• Want to see a Georgia grass-fed beef farm in action? Visit Will Harris and White Oak Pastures!

• Part II: The land, sustainability, and Serengeti model of Georgia grass-fed beef farm, White Oak Pastures

Since writing those two parts, White Oak Pastures has undergone a small revolution. They have since built an abattoir specifically for chickens and turkeys (Will was just embarking on his chicken adventures when we visited). This is a huge leap for a family ranch that’s been focused on beef since the 1800′s.

When we visited last year, Will was just embarking on his sustainable chicken adventures with his first shipments of baby chicks. He let us into the coops to take a look at the cute little ones.

Will’s other projects involve his commitment to zero waste (sustainability is discussed in-depth in part II). His $283,000 solar voltaic shed produces 50,000 watts of power (the average household uses roughly 1500 a day). At the time of our last visit, he had plans to double that production.

Underground, he has a 36,000 gallon water purification system with which to run his abattoirs.

And what to do with all of those odd animal parts that we Americans tend to shy away from? Will sells them into ethnic markets, another way he ensures that every part of every one of his creatures is utilized.

Every year, Will plans to plant 500 white oaks around his property, lining fields, roads, and providing shade for his herds. I can imagine how stately the white oaks lining the driveway will look when they’re all grown up.

Will also keeps a big part of history in a bowl in his office – coins that his family used to mint. From 1866 through the 1940′s, the Harris family had their own monetary system on the farm, until the government kindly asked them to shut down production.

In the interest of historic preservation, Will’s daughter (and marketing guru) Jenni is renovating Will’s mother’s house on the property. Situated just off of the road, the house sits in close proximity to the fields and a grove of trees where the cows come to rest.

On a random side note, one of my favorite quotes from Will regarding working with his staff:

You get 27 ranchers and butchers together, you’ll only have four main problems: liquor, money, women, and the law.

When Zack and I got engaged last year, we knew it was the perfect reason to buy a whole (or at least half) cow from Will. We also realized a caterer might not be happy with having to prepare so many different types of beef. So we decided to go with ground beef and chicken from White Oak Pastures. We’re striving to keep our wedding as local and as zero waste as possible and are happy that the Harris family can be a part of that (I don’t plan on talking wedding too much, but there may be more to come on green Atlanta weddings in the future).

White Oak Pastures has a new facebook page, too, so be sure to check it out!

That completes part III of White Oak Pastures! As you’re out and about in Atlanta, ask where people get their meat from. We have a lot of wonderful farms in Georgia and, the more we ask our restaurants and our grocery stores about where they get their food, the more they will pay attention. We’re the ones who hold the money in our wallets and tell them what we want every time we make a purchase. We’ve watched Publix carry more and more White Oak beef as we keep buying it up.

Encourage your friends to make the switch to local, grass-fed beef, too. One of the best ways we’ve found is to simply cook it for people. Have friends over for dinner and throw burgers, sirloin steaks, or tenderloin on the grill and let them taste the difference. Hopefully that will help convince them! Happy eating!



Check your insulation

By far the largest single chunk of the average electricity bill goes toward heating and cooling your home, and proper insulation can make a sizeable difference.  The DoE estimates that only 20% of homes built before 1980 are sufficiently insulated, so it’s worth examining your insulation. However, be aware that many homes built before 1980 also contain asbestos, as it added heat resistance to the construction materials it was combined with.  Inhalation of asbestos fibers can lead to lung diseases or cancer.  Symptoms of mesothelioma can remain latent until the disease is past the point of treatment.  If you suspect you may have fraying or damaged insulation in your home, call a licensed asbestos abatement team to remove it.  Insulation and fireproofing materials in the U.S. now contain no more than 1% asbestos, but it is still best to check the packaging to make sure – mesothelioma symptoms are serious.

