We Need Renewable Energy Mandates

This is the 23rd post in a series of posts this December that will chronicle the 25 things we would most like to see in Roswell. None of these are actually happening... at least in the way we'd like them to. Please enjoy and have a happy holidays!

This is going to be a quick hit because its not my area of expertise but it is really important to me.  I think it's high time that our city, region, state and nation get on the ball and embrace renewable energy.  The Chinese are going to eat our lunch if we don't do something here.  There is no argument that peak oil does not exist, it's just a question of when we hit it.  If we don't want to be crushed by the price of our foreign oil addiction, we need to make some changes.

Solar energy is quickly become cost effective and solar hot water heating is already the most cost effective way to heat your water.  Plus, there is a ton of sun in Georgia.  We have a decent amount of hydro potential here with Vickery Creek and the Chattahoochee.  I'm sure there are laws preventing us from using it but this is my wish list and I'm not going to let legal mumbo jumbo get in the way of a good idea.  Geothermal is a no-brainer in most areas in Georgia.  Finally, energy efficiency is ridiculously logical.  So, why aren't we doing it.  Well, that's a good question for our loyal public servants in Washington DC and the Gold Dome.  

My only other request is that the city enact legislation requiring that all new construction, residential or commercial, be required to meet LEED, Energy Star, EarthCraft or equivalent standards.

OK.. tomorrow's Christmas Eve so you can look forward to my equivalent of the Red Rider BB gun and a few stocking stuffers.  The only difference between my request and Ralphie's is that I know Santa isn't going to come down the Roswell chimney and drop off what I'm wishing for.  Oh yeah.. and you won't shoot your eye out with what I'm wishing for either.  

image: Lauren Nelson @ Flickr

Peach Bites

Wow, we had a busy week with headlines.  Most of them centered around water and transit.  We obviously, the recent flooding was a big story and there was some movement in the water wars.  In the transit arena, Ray LaHood, secretary of transportation for the Obama administration was in town and shared his views on what the state and region need to do to progress the transit gridlock that exists.  

We also saw a couple really positive articles come out which we will kick the post off with below:

Emory Honored for Green Work - The Urban Land Institute awarded it's Sustainable Development Award to Emory's Sustainability Program.  This is great because Emory has been a leader in the area developing LEED certified buildings and creating innovative sustainability programs such as their campus Farmer's Market which was started in 2008. - EmoryWheel.com
 

Smog Days Down in Georgia - Great News!!  The metro area has halved the number of unhealthy air quality days.  The suspected culprits are the weather and the economy.  This happened even while the federal government increased the standards for healthy air this year. - Georgia Public Broadcasting

Georgia Supreme Court Rejects Power Plant Challenge - Justices voted unanimously on Wednesday against hearing the appeal by environmentalists against the $2B Longleaf Energy Station.  Notable Quote: “It’s amazing that, with 30 organizations representing tens of thousands of people weighing in with the Supreme Court discussing how important this case is … the Georgia Supreme Court declined to even consider the case,” said Justine Thompson, executive director of Atlanta-based Green Law. - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Congress Set to Finalize Anti-Mercury Bill - Wow.. There are only four facilities in the US that are still using mercury to produce chlorine and one of those is the Olin plant in Augusta.  Apparently, more than 600 lbs. of mercury are released into the air and water along the Savannah river annually.  It would definitely be nice to see that phased out. - Georgia Public Broadcasting

 

Perdue Favors Incentives for Water Conservation - You may or may not recall our post, Perdue says no to conservation and yes to water war.  Well, in typical politician fashion, reality has set in and the big man has flip-flopped.  He is now saying "I think it's time to think about potentially, some state-types of strong suggestions for conservation efforts in our local communities, and I'd love to think about it in an incentive fashion... rather than a stick."  Expect to see outlines of those 'incentives' before the next state legislature session. - Georgia Public Broadcasting

 

Perdue Names Water Task Force - Sonny is bringing in some heavy hitters from the private sector.  John Brock, CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., and Tim Lowe, Lowe Engineers Inc., will co-chair the panel which will look for alternative plans following the recent federal court ruling. - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Trash and Bacteria Fill Rivers - In the aftermath of the recent flooding, reports are now coming out about e.coli and other problematic bacteria polluting our rivers and streams.  The bacteria will quickly go away but the bigger issue is the tons of trash that have been introduced into the rivers.  Where will it all flow to?  At least we're upstream.  It's someone else's problem, right??? - Georgia Public Broadcasting

