• What: Toolapalooza 2010
• When: Tuesday, August 31st from 7 – 10 p.m.
• Where: STATS in downtown Atlanta, 300 Marietta Street, 30310 (by the Omni Hotel)
• How much: $20 gets you in and gets you two free drinks, food, and live music. Click here to order online!
• Bonus! You might win an iPad! You can purchase raffle tickets or, better yet, bring a pair of suede leather work gloves for a FREE raffle ticket and a chance for your very own iPad.

“What is the Atlanta ToolBank and why should I go?” The Atlanta ToolBank is a non-profit that supplies tools to other non-profits and organizations to help them work on project they wouldn’t otherwise have the resources to accomplish. Thanks to Gina, CJ, Patty, and the team, we’ve been able to borrow hundreds of dollars worth of tools to help clean the Atlanta BeltLine, install artists’ work for Art on the BeltLine, and more. So next time your organization has a charitable cause they’re working towards and need to borrow the tools to make it happen, visit the Atlanta ToolBank!

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!

It‘s time to install art on the Beltline!!!

Come be a part of the art! Help hang those beautiful, wild, and creative birds that you and your neighbors made. Give a hand to groom the grounds of The Pardoned Eden garden. Participate in placing the perfect punctuation to a community art project!

Saturday, May 29 and Sunday, May 30 from 10-5 behind the Depot on Memorial Drive.

Rakes, shovels, ladders, wire, and other knickknacks are appreciated. Woman power, man power, child power and everything-in-between power are needed!

It’ll be a party (with some of the fixins).

You do not have to be a resident to come help. You do not have to be an artist. You do not have to have made a bird or participated in this project before. ALL ARE WELCOME!

In case you haven’t heard, The Cabbagetown Artist Tribe was awarded the opportunity to contribute art to the Atlanta Beltline, which will be popping up around Atlanta this spring. It’s a community art project and your neighbors spent the last two weekends making beautiful and creative birds as part of the project. Now it’s time to install and complete the work. Come join and be a part of it!

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!

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.

Some of our volunteer opportunities include staffing the booth at local festivals, becoming a BeltLine Ambassador, administrative help in the office, Art on the BeltLine, social networking, and much, much more!

• What: BeltLine Volunteer Kick-Off 2010
• When: March 18th from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
• Where: Park Tavern on Piedmont Park at the corner of Monroe and 10^th Street in Midtown

Busy summer schedule? Not sure if you’ll have time to volunteer? We still encourage you to come out anyway so you’re trained and prepared to volunteer whenever it’s convenient for you.

Please feel free to bring your friends, family, colleagues, and anyone else who might be interested in learning more about the BeltLine and our volunteer program. You don’t have to have volunteered previously to attend and, of course, you’re under no obligation to volunteer by attending.

If you have other ways you would like to get involved with the BeltLine, please email festivals@beltlinepartnership.org.

As always, a HUGE thanks to all of you who make it possible for the BeltLine booth to appear at over 15 festivals each year and spread the word about the future of Atlanta’s transportation! We look forward to seeing every one of you out at a festival this coming spring, summer, and fall!

You don’t have to take our word for it – check out this BeltLine volunteer video! (and yes, that’s me in there talking about our stellar volunteers!)

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.

We enjoyed a stunningly snowy walk on the Atlanta BeltLine's west side trail - be sure to check out the next one this Saturday, February 27th! Click the photo to check out more wintery west side BeltLine photos on flickr!

This weekend’s BeltLine walk may not look like it did two weeks ago >>>>>
but it will be awesome – and you should be there! Whether you are an artist answering the call for artists’ submission for Art on the BeltLine, or a volunteer interested in bringing the BeltLine to life, or you’re just curious to see what all this fuss about transit and trails is all about, you should come out! Here are the details on this Saturday’s BeltLine walk:

• What: A six mile walk through Atlanta’s west side neighborhoods along the BeltLine
• When: this Saturday, February 27th, 2010 at 12 p.m.
• Where: Meet at the tennis center at Washington Park at the dead end of Lena Street (map it!)

Artists’ submissions for Art on the BeltLine are due March 12th!! Please visit the website for more information: http://art.beltline.org.