Test for air leaks



Cracks and gaps in or around doors, windows, electrical boxes and outlets, plumbing, ceiling fixtures and attic hatches can leak cooled or heated air into the surrounding environment, draining money and energy.  A simple way to check for leaks on a windy day is to hold a lit stick of incense or other smoke-producing item near the suspected crack.  If the smoke is blow horizontally, there is a leak.  Dirty spots on insulation, ceilings, and carpeting can also indicate air leaks.

Consider your windows

Double-paned windows with high-performance glass and an Energy Star label can go a long way toward improving energy efficiency.  However, the cost of replacing all the windows in the house is often prohibitive, so you may consider other methods of minimizing energy loss.  Those in cold climates can install tight-fitting window shades or storm windows, or tape heavy-duty clear plastic to the interior of windows.  Those in warm climates can install light-reflective white window shades or sun-controlling films, as well as remember to close curtains on south and west-facing windows while the sun is up.

Remember your chimney

If you have a chimney, keep the flue damper shut when there is no fire in the fireplace.  Otherwise, it’s essentially just a large hole where air can escape.  If the flue is old, consider investing in an inflatable chimney balloon to seal the gaps during long periods of non-use. A chimney is another location where asbestos has been found in your home. Due to the durable and heat resistant nature of this fiber, it has been used to line chimneys for many decades. Mesothelioma life expectancy is extremely poor and not an issue you want to take chances with.

Replace (or Reduce Your Use of) Appliances

Refrigerators, clothes washers, and clothes dryers top the list of electricity-draining appliances.  When shopping for new appliances, look for the Energy Star label that denotes energy efficiency.  If your budget does not allow for new appliances, find ways to use the ones you have a little less often.  Let clothes air dry, wash dishes by hand, cook with the microwave instead of the oven.  Turn all appliances – even the computer – off when not in use.

Adding a few simple green habits to your day-to-day routine can make a big difference in your energy consumption, quality of life, and finances.

Thanks to Krista Peterson for guest blogging this article!

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.

Part II: White Oak Pastures’ land and sustainability

White Oak Pastures is a zero waste farm that operates under the Serengeti model. If you’ve ever read Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, you were introduced to the Serengeti model via farmer Joel Salatin and Polyface Farms in Virginia (and Will Harris has read every book Pollan has written). The Serengeti method is inspired by the simplicity, yet depth and richness, of African grasslands and the way animals interact with the land. Larger ruminants (mammals that partially digest vegetation, regurgitate cud, and rechew it for maximum nutrition) graze the land first. When they move on, they’re followed by smaller ruminants who may graze upon different types of grasses in the same field. Next come the birds, that feed on the bugs and insects in the grass.

Will cycles the cattle, sheep, turkeys, and chickens through different fields and spreads out mixtures of compost and organically-produced fertilizer to enrich the soil, native grasses, and hay. Which brings me back to the tour we started in part I of this series. After our tour of the abattoir, we knew what happened to the edible parts of the cow, but what about everything else?

The Afterlife

Will loaded us up in his truck (Zack, me, and two more guests who were in the right place at the right time) to show us around the farm. In a large pavilion adjacent to the abattoir, we stopped for a moment to talk to a man operating a large machine. Will explained that this aerobic / anaerobic digester turned the blood and viscera of the cattle into a liquid, organic fertilizer for use on the fields. Once the cattle are rotated to the next field, gallons of the blood fertilizer are spread over the ground, adding richness to the south Georgia soil. I asked Will how long would he wait before letting the animals back on those fields? He said he believes everything is absorbed within a week, but he waits 45 days just to be safe.

We pulled up to a series of whitish mounds, to which Will said, “Here’s a part of the process that’s a little unpleasant to look at.” Curiosity piqued, I looked out the window and saw scattered shapes in the grass leading up to the pile. As I realized what we were looking at, Will explained that these were bone piles, where the bones from his abattoir scraps were brought out to the farm to dry. As part of the zero waste model, everything is disposed of in an environmentally sound way and, in this case, the bones are ground and then applied to the pastures’ soil to provide calcium and phosphorous.