 

Atlanta Reservoir Plan on Hold - We touched on this in last week's Peach Bites.  This week, the Atlanta City Council decided to put off consideration of the proposed $650 million reservoir in the Dawson Forest. - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Tri-State Water Dispute: Georgia's Hand Further Weakend - Alabama landed another blow against Georgia this week.  The prospects for a ruling in Georgia's favor keep getting slimmer and slimmer. - Georgia Public Broadcasting

 

Georgia Applies for High-Speed Rail Grant - The GDOT applied for a grant in the amount of $472 million this week to begin working on a high-speed rail line between Atlanta and Macon.  This application, if approved, is expected to cover all the capital costs of the project.  I've been doing a lot of research on this topic and haven't really heard much about the Atlanta-Macon route.  You've probably seen the Brain Train, Lovejoy and Chattanooga routes discussed but the Macon route came out of the blue.  Any way we look at it though, connectivity is a good thing.  Let's see what happens. - Atlanta Business Chronicle

 

ATL Mayoral Candidates and the Beltline - The AJC had a quick recap of the recent Beltline mayoral forum.  The reality of the economic collapse and depressed real estate market is definitely recognized by the candidates.  But, it is apparent that all three of them support the Beltline.  They each have some interesting ideas on what is the vision of the beltiline. - AJC

Beltline Mayoral Forum: Which Candidate Scored - There was some interesting perspective on the recent Beltline mayoral forum from Atlanta Unsheltered.  Here's what I took from the post.  Lisa Borders and Mary Norwood really support the beltline.  Kasim Reed wants to prevent crime and a deterioration of urban youth.  Mary Norwood got stuck in traffic and the audience wondered why she didn't take MARTA since there was a stop across the street.  Probably because there wasn't a stop where she was coming from.  hmm...  - Atlanta Unsheltered

Beltline Officials: Citizen Group Wants to Take Control of the Project - This was interesting.  The Tax Allocation District Advisory Committee (TADAC), has put out statements questioning the funding of affordable housing along the Beltline and has stated that Beltline officials are keeping important information private and thus not allowing TADAC to do it's job.  There is too much in the article to accurately summarize in a few sentences but to me it seems to be a battle over public or private control.  I lean toward the private side. - Creative Loafing

Atlanta Forward, Our View: Transit is a Track to Metro's Prosperity - This article has some interesting local perspective and I enjoyed the comparison to St. Louis and Chicago when riverboat transportation was giving way to train transportation.  St. Louis became an also-ran because it pandered to pressure from riverboat operators.  If Atlanta panders to the pressure of the auto/road lobby, we will lose out on the opportunity to significantly upgrade our transit and will fall behind other southern cities. - AJC

Atlanta Forward, Another View: Georgia Needs to get its Act Together - This quote sums it up: LaHood expressed the administration’s strong support for more transit alternatives. He encouraged state support for MARTA and noted streetcars are on their way back — citing the success of Portland, Ore.’s system. This kind of thinking is potentially good news for the proposed Peachtree Streetcar and bodes well for federal support for our region’s comprehensive, coordinated Concept 3 Transit Plan. - AJC

State of Georgia is Stuck in the Mud While Atlanta Region Moves Forward on Transit - Notable Quote: "Although LaHood didn't tell us anything we didn't already know, it's always reaffirming to have the most powerful transportation official in the country tell state leaders that they've been asleep at the switch."  The good news is that there is overwhelming support for Concept 3 and Metro Atlanta is on the verge of approving the Regional Transit Committee which will be a much needed regional steering group that has the teeth to make things happen. - Saporta Report

Peach Bites

We haven't posted a Peach Bites column in a while so we have built up quite a backlog.  There has been a lot of buzz about water and transit over the past month and we've tried to capture the highlights in today's post.   