Please leave a comment if you have questions or need more details. And please email me or leave a comment if you’re interested in volunteering – I’ll be helping the BeltLine out with volunteer coordination for our festival program as well as Art on the BeltLine.

Last year's Signing of the BeltLine yeilded 108 plywood signs at 54 BeltLine crossings - this year's goal is 216! Photo courtesy of Angel Poventud, not sure which artist.

Last summer, dozens of Atlantans came out for the Signing of the BeltLine – a grassroots project that involved 108 plywood boards, hand-painted and hung two-to-a-crossing along the entirety of the Atlanta BeltLine. Did you see those signs and wonder what those signs were? Did you wish you’d been able to participate? Well, it’s happening again! Whether or not you’ve wielded a paint brush before, your help is needed! Especially since the goal is to double the number of signs to 216 to place four at each of the BeltLine’s 54 crossings!

• What: Signing of the BeltLine 2010
• When: Saturday, February 20th, 2010 from noon until complete
• Where: Eyedrum Gallery at 290 Martin Luther King Jr Drive, Atlanta, 30312
• Who: YOU! Everyone is needed to paint signs, no matter the level of artistic skill
• What you need: Bring any paint and paint brushes you may have lying around the house, as well as the determination to paint as many boards as you can handle

Questions? Please feel free to contact Angel Luis Poventud, official BeltLine Cheerleader at anotherloudperson@yahoo.com or 404-892-8306.

The Atlanta BeltLine is inviting Atlanta artists and residents to rediscover our historic rail corridors as they are transformed into the future of Atlanta’s transit! Coming this June 2010, the BeltLine will launch a massive public art event taking place along the eight miles of open hiking trail. “Art on the BeltLine: Atlanta’s New Public Place” will showcase visual arts, performing arts, and historic site interpretation to direct the public’s attention to this amazing resource that encircles downtown Atlanta, thus increasing the level of awareness and fostering a sense of ownership to ensure that the BeltLine becomes a truly public amenity.

We just released the call for artists to submit proposals this week and, already, this public art project is taking on a life of its own! In conjunction with performances, sculpture, music, art, and more within the BeltLine corridor itself, galleries and festivals along the path are already gearing up with their own tie-in events – and it’s all happening quickly! So how can you get involved?

Submit an Artist’s Proposal to Art on the BeltLine

Visual and performing artists are invited to submit proposals for temporary works of visual and performing art to be a part of this May through October event. Potential projects should reflect the historic, environmental, cultural, functional, urban design, and/or aesthetic parameters of the sites and should be well‐researched, well‐planned and feasible. Although not limited to the following examples, potential projects might include all or some of the following:

• Temporary art, sculptural or visual installations
• Gateway or entrance works
• Performance works of all kinds, including but not limited to music, dance, theater and performance art
• Transformation of existing structures or surfaces, such as bridges and overpasses
• Utilization of fences or screening devices
• Transformation of the backs of buildings
• Amenities for visitors – such as benches, bike racks, shade structures, recycling and trash collection receptacles
• Establishment of play areas or game sites
• Loan of existing artwork, such as sculptures or assemblages
• Murals
• Plantings or environmental works

Direct from the Atlanta BeltLine temporary call for artists:

Potential art projects may be designed for site‐specific installation, but this is not a requirement. Contemporary and interdisciplinary approaches, innovative uses (or re‐uses) of materials and new technologies are encouraged. Applicants are asked to consider ways in which some level of community involvement might be facilitated in the creation or ongoing interaction of the projects.

Proposed materials should be modestly priced and durable with minimal maintenance in an outdoor setting. All works must be designed to be safely removed at the end of the designated period, or disintegrate safely into the environment. No works or materials deemed to be dangerous, toxic or hazardous to public safety will be accepted and all construction methods must be adequate and safe for public interaction. While we would like to have projects that last throughout the six month time period, we are also interested in performance works or ephemeral works that could be scheduled to occur periodically throughout the time frame. If the location or its elements (trees, slope, etc.) might be part of the concept, we will identify volunteers to work with the artist(s) to help prepare the site, clear underbrush, etc.

