Savannah, the “Hostess City of the South,” is known for its southern hospitality and charm, but it is also making a bid to be known as environmentally friendly. Already, the city has implemented a number of initiatives, including converting all of its traffic lights to more energy-efficient and long-lasting LEDs, expanding use of treated wastewater for irrigation and implementing a much-anticipated single-stream curbside recycling program.
In August 2008, Mayor Otis Johnson held a town hall meeting to pledge that the city of Savannah will be a more environmentally sustainable community and to launch a new sustainability initiative, dubbed Thrive. However, Johnson wanted to focus on leading by example rather than making policies that force citizens to get on board with the program.
“There’s a lot of talk about being green and sustainable,” Johnson said. “If we’re going to lift up being environmentally healthy, we have to walk that walk.”
Rachel Smithson, Thrive coordinator for the city of Savannah, began collecting data to establish the city’s carbon footprint. The city conducted employee commuter surveys and analyzed electricity consumption, fuel usage and gas emissions. By plugging all of this data into a formula created by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, Smithson realized that Savannah city government produces roughly 75,320 tons of equivalent carbon emissions per year.
“Now we had a baseline and we just needed to set an emissions reduction target,” Smithson recalled. “Just about that time, the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority came up with the Governor’s Energy Challenge that invited statewide business, county and city governments to reduce their energy consumption 15 percent by the year 2020.”
After studying the carbon footprint data, Smithson noticed that city government buildings were the number one source of energy consumption, a trend that coincides with national data. The Thrive Committee decided to focus its initial efforts on buildings, and through its connection with the Georgia Environmental Partnership, called on Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute for assistance. One of the most comprehensive university-based programs of business and industry assistance, technology commercialization and economic development in the nation, the Enterprise Innovation Institute has a local office on Georgia Tech’s Savannah campus.
“We wanted to have an energy audit because we didn’t want to randomly start replacing lights and windows; we wanted to make sure that we were going to have the greatest impact on our electricity and energy consumption,” Smithson said. “The city was really excited about using Georgia Tech because it isn’t trying to sell us a particular product; the staff there gives us a good, third-party, neutral analysis of what we need.”
Mike Brown, an energy specialist with the Enterprise Innovation Institute, and two Georgia Tech co-op students conducted energy audits at three government buildings: City Hall, the Thomas Gamble Building and the Broughton Municipal Building. All three are designated historic buildings, and house the mayor’s office and council chambers, human resources, information technology, auditing, utility services and revenue, among others.
Brown and the students placed data loggers in each of the buildings, measuring temperature, lighting and energy consumption, even over nights and weekends. They studied each building’s energy consumption history and measured the major energy-consuming equipment.
Among the recommendations that the Georgia Tech specialists made were: replace incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps, improve fluorescent lighting efficiency by replacing T-12 lights with T-8 lights, and manage the building plug-load. They also recommended installing occupancy sensors in restrooms, vending machine controllers to reduce lighting and cooling, a building automation system to automatically control HVAC systems, and variable-air volume fans to reduce air flow when cooling is not needed.
According to Smithson, the biggest challenge now is implementing Georgia Tech’s recommendations. As part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the City was able to establish a revolving loan with its stimulus funding. Although the City cannot implement all of the recommendations immediately, Smithson says that as soon as one investment is paid back, another project can begin with the energy savings from the previous project.
“Other challenges we face include changing the mindset of our employees, but behavior modification and organizational and culture shifts take time,” she said. “We also don’t want to harm the historic integrity of our facilities, but at the same time we don’t want to be so concerned that we’re throwing energy out the window because we’re using single-pane glass.”
Already, the benefits are outweighing the challenges. Georgia Tech’s assistance allowed the city to have an energy conservation strategy in place, a requirement of the stimulus funding application that some cities have spent more than $250,000 to obtain. And although a lot of investments have yet to be made, electricity expenditures were $350,000 below what the city had targeted through May 2009, something Smithson attributes to changing employee behavior alone.
“Having Georgia Tech on board doing the energy audit has helped us transform our messaging from ‘this is good for the environment’ to ‘this is good for the bottom line,’ and that has helped us sell this larger Thrive initiative to our elected officials and the community,” said Bret Bell, director of Savannah’s Public Information Office. “We’re taking it seriously enough that we want to document where we started and where we are going. It has given us credibility.”