In keeping with zero waste, the cattle's bones are piled up to dry, later to be ground into bone meal. Blood and viscera are digested to become liquid, organic fertilizer.

We passed compost piles, hay bales from Will’s fields that help feed the cattle (no corn or soy here like you would find in industrial farms – the ruminants’ stomach isn’t biologically designed to handle anything but grasses and vegetation), and the barn where the hides are stored. Every cow’s hide is stacked with wet side facing up and salted for preservation. Every 600 hides, they’re shipped out to Louisville, Kentucky, where they are transformed into leather.

The Beginnings

So how many heads of cattle does it take to enable White Oak Pastures to slaughter 25 cows a day (equaling ~9,500 pounds of boned out beef)? How does the birth to death cycle progress? Here are a few numbers:

• 34 – the number of bulls on the farm for procreation purposes
• 678 – the number of cows on the farm to birth the calves
• ~1,400 – the number of cattle being raised at any given time for slaughter
• 283 – the number of days in the gestation cycle of a cow
• 18 – the very high end number of calves a cow could give birth to in her life (gotta have good birthing hips)
• 8 – the number of months after a calf is born that he is weaned from his mother (the calves born around the same time move together away from their mothers and stay together as a herd until slaughter)
• 30 – the number of months that the USDA regulates cattle must be slaughtered within (the young age helps drastically lessen the chance of mad cow disease)
• 26 – the number of months that Whole Foods requires their suppliers to slaughter cattle within
• 24 – the number of months at which White Oak Pastures slaughters their cattle
• 1 – the number of Great Pyrenees dogs that grow up with, guard, and protect each herd of cattle

#1: These cattle are about four days away from slaughter and have spent their whole lives freely roaming and grazing on sweet native grasses; #2: Will's goat and sheep herd gathered in the shade (the house he grew up in is just to the right of this photo)

Throughout their lives, the cows remain completely free range and grassfed. Will grows hay on the farm, too, to harvest and feed the animals. Open air, sunshine, and food that is rooted in the ground shouldn’t be such unattainable goals, yet they seem incredibly inconvenient for much of the nation’s beef producers. White Oak Pastures used to feed the industrial meat industry, a natural transgression from its beginnings feeding local residents from the farm in 1866 into the age of mass consumption, but in 1995, Will began to reverse the process. While he says it’s still a work in progress, I’d say it’s a pretty amazing accomplishment.

“All of our cattle are born, raised, and harvested to meet our USDA Approved Grassfed Protocol. [This protocol prevents the use of artificial hormones, confinement feeding, animal by-products, antibiotics, etc.]“
- White Oak Pastures brochure

Will acknowledges that grass-fed beef will never dominate the market, that people will still buy the super-cheap meat on sale in a big box store, but they might never be his audience either (although I wish they were). However, demand is increasing and White Oak Pastures is certainly garnering attention (in fact, the morning I put up part I, the AJC ran an article about White Oak Pastures). They own the only on-farm, USDA-inspected, grassfed beef processing plant in the nation and have won taste-testing contests, so it’s no surprise why. Zack is slowly getting our friends and family hooked on White Oak Pastures’ beef, whether for moral, ecological, economical, or flavor reasons – and it’s working. His friend Jason tackled a two-pound steak a few weeks ago:

Jason put down this two pound White Oak Pastures steak in the face of obvious skepticism (as evidenced by Vince's face in the background)

At the end of the day, Zack and I pulled our cooler out of the car and started picking out meat that Will had ready to go in a cooler at the front of his store. The other couple who joined us made their selections as well to take up to their 40 family members up the road. As she got out her card to pay, Will said:

“Why don’t you mail me a check? I don’t know how to work the credit card machine.” That’s good ol’ Southern faith in people.

Zack and I brought our cooler to buy beef directly from White Oak Pastures' grass-fed beef farm in southern Georgia

Next up in part III: Will’s other projects. That’s right, it doesn’t end with beef. So stay tuned for chickens, solar voltaic sheds, white oaks, and veggie patches. You’ll also get to meet the farm dogs and who doesn’t like farm dogs?