This view from Inman Park Village toward Freedom Park bridge in the BeltLine corridor will be transformed into a massive Atlanta public art exhibition this summer as this stretch of hiking trail opens!

Proposed projects will be presented in the following sections of the BeltLine:

1) Stretch between Piedmont Park and DeKalb Avenue
2) Stretch between Wylie Street and Glenwood Avenue
3) Stretch between Washington Park and Allene Avenue

BeltLine walking tours will be conducted every Saturday along a section of the BeltLine. Artists are encouraged to explore the trails during one of these tours to be better educated about the terrain and history of the BeltLine (see timeline and calendar below).

There are three budget levels for the temporary projects: $1,000, $3,000 and $5,000. Please note that funds are limited and we encourage proposals at all three levels. The amount awarded will be at the discretion of the selection panel. Of the total grant amount, artists should incorporate a minimum of 20% as an artist fee in the budget that must be submitted with each proposal. The fee will cover the design (including artist’s fee) fabrication, shipping, installation, maintenance and de‐installation of the project. Artists may solicit contributions of materials or cash from other sources.

The timeline for informational workshops, BeltLine hikes, submission, juried selection, notification, and installation is as follows:

• Call for artist proposals published: February 2010
• Workshops: February 16, 17, and 18, 2010 (see full calendar for details)
• BeltLine walks to explore the corridor for site-specific submissions: February 13, 20, 27 and March 6, 2010 (see full calendar for details)
• Deadline for entries: March 12, 2010 at 4:00 pm
• Panel review: March 2010
• Accepted entries notified: Week of April 5, 2010
• Contracting and initial payment: Beginning week of April 12, 2010
• Installation period: May 8 – June 4, 2010 [Installations will be staggered beginning in May, projects must be installed no later than June 4th. A timeline and installation schedule will be developed with each artist or artist team.
• Exhibition officially opens: June 5, 2010
• Public events and performances: May – October 2010
• Final de‐installation: October 2010

Click here for the artists’ and volunteers’ google calendar, which will be updated as dates and events are solidified – so keep checking back! The official website for all things Art on the BeltLine is http://art.beltline.org. Easy enough, right?

Volunteer with Art on the BeltLine

This temporary art project will not be possible without the help of dedicated volunteers – and I know you’re out there because I’ve worked with so many of you! I am working with the committee on establishing our volunteer needs and schedule, so please stay tuned as we put out calls for volunteers as well! A few of the volunteer types we will be looking for include: an overall Installation Manager to coordinate the artists’ work along the eight miles of trail; artist liaisons to be the point of contact for a certain number of artists; volunteer crews to help clear and prepare sites for installation; folks to assist artists with their installations during their allotted set-up time; etc. If you’re interested, you can email me right now at jenny.p@mac.com and I will make sure I keep you posted as opportunities develop.

Donate to or sponsor Art on the BeltLine

In addition to a volunteer force, we’re also looking for generous donors who may have goods or services they are able to donate to help pull off this project. This could be anything from building materials to help with stages for performance art or a crane to help lift in heavy sculptures or printing services to help with the Art on the BeltLine guide maps that will be made available. We’re also looking for corporate sponsors who are willing to donate funds in return for us displaying your logo across marketing materials. We’ll also be developing this list of specific items we’ll be in need of, but in the meantime, if you’re interested, please don’t hesitate to email me at jenny.p@mac.com!

We hope to make this an annual public art event in Atlanta and appreciate everyone’s support in this inaugural year! From artists to volunteers to donors to sponsors, we’ll have a lot of talented people putting on this huge, one-of-a-kind event in Atlanta’s new public realm!

Atlanta community garden Artichoke Bliss is putting down roots in this vacant lot near the corner of Edgewood and Boulevard Avenues (with great downtown Atlanta views!). This was week six of the project on Saturday, December 19, 2009.

Actually, the words “underground” and “experiment” don’t really accurately describe what’s developing in an empty lot on Edgewood Avenue in Atlanta’s historic Old Fourth Ward District. This young, urban garden is actively growing in broad daylight. Thanks to a small army of local volunteers that come out every Saturday afternoon to help build raised garden beds, mulch paths, and build benches, this patch of dirt is taking shape. So what’s the story behind this urban garden project? First of all, the garden’s name is Artichoke Bliss. Second, Artichoke Bliss is the brain child of Angel Poventud and Haylee Richardson with the support of Eli Dickerson.

