April in Atlanta

April is setting up to be a really busy month in Atlanta for environmental and green events. With Earth Day on the 22nd and several festivals around town, there should be plenty to do. Here's a preview of what is coming up.

April 2 (Thursday)

6pm - 8pm - Beltline: Citywide Conversation on Transit and Trails, 634 West Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA

April 3 (Friday)

730am - 9am - Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable - The State of Georgia's Action on Water, 634 West Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA

April 4 (Saturday)

9am - 12pm - Trees Atlanta Planting, Location Varies Weekly
11am - 4pm - 4th Annual Urban Forestry Festival

April 11 (Saturday)

9am - 12pm - Trees Atlanta Planting, Location Varies Weekly

April 16 (Thursday)

530pm - 7pm - Andres Duany, Free Talk on Smart Growth Principles in Decatur

April 17 (Friday)

730am - 9am - Central Atlanta Progress/ADID Town Hall Meeting - The Ritz Carlton Atlanta
All Day - Georgia Tech Earth Day Celebration

April 17 - 19 (Fri-Sat)

Dogwood Festival at Piedmont Park

April 18 (Saturday)

City of Alpharetta Bulky Trash & Electronics Recycling Day - 1810 Hembree Rd, Alpharetta, GA
9am - 12pm - Trees Atlanta Planting, Location Varies
10am - 3pm - 7th Annual Earth Day Kids Fest - Chattahoochee Nature Center
8am - 5pm - Earth Day at the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center

April 18 - 19 (Sat-Sun)

Sweetwater 420 Fest, Historic Candler Park. 1500 McLendon Ave., NE Atlanta, GA 30307

April 22 - Earth Day (Wednesday)
Planet Earth by DisneyNature is released in theaters.
7pm - 10pm, RSVP Required - EarthShare Georgia Party in the Sky, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. Atlantic Station 201 17th Street NW, Suite 1700, Atlanta, GA 30363

April 24 - National Arbor Day

8am - 10am, RSVP Required - Earth Share Georgia Leadership Breakfast, Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30313
April 24 (Friday, 7pm - 10pm) - 15th Annual Hoochie on the Coochie, Tophat Soccer Fields in Buckhead

April 25 (Saturday)

9am - 12pm - Trees Atlanta Planting, Location Varies
10am - 2pm - Glenwood Park Farmers' Market, Glenwood Park

April 25 - 26 (Sat-Sun)

38th Annual Inman Park Festival and Tour of Homes

Environmental History in April

April 3, 1934 - Jane Goodall was born in London, England

April 21, 1838 - John Muir was born in Dunbar, Ireland. John Muir founded the Sierra Club.

April 22, 1970 - First Earth Day is celebrated

If anyone has anything to add, shoot me a line and I'll post it on our happenings calendar and add it to this post.

Saving the Earch?

We ran across this over at Engrish tonight and thought it fitting after participating in Earth Hour tonight...

Photo courtesy of Leo Van Echelpoel.
Found in China hotel.

via Engrish

Peach Bites

Citywide Conversation on Transit & Trails
Atlanta Beltline Inc.

This Citywide Conversation on April 2 from 6 to 8 p.m. at All Saints Episcopal Church, 634 West Peachtree St., will focus on how ABI and MARTA are working together to complete an Environmental Impact Statement as required to compete for federal transportation funding and preserve the BeltLine right-of-way. The conversation will cover feedback from the first round of public scoping meetings including updated goals and objectives and new evaluation criteria and a review of the EIS process and milestones for public input. It will also include an open house on the inventory of existing environmental, cultural, and socio-economic features along the BeltLine that may be impacted by construction of the transit and trails.

Georgia House Nixes New Transportation Agency
Atlanta Business Chronicle

After the senate narrowly passed the bill three weeks ago, the house has voted it down. Much of the concern is over the fact that the govenor, lieutenant govenor and speaker would be responsible for appointing the members of the agency. We should see a new version of the bill sometime next week though.

Georgia Legislature is Pushing to Ease Restrictions on Stream Barriers
Georgia Public Broadcasting

The Georgia Legislature is seeking to soften mandatory buffers aimed at protecting Georgia's waterways from pollution and development. The House voted 106-58 Thursday to remove the buffers around an untold number of unnamed tributaries - or ephemeral streams - that crisscross the state. State law provides for a 25 foot buffer along all streams and as much as 150 feet for watersheds providing drinking water. Supporters say many of the streams are little more than ditches and that the buffers restrict growth and hamper property rights. Critics say loosening rules could threaten the state's clean water.

Last Reminder

Last reminder. Earth Hour is almost here. Don't forget to turn off all non essential lighting for one hour beginning at 830 tonight. The city of Atlanta is a flagship city this year and we can all help make a statement tonight. Last year we cut power usage by about four percent during earth hour. I bet we will do better this year.

Earth Hour 2009 Reminder

Don't forget about Earth Hour tomorrow from 8:30 to 9:30. Thousands of people and businesses across Atlanta will be participating. Here's a quick clip of some images from last year's Earth Hour in Atlanta. I think it's hilarious that they show the Big Chicken being turned off..