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.

Here are more details on how to nominate someone for the Cox Conserves Heroes award:

Nominations are being accepted through August 20 at 5:00 p.m. To nominate an individual, visit www.wsbtv.com/community. (Eligible nominees cannot receive financial compensation for their conservation work.)

Following the nomination stage, the Cox Conserves Judging Circle, a group of local environmental and civic leaders, will select five finalists. The winning Hero, chosen by an online public vote, will be awarded $5,000 to donate to the environmental nonprofit of his or her choice. The four finalists will each receive $1,250 to donate to their nonprofits of choice.

Atlanta’s 2010 Cox Conserves Heroes Timeline:

• July 19 – August 20: Call for Nominations – Nominations accepted online. To nominate an individual, visit www.wsbtv.com/community.
• October 11 – November 8: Cast Your Vote – Videos of the finalists are posted and the public votes.
• Mid-November: Winner Announcement – Atlanta’s 2010 Cox Conserves Hero will be revealed.

This is the second year for Atlanta’s Cox Conserves Heroes program. Don Wells – an advocate for conserving and enjoying the open spaces of the North Georgia Mountains – was named Atlanta’s 2009 Cox Conserves Hero. As Wells’ environmental nonprofit of choice, Mountain Stewards received $5,000 that was used to build new public trails and connect students with nature through outdoor classrooms. The 2009 finalists were Angelou Ezeilo, Evonne Blythers, Doug Williams and R.R. Harris.

The Cox Conserves Heroes program was created through a partnership between The Trust for Public Land and Cox Enterprises, the parent company of Channel 2 WSB-TV, to honor everyday conservationists. The program also runs in New Orleans, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. For more information, visit www.CoxConservesHeroes.com or find us on Facebook.

In the meantime, homeowners need to “do their homework.” The bill offers two rebate programs and each one has unique requirements:

The Silver Star program provides a $1,000 rebate for each retrofit described in the bill. The maximum amount paid out will be $3,000 or 50% of the total cost, whichever is lower. For example, if a homeowner spends a total of $4,000 on eligible retrofits, they will get $2,000 or 50% back as a rebate. If they spend $8,000 on eligible retrofits, they would only receive $3,000 in rebates instead of $4,000 (which would be 50% of the cost).

To qualify for the Gold Star program, homeowners must reduce their total home energy consumption by 20%. A $3,000 rebate will be rewarded for this reduction. Homeowners can receive an additional $1,000 for each additional 5% reduction, up to a total rebate of $8,000 or 50% of the total retrofit cost. Rebates may be provided for any of the retrofits listed under the Silver Star program, or for any other energy-saving measure, including: home energy management systems, high-efficiency appliances, highly reflective roofing, awnings, canopies, and similar external fenestration (window) attachments, automatic boiler water temperature controllers, energy-efficient wood products, insulated vinyl siding, and mechanical air circulation and heat exchangers in a passive-solar home.

The Home Star bill also outlines 13 different types of retrofits eligible for funding. Again, each one has unique requirements and rebate amounts. Fortunately there are many online resources that provide details. For example, Estimating Software Advice has created an easy-to-read table that lists the 13 retrofits, along with their eligibility details:

Click here to continue reading their report! And thanks to Houston of Software Advice for sharing this. I’ve been thinking of some energy improvements I’d like to do to my house – maybe I’ll take care of those this fall!

I wanted to share info on a new social networking community for tree enthusiasts called The Grove (www.AmericanGrove.org/thegrove). The site launched this spring to encourage families to plant more trees in their neighborhoods, and we have our own community on the site – the Georgia Grove (http://www.americangrove.org/ga/).

The goal of the site is to inspire people to plant trees to counteract our shrinking urban tree canopy. The Grove helps potential tree planters get started by including a tree match tool that pairs tree meanings with life events — such as the birth of a child — or to honor the memory of a loved one. The site also shares tree care and planting tips and articles about sustainable living. Visitors to The Grove can even upload pictures with captions of trees they planted.