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Wednesday, September 2, 2009
City of Savannah Reduces Energy Consumption in Buildings
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Atlanta Announces Municipal Carbon Footprint to Measure Emission Reductions
(BUSINESS WIRE)--Yesterday Mayor Shirley Franklin released Atlanta city government’s first report on greenhouse gas emissions as the first step towards the goal of reducing emissions in the city seven percent by 2012. Also known as the “carbon footprint,” the figure was calculated with the help of a student-faculty team from the Georgia Institute of Technology and establishes a baseline to measure progress in Atlanta’s sustainability efforts.
“The City of Atlanta’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2007 came to 540 thousand metric tonnes, which is equivalent to the household energy use of 150,000 Atlanta residents or 98,000 passenger vehicles,” said Valerie Thomas, Anderson Interface Associate Professor at the Stewart School of Industrial and Systems at Georgia Tech and primary author of the report. “Having conducted an inventory and committed to reducing emissions makes the City of Atlanta a leader in the state and region and well ahead of federal action on climate change.”
“We know that the opportunities to reduce our emissions are great, particularly now with the federal administration’s focus on green job creation and green energy,” said Mayor Franklin. “With funding from the recently-passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Atlanta’s sustainability efforts will focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives which will create jobs, save money and protect our environment,” she said.
Determining Atlanta city government’s carbon footprint coincides with the release of the inaugural sustainability report for Atlanta. Produced by Sustainable Atlanta (a non-governmental partner to the city’s Office of Sustainability), the report compiles readily available data to create benchmarks for measuring Atlanta’s sustainability efforts, including the city’s carbon footprint. The report – available at www.sustainableatlanta.org – also provides best practices, context, proposed strategies and action in the areas of water; energy and climate change; parks and greenspace; and recycling and materials management.
“The Sustainability Report for Atlanta is both a map and milepost,” said Lynnette Young, executive director of Sustainable Atlanta. “It is a snapshot of Atlanta’s current status as it relates to sustainability and a context for future measurement and opportunity, determining what we can do together to help the city advance sustainable lifestyles for everyone.”
Launched in 2008 with support from the Kendeda Foundation, the Atlanta Office of Sustainability is working across city departments to “green” operations and at the same time, maximize efficiencies. Sustainable practices implemented at City Hall are already generating a 20 percent drop in electricity use, with a forecast of nearly $135,000 in annual operations cost savings.
With the municipal carbon footprint established, the next step will be to develop the Atlanta Climate Action Plan. "The Climate Action Plan will be our blueprint to guide all city departments so that current initiatives and near-term objectives are aligned with achieving the 2012 emissions reduction goal," said Mandy Schmitt, Atlanta’s Director of Sustainability. "This strategic effort to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions supports the ultimate goal of making Atlanta a community that lives within the self-perpetuating limits of its environment, while maintaining high standards for economic growth, environmental integrity, and social justice."
According to Schmitt, near-term goals for Atlanta city government to achieve by the end of 2009 include:
1. 10 percent drop in energy use in general fund* facilities through low/no-cost conservation measures yielding $300,000 to $500,000 in annual savings
2. Five percent drop in water use in general fund facilities
3. At least two renewable energy demonstration projects
4. Three percent drop in fossil fuels used by municipal fleet yielding $267,000 in annual savings
5. 10 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in general fund facilities
Atlanta’s greenhouse gas inventory was guided by a protocol developed by ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability. Atlanta is one of more than 1,057 cities, towns and counties worldwide that are members of ICLEI and that have made a commitment to sustainable development. Atlanta also hosts ICLEI’s Southeast Regional Office, and city staff shares office space with ICLEI representatives to maximize the organization’s resources in developing performance-based, results-oriented campaigns and programs.
*General fund facilities do not include facilities in Enterprise Fund Departments, such as Watershed and Airport.
