal of this white paper from the Trust for Public Land is stated on the website and in the forward to the report:

Conservation: An Investment That Pays… is intended to help agency personnel and community conservationists make the case for conservation as a long-term economic investment. Too often, we still hear the argument that creating parks and conserving land is too expensive, especially in hard economic times. We hope that the research and many examples cited in the report will help you to promote conservation for its many benefits, including the boost parks and open space can give to a community’s bottom line.

Conservation: An Investment That Pays includes covers the following environmental topics in the 31 page report:

• Parks boost land values and property taxes
• Parks boost local economies by attracting businesses and residents
• Good parks encourage economic development
• Conservation as a money-saving alternative to some development
• Preserving the value of ecosystem services
• Parks reduce health care costs

Now it’s time for me to get to reading! A brief skimming of the text seems to give a number of great examples of the benefits of parks and greenspace and I’m looking forward to reading it more in-depth. Many of us would love to see more preservation of Atlanta and Georgia parks and greenspace and the green economic benefits derived from conservation!

Download the report here!

Southface is gearing up for Greenprints 2010 and we’d like your help!

Have a great topic to present? Here’s your opportunity! Southface is accepting presentation proposals from now until August 14, 2009 for Greenprints 2010, which will be held in Atlanta in March 2010.

These are the major topic categories for which we are currently seeking presentation proposals:

Case Studies

• Outstanding Green Buildings – Performance Metrics and Lessons Learned
• Under-performing Green Buildings – Underlying Problems & Solutions
• Successful Multi-agency and Utilities Partnerships

Green Building Design, Construction and Management

• Existing Building Improvements and Performance Monitoring
• Net Zero Water Strategies
• Site Planning and Water Management Strategies
• Ecological Construction and Deconstruction Principles

Innovative Technologies

Green Jobs

• The “Green Movement” as a Driving Factor for Workforce Development

Policy and Greening Municipal Infrastructure

• Rebuilding and Greening the Suburban or Rural Markets
• The “Green Movement” as a Driving Factor for Economic Development
• Innovative Policy Incentives for Reducing Water and Energy Consumption
• Municipalities Striving to Meet the 2030 Challenge
• Incorporating Sustainability into a Business Model and Organizational Structure

Now in its 12th year, Greenprints is the Southeast’s most vibrant and successful green building conference and tradeshow. It attracts hundreds of professionals and practitioners from the fields of architecture, interior design, land-use planning, facility management, real estate development and engineering. Policy makers, journalists and interested citizens round out Greenprints’ dynamic and influential audience.

Please click here to access the Acrobat-enabled Greenprints Call for Presentations Form.