I hope this site can serve as a fun tool to help us keep Atlanta green.

Me, too!

Read on for the press release here and let me know what you think once you’ve had a chance to try it!

Oh yeah, BONUS! You know the car wash at the corner of Virginia and North Highland in the heart of Virginia Highland? That’s already slated for the next YEAH! Burger, opening this fall (thanks to my inside connection at work, who’s brother is one of the investors making this happen).

Shaun Doty to Launch YEAH! BURGER at White Provision in June 2010
Established local chef will open a 2,400-square-foot eco-friendly, fast-casual burger eatery in Atlanta’s Westside community

ATLANTA (May 25, 2010) – Leading real estate investment firm Jamestown announced today that celebrated Chef Shaun Doty of Shaun’s in Inman Park and entrepreneur Erik Maier will open YEAH! BURGER at White Provision, a restored mixed-use project that delivers distinctive restaurant space, condo units, retail, showroom and office space in Westside Atlanta. Opening on Thursday, June 10, the restaurant will feature customizable burgers made with White Oak Pastures grass-fed beef from South Georgia, nitrate-free hot dogs, hand-cut French fries, organic salads and Straus Family Creamery organic ice cream, all served in a comfortable “California casual” setting. YEAH! BURGER re-imagines the classic American burger joint as a fast-casual eatery with a strong commitment to real, all-natural ingredients and sustainability.

“We are proud to welcome YEAH! BURGER to White Provision. Shaun Doty is an Atlanta industry veteran who will further establish our community as a premier dining and shopping destination on the Westside,” said Chris Faussemagne, principal of White Provision Development Company. “Doty has embraced the story of White Provision as he developed his restaurant, and we are confident it will be an excellent addition to our vibrant, sustainable mixed-use district.”

As the newest restaurant addition to White Provision, Doty’s burger venture will become part of a thriving culinary community that includes rustic and casual dining from acclaimed Chefs Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison at Abattoir, local favorite West Egg Café and the neighborhood tavern Ormsby’s from restaurateur Warren Bruno. Just steps away, Bacchanalia, Quinones at Bacchanalia, Star Provisions and JCT. Kitchen & Bar, as well as the casual eateries FIGO Pasta and Taqueria del Sol, add to the local flavor at Westside Provisions District, a joint community combining White Provision and Westside Urban Market.

Doty is a nationally acclaimed chef recognized for his ingredient-driven cuisine, simple preparations and responsible environmental practices. His namesake restaurant, Shaun’s, opened in Atlanta in 2006 to numerous local and national accolades, including a spot on Esquire’s Best New Restaurants list in 2007. Located at 1168 Howell Mill Road at 14th Street, YEAH! BURGER will serve organic burgers, salads, shakes and more Sunday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. For more information, visit www.yeahburger.com.

White Provision
White Provision is a distinctive, modern destination forming Midtown Atlanta’s gateway to the Westside neighborhood at the corner of 14th Street and Howell Mill Road. Under the direction of developers Chris Faussemagne, Mike Millett, and Michael Phillips, and leading asset acquisition and management firm Jamestown, this sophisticated mixed-use project delivers an artistic, upscale synergy among office space, 94 innovative and elegant condominium units, and highly desirable boutique retail, showroom and restaurant space. In transforming the Westside Atlanta community, White Provision cultivates a complementary mix of commercial tenants and residential buyers to create a natural extension of the neighborhood identity. With a dedication to aesthetics and authenticity, the team’s vision for White Provision centers on lasting quality, long-term value and a sense of community.

The sales center at White Provision, located at 1100 Howell Mill Road, is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and can be reached at 404.815.0460. Visit White Provision at 1170 Howell Mill Road or online at www.whiteprovision.com.