About Atlanta’s Sustainability Initiative
The ambitious goal of reducing Atlanta city government’s greenhouse gas emissions seven percent by 2012 was set by Mayor Franklin in 2005 in Washington, D.C. when she and 140 other mayors identified environmental sustainability as a critical factor for American cities. They signed the U.S. Mayor’s Conference Climate Protection Agreement charging themselves with creating and implementing sustainability plans based on best global practices. With the help of the Kendeda Foundation, the Franklin administration then launched a parallel effort both inside and outside city government: The Office of Sustainability is reforming city government operations, while Sustainable Atlanta, a private-sector team of consultants led by former Atlanta COO Lynnette Young, is developing public policy recommendations for sustainability improvements throughout the city. For additional information regarding the City’s sustainability initiatives, visit www.atlantaga.gov/mayor/sustainability.aspx, and to learn more about Sustainable Atlanta, go to www.sustainableatlanta.org.
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Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Georgia Tech Plays Key Role in Global Energy
Energy and sustainability experts at the Georgia Institute of Technology have taken a leadership role in the U.S. contribution to a 36-nation effort aimed at developing an international standard that would bring consistency to energy management systems worldwide.
The effort has implications for the public and private sectors alike, providing a process for managing energy use and implementing sustainable practices that would help hold down costs and minimize environmental impacts. This first-ever international energy management system standard – to be known as ISO 50001 – would also level the playing field for companies competing in the global marketplace.
With broad applicability across economic sectors, the standard could ultimately affect as much as 60 percent of the energy used in the world.
“Effective implementation of an energy management system standard often yields resource and cost savings, as well as risk avoidance,” explained Bill Meffert, manager of energy and sustainability services at Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. “Reduction in the use of non-renewable fuels provides environmental benefits to the nation, improves security and leads to use of more sustainable sources of energy. Process and behavioral changes from targeted energy management projects frequently result in reduced raw materials usage, less waste generation and disposal, and lower air emissions.”
Beyond the direct benefits, adoption of ISO 50001 could also lead to long-term cultural changes that benefit organizations in other ways. “An energy management system standard establishes a culture of continual improvement to sustain the gains made, placing the organization in a position to realize even greater energy efficiencies and further savings,” Meffert added.
The U.S. Department of Energy is supporting the effort through a combination of active participation in the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) and through financial support for the administration of the U.S. TAG. The U.S. TAG is responsible for developing the U.S. consensus position on the proposed standard.
Rising energy prices have made managing energy a higher priority for industrial, commercial and governmental organizations worldwide. Beyond helping manage costs and controlling environmental impacts, large energy users may be driven to adopt the voluntary standards as evidence of their good corporate citizenship.
“Many countries around the world will use the standard as the basis for national programs that encourage large energy users to demonstrate their environmental stewardship,” Meffert said. “It is expected that national incentives – taxes, credits and similar vehicles – will be used to promote its use and adoption.”
Companies that adopt the new standard may also gain a public relations and marketing advantage.
“Companies that conform to an international energy management system standard will be publicly stating that they have adopted best practices for managing their energy supply and use, which helps make them competitive,” Meffert added. “They are also showing that they are managing their natural resources wisely. Many companies will also want to ensure that their suppliers and partners are environmentally responsible.”
In general, Meffert noted, standards are useful to helping organizations establish the order and consistency to manage key business components, whether they address quality, environmental protection or energy issues.
“By applying this standard, the organization uses the ‘Plan-Do-Check-Act’ steps of the continual improvement framework to manage energy resources, incorporating energy management into everyday business operations and strategies,” he said. “This framework encompasses both the management and the technical elements of energy management. The effective management of energy requires both to be present and integrated.”
While industry has driven development of the new standard, it could be used by any energy-consuming organization. The standard will define a management system for all energy sources – including electricity, liquid and solid fuels, renewable sources, steam, compressed air and chilled water.
The new ISO 50001 is being developed through a consensus process of the International Standards Organization (ISO) that involves representatives from national standards organizations in more than 36 countries who develop proposals, discuss issues, build consensus – and adopt the final standard.
The United States and Brazil are leading the overall effort under ISO’s framework. In addition to member nation representatives, two liaison members – the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the World Energy Council – are also contributing to the effort.