Picturing the Beltline

As you probably already know, the Beltline is one of our favorite things going on in the city. We try to stay up to speed on the news and events relating to the project but sometimes things slip through. I recall reading about this back in October but completely forgot about it and just ran across it tonight. A local artist, Meryl Truett, put a very nice exhibition entitled "Picturing the Beltline" back in October at the Barbara Archer Gallery in Atlanta. It is worth taking a peek just to see what the Beltline currently looks like. I enjoyed a number of her pictures.

Definitely check out the images at Meryl Truett's website here or if you would like to see a review of the exhibition check out BurnAway's review. We have also added a video to the GreenPeaches YouTube Channel.

Getting to Know.. Kennesaw National Battlefield Park

image courtesy of terra2055

We recently had a chance to head out to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park and hit the trails for a hike. The park is actually part of the U.S. National Park Service.  The day was sunny but a little bit chilly. We took the big dog with us to get him a little bit of exercise. I had read from 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles that the Burnt Hickory Loop trail was actually the toughest in the book so I was ready for a long hike. The book was correct that it was a tough trail, about 5.5 miles total with a lot of up and down. We came across a lot of serious hikers and day hikers and a good amount of dogs. You can't ask for better views. When you reach the top, you can look out to the east and see the entire city of Atlanta all the way up to Alpharetta and over to Stone Mountain. Looking west and north will give you a view all the way up to the north Georgia mountains. It's a great reward for the steep hike that you just took. You get all of this within about 1 to 1.25 miles. If you continue

The mountain is rich in history. It is where the Atlanta Campaign began on June 19, 1864. It was a bloody battle that lasted about two weeks taking the lives of over 5.300 soldiers. You can see many civil war relics while hiking through the park. The park is well maintained with a very nice visitors center. If you are looking for a quick place to get outdoors, this park is a great idea. It does get crowded so be prepared to see people (and dogs).


Check out the offical site here
If you are interested in the hiking trails GeorgiaTrails.com has a good roundup here

Peach Bites

Decatur Rolls Out "Agricultural Initiative"
DecaturMetro.com
At the 12th Annual Georgia Organics Conference, the City of Decatur announced the Decatur Agricultural Initiative (DAI) which will be a partnership between the City of Decatur, Agnes Scott College, City Schools of Decatur, Decatur Business Association, Georgia Organics and the Oakhurst Community Garden. The focus of the initiative will be bringing together community partners to develop a more locally focused food chain.

2009 Right Whale Births Set Record
Georgia Public Broadcasting News
The 39 right whale births this year off the southeast coast broke the previous record set in 2001 by eight. The north Atlantic right whale births its calves in the waters off the Georgia coast. It is one of the most endangered species of whales with only 300 to 400 remaining. This is great news for the species.

CNN Recognizes Eco-Bella and Verus Carbon Neutral for Carbon Neutral Zone
Organic Lifestyle News
Click through to see the video from CNN. Who doesn't love the Highlands area? This makes it even easier to love knowing that the businesses in the area are doing the right thing and creating a unique local experience. We are big fans of Eco-Bella and hope that the entire initiative is a success.

Don't Forget Earth Hour This Saturday (3/28) @ 8:30pm

I really enjoyed this spot for Earth Hour featuring Alanis Morissette. Man I can't stand it when people cut their nails in public. Remember to turn off the lights this Saturday at 8:30pm. Sign up at EarthHour.org.

Peach Bites

Atlanta Sets Carbon Footprint Goal
Atlanta Journal Constitution - GA, USA
Mayor Franklin would like to see the city cut it's footprint by 7% by 2012. This goal establishes a baseline by which the city can measure its sustainability efforts. Noteworthy quote: “The city of Atlanta’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2007 came to 540 thousand metric tons, which is equivalent to the household energy use of 150,000 Atlanta residents or 98,000 passenger vehicles,” said Valerie Thomas, Georgia Tech associate professor and primary author of the report.

Emory Conference Center Hotel to Become the First LEED Certified Conference Center in Atlanta
PR Newswire (press release) - New York,NY,USA
The new addition of the Emory Conference Center Hotel is set to become the first LEED certified conference center in Atlanta. The project is set for completion in May of this year. Certification for the existing building is also being pursued.

EarthCraft celebrates 10 years in green home building
Atlanta Journal Constitution - Atlanta,GA,USA
The EarthCraft certification from the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and the Southface Institute has turned 10. The certification has broadened its reach to cover new homes in six southeastern states. Noteworthy quote: "More than 5,200 EarthCraft homes have been built; 43 percent of them are in metro Atlanta."

MARTA Ridership Up 8.6 Percent in 2008
Atlanta Journal Constitution - GA, USA
This was the largest increase for any major transit system in the country. Unfortunately, the agency is still running in the red to the tune of $65 million and will need to make cuts and increase fares.