New Urban Roswell Update

We've got a few news items of note this week from Roswell, around town and even outside the country.

Roswell

One large item to report here in Roswell from earlier this month is the groundbreaking of the midtown streetscape improvement project.  We haven't seen anything of note just yet but we can't wait to see the finished product in a year or so.

Milton County: Not This Year - NorthFulton.com - Personally, I'm not in favor of seceding from Fulton county.  I just don't personally feel that it's necessary.  I actually feel that if anything, there should be more county consolidation in the metro area.  The paying more tax for fewer benefits just doesn't resonate with me.  How many states should cut ties with the federal government under that argument. 

Metro

We were happy to see some progress on the Beltline this week.  

Second Portion of Beltline Complete - wsbradio.com - Another segment of the Beltline trail opened this weekend. From what we can tell, it looks very professional and it should be a symbol to people that the Beltline will actually happen.

Dunwoody Envisions Significant Mixed Use Development - Champion Newspaper - This is more of a 20 year vision but it is promising nonetheless.  

MARTA Faces Drastic Cuts - Creative Loafing - Can someone please do something about this?  It's not looking good for a transportation bill under the gold dome for the third consecutive year.  I think we can all agree that cutting MARTA train and bus service on Fridays would be bad for the local economy and bad for everyone's car commutes.  

Beyond

Mindspring Founder Takes New Urbanist Movement to Costa Rica - InsideCostaRica.com - Charles Brewer is nothing short of bold.  His development in south Atlanta, Glenwood Park, has won national acclaim and is truly a great accomplishment.  If you haven't seen it, you should take an opportunity to drive down and grab a bite to eat and walk through the neighborhood.  

Upcoming Events

Alive After Five- 4.15 - This year's Alive After Five season kicks off on tax day.  

Good Urbanism 101 - 4.15 - 5.4 - This is an educational event sponsored by the Georgia Conservancy.  There are six classes on quality urban design.  The course costs $200.

Dogwood Festival - 4.16 - 4.18 - The annual Dogwood Festival will be held in Piedmont Park.  This one is always a safe bet for a good time and you can appreciate Atlanta's largest park.

Inman Park Festival - 4.24 - 4.25 - The Inman Park Festival is Atlanta's largest festival.  We love this festival for many reasons but the fact that it is in the beautiful walkable neighborhood of Inman Park is probably the number one reason.  Inman Park is one of the few neighborhoods in Atlanta that exhibits many of New Urbanist characteristics.  Be sure to take MARTA if you go.

Congress for the New Urbanism - 5.19 - 5.22 - The most influential minds in the new urbanist movement will be here in Atlanta for the 18th congress.  The theme this year is Rx for Healthy Places and is a joint effort with the CDC.

Go Wild in Roswell - 5.20 - 6.6 - This is a citywide celebration of nature that will feature different events on different days.  Check out the link for details.

Atlanta Streets Alive - 5.23 - This one is still a little while away but it is a really interesting concept.  

Green Dry Cleaners

Have you ever noticed that when you pick your clothing up from the dry cleaners it has a pretty noticeable, distinct chemical smell?  If you have, that smell you have noticed is most likely a chemical known as perchloroethylene (perchloroethylene), aka 'perc.'  My favorite little tidbit about perc is that it was the first chemical to be officially classified by the Consumer Product Safety Commission as a carcinogen.  That classification has since been withdrawn but many people still have their doubts about its safety. Link to Risks  Some of the more commonly associated side effects are dizzyness, nausea and headaches while the more serious concerns range from infertility in men and miscarriage in women to central nervous system disorders.  Now, many people and good honest business owners will tell you that their dry cleaning is perfectly safe.  They might be right.  I make my choice not to take those kinds of chances and I also prefer to vote with my dollar for a better solution.

We're not going to discuss the entire process of dry cleaning but I would like to point out that dry cleaning is not actually DRY.  Perc and the other solvents used are liquids but they just generally aren't water based.  If you'd like to know how dry cleaning works, check out Wikipedia or HowStuffWorks.com.

If you are like many Atlantans, you wear some clothing that requires an occasional dry cleaning.  The problem is that there aren't too many cleaners in town that offer alternatives to traditional Perc based dry cleaning.  About 85% of cleaners are still using perc as their cleaning solvent.   So, what are the alternatives and where can I find them?

Alternatives

• Wet Cleaning - Water and non-toxic biodegradable detergents. Consumer reports rated this method lower than Perc on its cleaning abilities. 
• Liquid CO2 - Just at it sounds with some additives that can have VOCs. Consumer Reports rated this method superior to Perc in shrinkage, discoloration, and preservation of texture
• Siloxane (GreenEarth) - Not chlorine based but manufactured using chlorine and may release dioxins. The EPA has listed Siloxane as a possible carcinogen.
• Hydrocarbon (DF2000 and comexsol)

Locations (if you know any more, please let us know and we'll update the list)

Wet Cleaners

• 21st Century Cleaners, 4305 State Bridge Rd., Aipharetta, GA 30022 map
• Professional Cleaners, 6018 Sandy Springs Circle, Atlanta, GA 30328 map
• Pleasant Hill Cleaners, 4300 Pleasant Hill Rd #F, Duluth, GA 30136 map
• K.S. Personal Touch, 2014 Powers Ferry Rd., Atlanta, GA 30339 map

GreenEarth (Siloxane)

• Jett Ferry Cleaners, 2482 Jett Ferry Rd, Atlanta, GA 30338 map

What to do if there are no green cleaners near you?

- Always remove the plastic from the clothing and let it breathe.

- Increase the number of uses between cleaning trips.  Most of the time, you can safely wear something twice before it needs a cleaning.  The main problem is taking the time to hang it back up after a long day at the office.