The ISO/PC 242 committee established to develop the standard held its first meeting in Washington in early September, and will hold additional meetings on a regular basis. The goal is to have ISO 50001 ready for publication by the end of 2010, said Deann Desai, project manager with the Enterprise Innovation Institute who serves as secretary to the U.S. TAG.
“Excellent progress was made during the first meeting, and a working draft has already been developed,” she noted. “Among the issues discussed was the need to ensure compatibility between the new ISO 50001 and existing ISO management standards.”
Georgia Tech was heavily involved in developing the existing American National Standards Institute (ANSI) MSE 2000:2008 standard for energy management systems. That standard has seen limited adoption in the United States, but Meffert said globalization of commerce now requires an international standard that will be widely adopted.
“Many businesses today are multinationals that have facilities and/or trading partners overseas,” he explained. “When conducting business on a multinational basis, it is important that the competitive playing field be as even as possible – which is what standardization attempts to accomplish.”
Georgia Tech worked closely with the Department of Energy in activities leading up to the formal launch of the ISO 50001 development effort. Members of Georgia Tech’s energy and sustainability staff helped develop a comparison document that was used to facilitate initial international meetings, and they participated with ANSI in the process of producing an application to ISO explaining the need for the new standard.
Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute is administering the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for ANSI. The group is composed of many energy management experts and helps shape the U.S. position for the international standard.
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Innovative Firms Gain Widening Profit Advantage, Study Shows
The profitability gap between companies that compete on the basis of innovative products or processes and firms that compete with a low-price advantage has more than doubled over the past three years, a new survey of Georgia manufacturers has found.
The 2008 Georgia Manufacturing Survey also found that Georgia companies are making significant progress in adopting sustainable techniques – another form of innovation – though they tend to focus on short-term cost reduction rather than long-term profitability and growth.
Results of the survey, done periodically to assess the business and technological condition of Georgia’s manufacturing community, were released this week by the Enterprise Innovation Institute and the School of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The results are based on responses from 738 companies with more than 10 employees.
“Innovation remains as important as ever,” said Philip Shapira, a professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Public Policy and one of the study’s co-authors. “Those Georgia companies that innovate receive rewards for doing so. But a significant number of companies still have not adopted innovation as a leading strategy.”
The survey showed that companies competing on the basis of innovation had a three-year average return on sales of 14.5 percent – nearly twice the 7.6 percent average for companies competing with low prices. In the 2005 Georgia Manufacturing Survey, companies relying on innovation saw an average return on sales of 6.3 percent, compared to about 3.6 percent for the low-cost competitors. The gap between the rewards for these two competitive strategies nearly doubled during the 2005 to 2008 period.
Slightly less than 20 percent of Georgia manufacturers compete based on price, compared to fewer than 10 percent that use innovation as the competitive edge, the study found. Half of Georgia manufacturers report gaining a competitive edge from quality products or services. Other strategies include quick delivery, adding value and adapting to customer needs.
Wage rates are also associated with competitive strategy. Innovative companies pay an average of nearly $42,000 annually per employee, compared to a range of $33,000 to $37,000 for other firms.
The survey studied innovation in products, processes, organizational structures and marketing. About 70 percent of the manufacturers responding to the survey report that they had introduced a new or technologically improved product or process in 2008.
About three-quarters of the Georgia manufacturers report adopting at least one practice aimed at making their operations more sustainable. These include sustainability considerations in the choice of suppliers, selection of raw materials and processing techniques; application of sustainable principles to product design, processing, facility design, packaging and marketing; employee training in sustainable practices; logistics and transportation services; the use, re-use and maintenance of the product, and product “end-of-life” issues.
However, only one in five Georgia manufacturers has an environmental stewardship program, and just 18 percent have set targets for reducing energy use in their facilities. Sustainability is defined as steps taken to minimize the use of natural resources, toxic materials, waste emissions and production materials over the life cycle of the product produced. But it also includes functions to expand sales, such as green branding and eco-labeling – not just cost savings benefits.
“The importance of sustainability is driven by the growth in energy costs, the rise in the cost of natural resources and of waste disposal, and demand from customers who consider sustainability issues when making purchasing decisions,” said Jan Youtie, a study co-author and manager of policy services in the Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute. “In the broadest sense, sustainability is about sustaining business, so if manufacturers want to succeed long-term, they need to pay attention to environmental and equity issues, not just economics.”