 

Georgia to Appeal Water Ruling - Who didn't see this one coming?  We'll see what happens but one thing I know for sure, the federal government will not cut millions of people off from their water source.  Well, I'm not 100% sure about that but politicans want votes and thirsty people don't vote for the politicians who let them go thirsty... - GPB

 

New Reservoir Proposed for North Georgia - I don't know what to think of this one.  On one hand, I say it may be a good idea since it will set aside 8,000 acres of the 10,000 acres of wilderness that the city owns in the Dawson Forest.  However, the other tells me that $650 million to build a dam that will disrupt natural habitat is insane when we haven't exhausted our water conservation efforts.  Atlanta Business Chronicle

 

Clayton County Among Nation's Most 'Water Wise' Counties - American Rivers recently named Clayton County one of the nation's most "water wise" communities.  The wetland filtration system that Clayton County created years ago is integral to its ranking.  While keeping wetlands in tact, Clayton County was able to maintain a 230 day drinking water supply at the height of the drought while Lake Lanier was as low as 90 days.  This is a win for the environment and for the people of Clayton county. - Atlanta Business Chronicle

 

Half a Penny for Metro Transportation Just Not Worth the Trouble - If you've ever been in sales (or politics), you learn quickly that compromise rarely means mean win-win.  Moving from a penny sales tax to a half-penny sales tax increase is a compromise that panders to political pressure and doesn't follow logic or the spirit of the tax.  It's boring stuff but worth a read if you are interested in the future (or lack thereof) of transit in Georgia. - Saporta Report

 

MARTA Could Run the Beltline - Sure... Let's see if MARTA can run MARTA first...  I have my thoughts on MARTA and it's future but that's not for a Peach Bite comment.  I'm sure it's inevitable and it would make for the most seamless transit experience but MARTA just has so many issues.  There is a better way and I'll touch on that in a later post. -  AJC

 

Atlanta Streetcar Makes Pitch for Public Funding - I'm a huge proponent of the Peachtree Streetcar.  Unfortunately, I get the feeling that the only reason other people are excited about it is because it is really the only 'shovel ready' transit project in Atlanta that affords us the opportunity to get some government cheese.  If we do build it, my prediction is that it will be wildly successful.  Expect to hear something from the Feds by Feb 2010. -  Saporta Report

 

Atlanta-Chattanooga MagLev Rail Gets Dose of Cash - This could be one of the first steps taken in the south to connect the region with a 21st century transit system.  The Federal Transit Administration is providing $14.2 million to pay for environmental and engineering studies on a MagLev train that could connect the two cities.  Imagine zipping to Chattanooga in 30 minutes. This would be good for business, recreation and image. - AJC

 

MagLev Train Shuttle to Braves Stadium? - Okay... Do I really think we need this??  NO.  But, it would be crazy cool.  Stepping back to reality though, let's take that money and move it to the Beltline.  Or just build a regular train service.  MagLev is totally unnecessary for this type of shuttle system.  Let's focus on the Atlanta-Chattanooga MagLev.   - Atlanta Unsheltered

 

Beltline Names New CEO - Brian Leary, vice president of Atlantic Station, was recently named the new CEO of Atlanta Beltline Inc.  This looks to be a good move.  With this though, I am predicting a change of the northwestern path of the Beltline to now cut through Atlantic Station instead of going to the north and west of it.  We shall see.. - Creative Loafing

 

Beltline's Feasibility Rides to Forefront - The worrisome thing about the Beltline is that the financial plan around securing funding is primarily based on increasing property tax revenues.  The plan was devised prior to the real estate market crash back in 2005 and hasn't been changed.  Finding $1.7 billion from property tax revenues might prove impossible in the new environment.  Personally, I believe that the project is integral to the city and the 'leadership' will find a way to make it happen regardless. - AJC

 

Metro Atlanta Needs a Metro Solution to Transportation - Jay Bookman gives some very interesting insight on the history of transportation planning in the state and the current and future needs.  A really notable fact is that the state of Georgia ranks 49th in per capita dollars spent on transportation.  The other was that metro Atlanta accounts for ~28% of transportation spending.  I wanted to see if that was proportionate to the population and found that it is significantly below.  Approximately 60% of the residents of GA live in the metro area.  We need to let to politicians know that change is needed. -  Jay Bookman (AJC)

 