After frequenting Dynamic Dish next door (a small restaurant which feature local farms and a platinum LEED-certified building), the vacant lot captured their imagination and the vision to transform it into a usable space. They set to work with shovels and mulch piles which in turn piqued the curiosity of the neighbors who came out to see what was going on. Angel and Haylee established a regular meeting time of 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. every Saturday for volunteers to come together and create their own community garden. On the Saturday that I joined Angel and Robby (of Trees Atlanta) for a quick lunch at Dynamic Dish and an overview of Artichoke Bliss, nearly one dozen volunteers were hard at work. That may not seem like much, but for a community garden that’s only six weeks old, that’s not too bad!

Of course, locals have raised the question of who the land actually belongs to and Angel has done his research. The space used to be an old parking lot belonging to historic Ebeneezer Church down the block, but has since become overgrown. Contact with administrators at Ebeneezer was met with little interest or no response. Even a slightly miffed neighbor and congregation member who came out to make it clear the lot belonged to Ebeneezer was met with little reaction from the church. She has since been converted into an Artichoke Bliss fan and embraces the positive impact for the community.

If you get the chance, stop by and check out the progress! Or grab a shovel on Saturday afternoons. You can also find out more on Angel’s facebook page or Eli’s blog where they are both very active in keeping everyone up-to-date. You can also see more photos and get volunteer information by becoming a fan of Artichoke Bliss on facebook!

And while you’re in the area, be sure to check out the Historic Fourth Ward Park taking shape along the Atlanta BeltLine! The park runs south from below City Hall East and you can walk that section of the BeltLine path, which is open to the public.

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.

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!

We set up cardboard recycling containers from B Green Services along the race course just beyond the water stop tables; at the bottom, I'm holding my very small bag of trash leftover after bagging up four large sacks of paper cups and plastic water bottles!

Wow - recycling at Atlanta’s road races has been an ambition of mine for quite some time and yesterday, thanks to our volunteers and B Green Services recycling, we managed to recycle paper cups and plastic water bottles for 2,025 runners and dozens of race volunteers for the Silver Comet Half-Marathon! We have been preparing and strategizing our approach to recycling at this eco-friendly race for several weeks, starting with printing flyers on recycled cardboard for the race goodie bags, to silkscreening B Green Services t-shirts on a variety of recycled thrift store purchases, to cajoling volunteers to come out at 5 a.m. on a Saturday morning for a noble cause.

With the start line, finish line, and four water stops along the out-and-back course, we divided up pop-up cardboard recycling bins, trash bags, plastic gloves, and breakfast food for each stop. We met at 5 a.m. at the race start line at the Mable House where we set up bins for the runners and volunteers at the start before heading out to our respective water stops. We led my Dad (my #1 volunteer) to the first water stop and Zack (my other #1 volunteer) dropped me off at the second water stop while he headed onto the third (Angela and Brooke took the fourth stop). Ingrid and Emil worked the start and finish lines and my Mom came out to water stop one to help out, too. I had the pleasure of working with Anne and Jim Baker for the duration of the race as the lead coordinators for our water stop! Anne is a brave soul who teaches eighth graders at Floyd Middle School and helped guide the groggy teenager volunteers in their water stop duties that morning.

Within the hour, it started drizzling which then became a bit of a downpour which then subsided to a steady rain and then… you get the idea – it rained pretty much the entire morning. But everything held together beautifully, the kids did a great job handing out water and prepping cups, and the runners had better aim than I expected when recycling their paper cups. As someone who has never actually watched a race before (usually I’m on the receiving end of the water), it took some adjusting to get used to being on the other side – and we had a lot of fun!

When all was said and done, we had four big bags of recyclable material and less than one cubic foot of trash going to a landfill. Zack had slightly more trash at his water stop, but that’s because someone brought Dunkin Donuts for everyone.