Manufacturers have long focused on cutting costs through approaches like lean manufacturing, and many companies see sustainability primarily as a way to further those efforts. Such viewpoints may miss important opportunities, Shapira warned.
“Companies continue to focus on near-term cost savings and easily-achievable energy reductions,” he said. “Too few are pursuing the long-term investments in innovation and product lifecycle costing that would help sustain them over the long term.”
Adoption of sustainable techniques varies with the size of companies. “We usually see that large companies adopt new technologies earlier and at a higher rate than small companies, and energy has an inherent scale issue,” Youtie noted. “But there are also benefits for small companies, which can be more agile in adapting to change.”
The 2008 survey is the sixth in the series, and in each edition, manufacturers are asked their top concerns. In 2005, those issues related to process improvement through adoption of lean manufacturing principles. For the 2008 study, those concerns shifted, with a third of manufacturers indicating problems with marketing and sales. Concerns about energy cost grew, with 23 percent of respondents indicating a problem in that area – up from just 10 percent in the 1999 study.
Educational needs also generated attention, with manufacturers concerned about workers having basic skills such as reading and mathematics, as well as more sophisticated technical abilities. Despite the concerns, however, company training investments per employee average only about $150 per year.
The study also found a correlation between the use of public knowledge sources – such as technical or management assistance from Georgia Tech, other universities or public agencies – and higher productivity growth. Companies using outside assistance reported as much as 15 percent more value added for each employee.
And despite its prominence in national public-policy discussions, research and development tax credits were used by only five percent of respondents. This percentage is in contrast to the 45 percent of respondents who said that lack of funds was an important limitation to engaging in innovation.
“Taxes don’t really have a big impact on a company’s strategic decision making,” said Shapira. “If they are doing to do research and development, they’re going to do it regardless. If there are tax breaks available, some companies may apply for them, but we don’t find that the availability of tax credits much affects strategy decisions.”
Support for the study came from the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership at Georgia Tech, the Center for Paper Business and Industry Services, the Georgia Department of Labor, the QuickStart Program of the Technical College System of Georgia, and Habif, Arogeti and Wynne, LLP. Beyond Shapira and Youtie, authors included Luciano Kay, Ashley Rivera, Bryan Lynch and Andrea Fernandez Ribas.
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Friday, October 17, 2008
Georgia Southern Graduate Student Project Makes Vending Machines More Energy-Efficient
When you stop for a few seconds to buy a cold drink from a vending machine, you probably don’t put any thought into how much energy the machine uses.
But a group of Georgia Southern University biology graduate students did – and found a way for the campus to save energy and money.
Eleven students in last fall’s Graduate Seminar in Sustainability researched possible service projects to make the Georgia Southern campus more energy-efficient. After discussing several ideas, they proposed putting energy-saving devices on vending machines.
“It was the best project because it is not just an awareness campaign – it is going to make a concrete difference,” said Dr. Lissa Leege, who taught the sustainability seminar along with Dr. Michelle Zjhra. “The work the students did is now really going to pay off on campus.”
The students’ research found that vending machines are one of the worst culprits of energy inefficiency, using 20 percent more energy on average than a refrigerator. As a solution, the students turned to the EMS-55, a device from the Coca-Cola Company that powers vending machines down to standby mode when they are not being used.
With $1,000 in funding from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and the support of Coca-Cola Bottling Company United in Statesboro, the students were able to purchase 12 of the devices. Three more were donated by Coca-Cola.
“It’s a simple solution, and you can do it for little money,” said graduate student Steve Williams, who led the research. “You see big benefits at a low cost.”
Three test models were put on Coca-Cola machines over the summer, and the rest have been installed this fall. The EMS (Energy Management System)-55 is now in use in 11 buildings: Biology, Forest Drive, Herty, Hollis, Marvin Pittman, Math-Physics, Rosenwald, Deal Hall, Hanner Fieldhouse, the Russell Union and the Williams Center.
The off-campus community will be connected to the initiative as well. The Coke machine at the Boys and Girls Clubs center in Statesboro is also slated to get one of the energy-saving units.