MARTA Wins Solar Energy Grant - Marta is planning to use $10.8 million in federal grants to put solar panels on top of bus canopies.  The panels will be installed at the Laredo Bus Maintenance Facility in Decatur. This will be the largest PV system in GA. - Atlanta Business Chronicle

 

Atlanta Bests San Francisco for Green Building - For some reason, Atlanta doesn't seem to get the respect it deserves in this area.  We're good but we could be better.  Right now, we're 5th in the nation in LEED certified buildings at 53.  Chicago has 88, Portland has 73, Seattle has 63 and DC has 57.  San Fran is right behind us at 50. - San Francisco Chronicle via Chicago Tribune

 

Lovett's New Green Middle School - The unfortunate thing is that most Atlantans can't afford to send their kids to Lovett.  But, the school's commitment to sustainability and environmental issues is something to be commended.  The new facility is seeking LEED Gold certification and has a green roof and rainwater harvesting system among other features. - WSBTV

 

Going Green Pays Off - Man, I hate the phrase "going green."  What does it mean?  It seems to me that it's up to anyone's interpretation.  Am I 'going green' because I use CFLs or bring reusable shopping bags to Whole Foods for my groceries??  Well, that's not the point of the article.  The exciting thing that I took from this article is that the Westin downtown will finally be replacing the windows lost during the tornado.  And... those windows will be thicker, darker and better insulating.  There are a few other buildings that are highlighted like 1180 Peachtree and the Emory University Conference Center Hotel. - AJC

 

Don Wells Named Atlanta's 2009 Cox Conserves Hero - Mountain Stewards, Wells' non profit organization, will receive a $5,000 donation from Cox Enterprises. - Trust for Public Land

Recycling Pick-Up Back On in the City of Atlanta - How exciting!  Recycling!  Wow!  How are other cities going to compete with us now that we have recycling again? We are truly 'going green' here in Atlanta. -  The Buckhead Blog

Stay tuned for next week's installment of Peach Bites.  Feel free to send me any articles or stories that you come across at michaeldhadden@gmail.com

The Streets of Buckhead - LEED Silver & Brownfield Cleanup

This isn't necessarily new news but given that I spent soo much time and money in the Buckhead Village in the late 90's and early 00's, I felt obligated to write about it.  Man I spent so much money there.  About the only bars left that I would have frequented are East Andrews and Moon Dog's (although there are a few less memorable others).  Buckhead has done a complete 180 from the times when the area embraced a party district that was one of the nations most popular and oft notorious spots for nightlife.

From 2001 to 2003, the crowd declined in civility and in number until the massive crowds were gone.  Buckhead had decided that it was time for a change and about a year ago pretty much the whole buckhead village area was razed and a new era for Buckhead started.  This was because the vision of lifelong area resident Ben Carter was ready to be realized.  The Streets of Buckhead is as the developer Ben Carter Properties says;

...is the southern address for European style, in the heart of Atlanta's cosmopolitan Buckhead neighborhood. A unique collection of boutiques and restaurants, formerly found only along the world's most exclusive promenades, joins high-rise estate residences, amenities and entertainment in a true world class mixed-use community destined to set new standards for luxury and service.

I wouldn't say that the idea behind the development is the greenest ideology but the fact that they are pursuing LEED Silver certification and are dedicated to cleaning up contaminants around the area is a definite step in the right direction.  Below are some of the more environmentally friendly aspects of the development:

• Groundwater recycling to use where valuable potable water is not needed thus reducing the demand on Atlanta's already strained drinking water resources
• Low flow plumbing to reduce water consumption
• Environmentally friendly interior finishes
• Alternative transit options such as shuttles to MARTA, designated parking for alternative fuel vehicles and car/van pools as well as bicycle parking/storage
• Reducing energy use by 21 percent versus comparable developments.

All of this is great and will serve as an example for other developments in the area but my personal favorite is the cleanup of approximately 300,000 cubic yards of soil.  This cleanup was done under the Georgia Brownfields program.  This shows the commitment of the developer to the area and project.  They didn't necessarily have to do this but they chose to because it was the right thing to do. 

We won't be enjoying the finished product until Mid 2010 due to a slow real estate market but from what we can tell, it will be well worth the wait.  Thank you to Ben Carter for thinking of the environment in your efforts to build our city.