###

MEDIA CONTACT:
White Provision and Jamestown:
Kelly Spikes / Taylor Trepte
v. 404.888.9348
f. 404.888.9349
kspikes@thereynoldsgroupinc.com
taylor@thereynoldsgroupinc.com

YEAH! Burger and Chef Shaun Doty:
Melissa Libby & Associates
McCall Mastroianni
v. 404.816.3068
mccall@melissalibbypr.com

Of the over 4,300 people who have earned the Green Designation, approximately 60 of them are property managers. Even though NAR’s Green Designation is only a 18-hour course, it can lay an important foundation in sustainability for property manager.

And how can green property management make a significant impact on our environment? Chris explains:

One of the main reasons why green property management is becoming increasingly important is the fact that buildings account for 50-80% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Many experts are pointing to reducing building greenhouse gas emissions as the most effective and least cost-prohibitive way to fight global warming.

In addition, there are approximately 300,000 property managers in the United States, managing over 90 million tenants. That’s nearly one-third of the U.S. population depending on another person to manage their building’s sustainability.

Instead of just one home owner responsible for greening one home, a property manager has the opportunity to engage many residents in the practices of sustainable living and reduce their carbon footprint through community-wide changes to properties.

Read the full article here: Ask your landlord about their green credentials.

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.

A company called Software Advice (whom we have heard from on this blog before regarding paperless blueprints), offers a few stunning facts:

We think paper receipts are a wasteful vestige of the last millennium. There is no reason – legal or otherwise – why consumers or retailers need paper receipts. Electronic receipts are completely valid and far more efficient. Not to mention, the production of paper receipts do some real damage to our environment.

9,600,000 millions trees are cut down each year just to produce paper receipts.

249,600,000 gallons of oil are used to produce paper receipts.

The amount of CO2 emitted by producing one ton of receipt paper is equivalent to the amount of exhaust a car emits while driving for an entire year. That’s 640,000 cars driving 24/7 for an entire year.

1,220,800,000 gallons of water are used during the production process of receipt paper.

Approximately 2,278 lbs of trash is produced while producing a single ton of receipt paper. This means 1,457,920,000 lbs of trash are being fed into our landfill. This produces enough CO2 emissions to significantly damage the earth’s ozone layer, leading to global warming.

What are you thoughts? Take their short poll on paper receipts (it’s one question) and let’s start moving towards a more modern way of doing business!

P.S. I’m not going to miss those handy coupons on the back of my grocery store receipts that I have never, ever ended up using…

Update and results (May 20th, 2010):

Houston with Software Advice sent along the below chart with the results for the paperless receipts poll, with the overwhleming majority voting in favor of electronic records!

An overwheleming majority of poll-takers expressed their support of getting rid of paper recipts

Please bring a reusable water bottle and gloves; tools will be provided.

• The clean-up on the west side will be on Saturday, May 1st at 9 a.m. – meet at Gordon White Park.
• The clean-up on the east side will be on Sunday, May 2nd at 1 p.m. – meet at the intersection of Somerset and the BeltLine.

Please visit the Hands on Atlanta site here for full details, directions, and to RSVP. You can also email me, Jenny, at jenny.p@mac.com.

Thanks so much to Gina with the Atlanta ToolBank, Kim with Hands on Atlanta, Keep Atlanta Beautiful, and the BeltLine team for helping to make these two Art on the BeltLine clean-ups happen!

About Art on the BeltLine:

Join us May through October 2010 as we celebrate the reawakening of old railroad corridor as Atlanta’s new public place with a kick-off arts event staged from late spring through summer. This spring, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. plans to open nearly 8 miles of the future BeltLine corridor to pedestrians and off-road bicyclists via an interim trail. Visual arts, performing arts and historic site interpretation will direct the public’s attention to this amazing resource that encircles downtown Atlanta!  Potential projects are expected to include temporary sculptures and visual installations, environmental art, murals, transformations of building facades that border the corridor, public performances and more. There also will be a series of historic markers and way-finding signs to orient and introduce the public to Atlanta’s new linear greenway.