“We felt it was very important to involve our community outside of Georgia Southern in our efforts because community involvement is imperative to make a real difference for a sustainable future,” Williams said.
The energy-saving device uses an infrared motion sensor to power down the machine when no one is using it. So, for example, when the Biology building is vacant at 3 a.m., the vending machine is not constantly running coolant and its brightly-lit façade is turned off.
The EMS-55 also “learns” consumer traffic patterns. If no one uses the machine at a certain time on a certain day, the machine powers down at that same time on the same day the following week.
That all adds up to energy savings of about 33 percent, according to the students’ research. A vending machine without the power controller uses 3,021 kilowatt-hours per year on average, compared to 2,023 per year with one. Multiply that by the 15 machines on campus, and the University reduces its power use by nearly 15,000 kilowatt-hours per year.
“Our first step in sustainability is to increase the efficiency of what we already have,” said Dr. Leege, the director of the Office of Sustainability in the Allen E. Paulson College of Science and Technology. “We’re not having to change our behavior at all, and this is making a difference in our energy consumption.
The cost savings are just part of the equation, though. The devices also help conserve water and significantly reduce carbon dioxide and other air pollutant emissions.
“The energy efficiency is beneficial economically and environmentally,” Williams said. “While saving the university – and therefore students – money on the electric bill, this one small step also has a number of ripple effects on the environment.”
For example, these devices increase the lifespan of the light bulbs that illuminate the front of the vending machine. That means fewer materials (glass, metals, fluorescent gas, mercury, etc.) are used to manufacture bulbs for Georgia Southern’s machines; Coca-Cola United has to truck fewer bulbs to Savannah to recycle them, which saves gas and reduces harmful emissions; less energy has to be used to recycle those bulbs, which means less coal is mined and burned, which means lower greenhouse gas emissions; and, finally, less waste is generated from the parts of the bulb that cannot be recycled.
“These ripples will be multiplied 30 times since each of the 15 machines is equipped with two fluorescent light bulbs,” Williams said. “Our efforts are like throwing pebbles into the ocean; they make some ripples and waves. If everyone were to take a small step towards sustainability, then it would be like throwing a mountain of pebbles into the ocean.”
That’s not the only ripple effect Dr. Leege is counting on. As with all of Georgia Southern’s sustainability initiatives, she wants to see this project expand. The EMS-55 is reasonably-priced (about $80 per unit), so she hopes the Georgia Southern community will get on board and provide additional units for vending machines on-campus.
The project could not have been possible without the participation of Coca-Cola. Chad Henry, the cold drink manager for Coca-Cola United in Statesboro, said this fit perfectly with Coke’s commitment to be environmentally friendly through steps such as recycling out-of-date products, providing recycling bins and marketing their products with energy-efficient promotional items.
“The Coca-Cola Company is investing in ‘going green,’ and we are glad to have people like Lissa and Steve help us on the Georgia Southern campus,” Henry said. “They came up with the idea and got the wheels turning.”
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Saturday, August 23, 2008
National Wildlife Honors Georgia Tech for Sustainability
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has recognized the Georgia Institute of Technology as an exemplary campus as part of their initiative, “Campus Environment 2008: A National Report Card on Sustainability in Higher Education - Trends and New Developments in Leadership, Academics and Operations.”
Georgia Tech emphasizes sustainability throughout its campus with 21 endowed chairs and 23 research centers that include significant sustainability components.
The recent study analyzed trends and new developments in environmental performance and sustainability at 1,068 institutions recognizing colleges and universities for exemplary efforts and awards for collective, national performance on environmental literacy, energy, water, transportation, landscaping, waste reduction and more. The 2008 survey is the nation’s largest study to date created to gauge trends and new developments in campus sustainability. It was also the first study of its kind when conducted in 2001.
Georgia Tech emphasizes sustainability throughout its campus with 21 endowed chairs and 23 research centers that include significant sustainability components. The Institute has also set a goal that every student takes at least one of more than the 100 courses with a sustainability emphasis. In addition, the Institute has a number of environmental sustainability programs that embrace initiatives ranging from green cleaning and solid waste recycling to landscape and building design to a sustainable food project.