Thank you to everyone that came out and helped – B Green Services recycling volunteers as well as Silver Comet Races and Get Fit Atlanta volunteers – for a soaked, successful race day! You can also check out more photos on facebook…

B Green Services will be providing race recycling at the 2009 Silver Comet Half-Marathon. Interested in volunteering to help? Email me at jenny.p@mac.com!

This year, the Silver Comet Half-Marathon is going to be eco-friendly with race recycling provided by B Green Services! The race starts in Mableton (west of Atlanta) and is an out and back course along the Silver Comet Trail with a finish line at the Silver Comet Depot. B Green Services will have recycling bins strategically placed near each of the water stops along the course and will have one of our volunteers work with the water stop volunteers to ensure all recyclables go into the bin and anything else goes into the trash (although most everything out there will be recycleable).

As race recycling is something that I’ve been pasionate about for a while now, I’m looking forward to volunteering this Saturday! If you’re interested in volunteering, just send me a quick email (jenny.p@mac.com) or leave a comment below. We would love to have a few more people help! Thank you to those who have already committed to helping us recycle!

The Silver Comet Half-Marathon has become an annual event put on by Dana Greene, founder of Get Fit Atlanta. It’s a great, flat course, and we’re excited to work with Dana, who is also an avid recycler, gardener, and athletic enthusiast. Stay tuned for part II: a post-race recycling follow-up to come next week!

October 3rd is Hands on Atlanta Day, so you can click here to volunteer for projects all over Atlanta!

Well, we’re about to change all of that. Race recycling (and the lack thereof) is something that has bothered me for a very long time (read here), but now we’re going to start working with B Green Services to provide race recycling services across metro Atlanta. Emil Bekyarov heads B Green Services, which currently provides complete recycling solutions to hotels and restaurants around Atlanta, and we’re going to work together to institute race recycling at the Silver Comet Half-Marathon in conjunction with Dana Greene of Get Fit Atlanta! I’m incredibly excited about this and will be posting more about it in the near future, so stay tuned!

Are you interested in race recycling? Do you know of a specific race or race production company that could use our help in recycling at their race(s)? Would you be interested in volunteering with us to make race recycling a reality? Please leave a comment below and let me know!

E-mail chairperson Victoria Hathcox at vhathcox@hotmail.com for further details or to nominate an area that needs to be cleaned.

Sign up now!

Liz Coyle, Tom Gordon, and dozens of other BeltLine volunteers come out to help distribute information at local Atlanta festivals!

You can register for our volunteer management center here (those of you that have volunteered before have probably already received emails from Sharron through the system, so you can use your email and password to log in). If you have any issues, just email me and let me know and I can help you out (jenny.p@mac.com).

#1

• What: Mechanicsville Reunion
  
• When: Festival hours are from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Saturday, August 8th. Our volunteer shifts are in two or 2.5 hour blocks starting just before and ending just after the festival.
• Where: Dunbar Center at the corner of Fulton Street and Windsor. We’ll let you know where the BeltLine booth is going to be located within the festival!

#2

• What: Grant Park Summershade Festival
• When: Festival hours are from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 29th and Sunday, August 30th. Our volunteer shifts are in two or 2.5 hour blocks starting just before and ending just after the festival.
• Where: The festival will be located in Grant Park next to Zoo Atlanta (and along the future BeltLine transit!). We’ll let you know where the BeltLine booth is going to be located within the festival!

#3

• What: Atlanta Arts Festival
• When: Festival hours are from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 12th and 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Sunday, September 13th. Our volunteer shifts are in two or 2.5 hour blocks starting just before and ending just after the expo.
• Where: Piedmont Park

And stay tuned for these upcoming festivals!

• The Atlanta Home Show at Cobb Galleria on Sept 25th – 26th, 2009
• HOToberfest in Glenwood Park on October 3rd, 2009
• Cabbagetown Chomp & Stomp in Cabbagetown at the beginning of November
• Enviro Expo at the Georgia World Congress Center on November 14th – 15th, 2009

We do ask that BeltLine volunteers attend a BeltLine 101 session to learn the basics of the BeltLine and to get the latest info on issues and developments. We have a few coming up – just click BeltLine 101 session for more details! Thank you in advance for your help!!