Earth Day in Decatur's Oakhurst Community Garden!

A mere 40 years ago, the first Earth Day was proudly declared in April and, this year, the City of Decatur and the Oakhurst Community Garden invite you out for the city’s official Earth Day celebration! If you didn’t make it out for the spring plant sale in the garden last week, now is your chance to explore the blooming garden in the weekend sunshine (I ended up going to the plant sale twice last weekend, once to sneak in early so I didn’t miss out on the Romaine lettuce this year and another time to take friends back!).

• What: Earth Day in Decatur
• When: Sunday, April 18, 2010
  12:30 p.m.: kick-off parade in Harmony Park
  1 – 4 p.m.: Earth Day festivities at the community pavilions within the Oakhurst Garden
• Where: Oakhurst Community Garden (map it!)
• Cost: Free!! So bring the whole family!
• Events include:

• Kids’ crafts
• Live music, including the Tessitura Drummers, Morgan Rowe, Sydney Rhame and others
• A live raptor show!
• Special Earth Day t-shirt contest
• Checkin’ out the resident chicks and bees in the garden
• World Famous Cake Contest
• Book reading event
• 30 tables with educational and environmentally-friendly vendors

The Decatur Earth Day is brought to you by the City of Decatur Environmental Sustainability Board, Decatur Active Living Center, Agnes Scott College, the Waldorf School of Atlanta, the Oakhurst Cooperative Preschool, the Decatur Farm to School Initiative, and Oakhurst Community Garden. You can friend the Earth Day in Decatur festival on facebook, too!

Thanks to Gary Garrett, the Chair of Decatur’s Environmental Sustainability Board, for sending this along!

Questions? You can contact Mary Larsen, Volunteer Coordinator of the Fernbank Science Center at 678-874-7116 or larsenm@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us. I’m sure she’d be happy to add you to her mailing list to find out about all of the plant sales.

Not yet a Georgia Conservancy member? No worries – it’s just $15 for friends and you get a one-year membership. Information will be available to sign up for Generation Green events and trips for 2010.

• What: Save Water, Drink Beer!
• When: March 29th, 2010 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
• Where: Sweetwater Brewing Company (map it!)
• How much: $10 for Georgia Conservancy members and $15 for non-members (includes a one-year membership)

Click here for full event details on the Georgia Conservancy website (and look for it on facebook!) and register today!

If you would like to pay by check, you can also contact Bryan Schroeder, membership coordinator, at (404) 876-2900 x 110 or bschroeder@gaconservancy.org.

the bamboo forest in the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve (thanks to HamWithCam for use of this photo!)

Tucked away in a quiet cul-de-sac in Medlock Park (and backing up to the Saturn dealership on Lawrenceville Highway) is a lovely, hidden nature preserve with trails, a bamboo forest, learning centers, wetlands, bird-watching outposts, and more. If you would like to discover the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve for yourself, this Sunday, March 7th, 2010 (and one Sunday of each month) is the perfect opportunity with volunteer work days at the preserve!

From 9 a.m. until noon, join your Decatur neighbors and friends to help mulch trails, remove invasive plants, and more. Be sure to bring work gloves and a water bottle!

For more information, please visit the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve website.

And mark your calendars for the upcoming workdays through summer 2010:

• April 17 – Volunteer Day 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
• May 2 – Volunteer Day 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
• June 5 – Volunteer Day 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
• July 11 – Volunteer Day 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM

Directions to Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve:

To get to the Nature Preserve take Medlock Road north to Medlock Elementary School. Turn right onto Wood Trail Lane and follow to the preserve entrance. For complete directions and for more information, visit the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve website, leave a detailed message at 678-951-0105, or email information@cshepherdpreserve.org.

The March walk-and-talk session will be held this Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 9 a.m. Meet at the Intown Hardware parking lot on North Highland and bring your own gloves!

You can read more about Virginia Highland events (and their tree sale on March 13th – post coming soon!) on the Virginia Highland Civic Association website.

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!

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