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Wednesday, June 11, 2008
GreenerAtlanta.org’s Your Groove Goes Green Summer Launch Party 2008 In Celebration of Mayor Franklin’s Sustainable Atlanta Initiative
Publisher of GreenerAtlanta.org and [a] GreenerAtlanta Web Show, is proud to present a celebration in honor of Sustainable Atlanta, Mayor Franklin’s initiative to lead Atlanta to develop a world-class sustainable city.
Join Atlanta’s green and sustainable professionals and community leaders as the city comes together in pursuit of making Atlanta a world-class sustainable city. The event is expected to draw more than 400 professionals of all ages. It will be hosted at the Event Center @ OPERA on Wednesday June 25, 2008 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event will provide gourmet food from local organic farms and a myriad of special cocktails from the ‘green’ bars located throughout the facility.
Entertainment includes a live DJ, a green fashion show, and live filming of recycling oriented public-service-announcements. BroadcastAtlanta will be launching its GreenerAtlanta.org and new green HD Web shows including [a] GreenerAtlanta Show.
A special HD Web video will be premiered at the event showcasing Atlanta’s achievements and efforts in reaching the mayor’s goal. Highlights include profiles of city workers, local community leaders and civic leaders who are making a difference. The video will be available for sharing on local websites.
Lynnette Young, Executive Director of Sustainable Atlanta, Mandy Schmitt, Director of Sustainability for the city of Atlanta along with executives from Coca Cola, UPS, Home Depot, Emory and others will be in attendance.
Green professionals from local businesses, organizations and community groups are invited to attend. Admittance is free, online registration is requested at GreenerAtlanta.org.
GreenerAtlanta.org has put together a diverse steering committee to represent all different aspects of green and sustainable efforts in Atlanta. The Steering Committee includes the following organizations:
Tony Anderson – Let’s Raise A Million
Beth Bond – GreenerAtlanta.org
Chris Bradley – Double Dome Web Technologies
Sarah Boardman – Waldenour
Bobbie Dent – Pratt Recycling
Kelly Diamond – Coca Cola Enterprises
Kelly Gray – Emory University
Gloria Hardegree – Georgia Recycling Coalition, Inc.
Drew Pierson – Sterling Planet
Sean Mahoney – Mahoney Consulting
Jill Muir –The Atlanta Event Center @ Opera
Jennifer Owens – Georgia Organics
Abigail Paine – Park Pride
Abbey Patterson – AMP Consulting
Polly Sattler – Sustainable Business Partners/GreenPlate, Inc.
Valena Scott – Sustainable Atlanta
Derek Smith – Organic Eatz
Courtney Townsend – Georgians for Better Transportation
Lawton Ursrey – IndiePeace
McNair Wagoner – Earth Endeavors
Betsy Walsh – Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh and Associates
Amanda Winters – Flammer Relations, Inc.
Shirley Wintsch – Nitabella
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Gwinnett wins national sustainable communities award
The awards, presented every two years by NACo’s Center for Sustainable Communities, recognize the most effective and innovative county-led partnerships with the private sector, other governments or community groups in developing economically prosperous, environmentally safe, and socially equitable communities.
The county was honored for the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center. (See project description below.) Honorees received their awards during a reception this evening at NACo headquarters in Washington, D.C. Winners were selected by a panel of independent judges.“I commend everyone who was involved in developing these outstanding community partnerships,” said NACo President Eric Coleman, commissioner, Oakland County, Mich. “It is our hope that the national awards will spotlight your communities’ great achievements and inspire others across the country to explore similar strategies to develop vibrant and sustainable communities.”
NACo’s Center for Sustainable Communities primary mission is to provide a forum for county leaders to work with other governments, the private sector, and communities to develop policies and programs that will lead to economic enhancement, environmental stewardship and social well-being — the three pillars of sustainable communities. The center helps local elected officials build sustainable communities by promoting community leadership initiatives, facilitating multi-jurisdictional and public-private partnerships, providing technical assistance and training, and conducting community policy and educational forums.
The sponsors for the 2007 Center for Sustainable Communities Awards Program include: Bank of America, the International Center of Shopping Centers, the Institute for Building Technology and Safety, the National Association of Home Builders, and the National Association of Realtors.
