Peach Bites

Georgians Aren't Water Hogs - Apparently we're not guzzling as much water as you may have thought. I think that 1.8 percent is misleading though. The sprinklers in my neighborhood didn't kick in until the beginning of July. Now, I'm seeing the sprinklers on while it's raining which leads me to believe it's back to the old mentality. Georgia Public Broadcasting

Atlantans Could Save $21.2 Billion by 2020 - A McKinsey & Company report cited by Consumer Reports indicates that Americans can save $1.2 trillion by 2020 with effective investments in energy efficiency. Wow! That translates into $4000 for every man woman and child in the US. Atlantans would collectively save about $21.2 billion. That could pay for almost 10 Beltlines.. It could even come close to paying for that crazy tunnel under Atlanta that some of our wise leaders in the capitol have discussed. Consumer Reports

Atlanta Ranks Highly on Outside Magazine's Top Cities - This year's rankings of best cities ranked Atlanta #3 overall behind Colorado Springs and Seattle. Their criteria were pretty thorough so I can feel comfortable that the proper level of research was done. I would tend to agree with the ranking given the sheer volume of activities within 2-3 hours of the heart of the city. The article mentions fishing, mountain biking, cliff jumping, boating and hiking as positives for the area. Outside Magazine

Beltline Gets Bond Issuance Approval - The Atlanta City Council granted approval for the Beltline to issue $267 million in bonds to fund the project. The plan is to issue $145M - $165M in October. Developer interest will ultimately decide the amount that is issued in October. It's great to see this project moving forward. Creative Loafing