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

Meet Recycle Bot

Okay... This was super geeky but I needed to get the attention of the recycling pick-up men somehow.  You see, they left all of my boxes the prior week, I assume because they weren't broken down, and thus my garage was getting packed with cardboard.  I normally don't have excessive cardboard but with a baby on the way we have received a number of gifts that are packaged in cardboard and I'm not going to allow that cardboard to go anywhere but to the recycling plant.  What they do with it there is out of my hands.  Anyway, I hope that you enjoy my weak attempt at humor.  I'm sure the pick-up guys got a kick out of it.

Sites You Should Know - Earth911

Every week, GreenPeaches brings you a very useful site that you can use to help green your lifestyle. Our picks may or may not relate directly to Atlanta but they will always be great tools. We hope that you add these to your bookmarks and visit them in the future.

This weeks site is Earth911 (www.earth911.com).  This site is a fantastic resource for locating places where you can recycle almost anything.  Their database is very large and thorough.  A search for places within 25 miles of Atlanta where you can recycle batternies yielded almost 70 results.  Many of which are easily accessible such as Office Depot, Best Buy and Batteries Plus.  I was able to find two places that will accept styrofoam and 33 businesses that will accept scrap metal. 

Another great tool is their iPhone app, iRecycle.  It interfaces with the same database that the online website does and is searchable based on your current location or any location you want to enter.  When I was going through my garage this week cleaning up to make room for all the new baby stuff, I decided to give the app a try and loved it.  I was able to find a place to recycle my old cell phones, batteries, scrap metal, clothing and a number of other items right from my phone. 

Using the Earth911 website is a no brainer when you are in doubt about what to do with something you are looking to get rid of that is bulky, hazardous or that has an alternative use.  We highly recommend the website and as far as green iPhone apps go, this is one of the best out there.

Peach Bites

Cox Enterprises and Georgia Power Produce Green Energy for Georgia (bNet) - On April 20th, Cox Enterprises announced the completion of the largest solar power facility in Georgia. This facility is the largest of its kind in Georgia Power's alternative energy program here in Georgia. The facility will produce 150 megawatts annually. It is located on the roof of Cox's Manheim DRIVE facility in Stockbridge.

Southeast Positioned for Renewable Energy, WRI Report Says (Environmental Protection) - The Southeast could generate over 25% of its power from renewable energy by 2025 according to a report released in April by the World Resources Institute (WRI), Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and the Southface Institute. The estimate combines potential power from biomass, solar, wind and hydroelectric.

Coca-Cola to use Green 'PlantBottle' (Atlanta Business Chronicle) - Coca-Cola will introduce a partially plant based plastic bottle in its Dasani water bottles later this year. They plan to begin using it in their vitamin water line in 2010. Their vision is for 100% recyclable and renewable packaging. It's great to see this type of move from one of the Atlanta's and the world's most popular companies.

Georgia Submits Request for Clean-Energy Stimulus Money (Atlanta Business Chronicle) - If the request is approved, the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority will get roughly 2x as much money to aid business in solar, wind and efficiency projects as is available through state tax programs.

Sustainable Atlanta Releases its First Sustainability Report

Last month, Sustainable Atlanta released its first report on the state of sustainability in the city of Atlanta. The mission of Sustainable Atlanta is the following; "Sustainable Atlanta leads Atlanta's quest toward sustainability by developing strategies and policy recommendations with partners from Atlanta's business, non-profit, academic, community and government leadership. I would highly suggest downloading and reading the .pdf. It is very insightful and will give you hope that the city is moving in the right direction. The report is broken up into 5 categories and each is broken down by statistics with briefs on partnerships and what is planned for the future. Below are the areas that Sustainable Atlanta is focusing on along witha notable quote from each:

• Water -"Atlanta - Which depends on the Chattahoochee River as its water source - is the buggest U.S. city not built on a large body of water."
• Energy & Climate Change - "For nearly 10 percent of all the days in 2008, our air reached unhealthy levels."
• Parks & Green Space - "Among the nation's 25 largest cities, Atlanta has the least amount of land dedicated to parks."
• Recycling & Materials Management - "Together, paper and pastic account for over half the materials that go into our waste stream. But organic material makes up almost a quarter."
• Leadership - "It's about changing the way we behave. It's about choosing to preserve more and throw away less. It's about finding healthier ways to commute. It's about designing and building better so that we live and work in more efficient and healthier buildings. it's about changing what you do - and convincing your colleagues and neighbors to do the same"

The city is ranked 19 out of the top 50 most populous metro areas in the U.S. We currently lead the southeast and are number three nationally in the number of environmentally friendly buildings. You can find more rankings broken out by category at SustainLane.

Dog Owner Recycled

Even the dogs are getting in on the action these days. A Philadelphia woman was missing for several days before her neighbors called authorities. It turns out that her cocker spaniel knocked her off balance and she fell, rear end first, into her recycling bin. She wasn't able to liberate herself from the bin and ended up stuck for several days. Wow, I never thought that recycling could be life threatening. The 76 year old woman is expected to make a full recovery.

via Obscure Store

image courtesy of KB35

Yellow Pages Goes Green???

The jury is still out on this one but it is worth a try.  I can't tell you how annoyed I get with the obsolete unsolicited yellowpages books that I get every so often.  I can't help but think of all the waste that goes into the preparation, manufacturing and delivery of this product that makes it from my front doorstep to the recycling bin faster than your average piece of junk mail does.  At least I take a look at the junk mail to decide whether to shred or not to shred.

Well, we stumbled on this site from the Eco Bella blog the other day and figured it was worth a try.  It's pretty easy.  Just go to www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org and enter your information.

You will get this message:

Your request to be removed from Yellow Pages distribution has been forwarded to the Yellow Pages publishers we have on file that serve your area. Michael, for verification, we have sent you an email. Please click on the link in the email to verify your signature.

I'm hoping this works.  You'll be hearing from me if it doesn't.

What to do With That Christmas Tree?

This year was my first year with a real Christmas tree as an adult.  Previously, I've either gone treeless or put up a tiny little tree just for a little holiday cheer.  However, Nita and I decided that we would definitely get a real tree this year.  We evaluated the alternatives of real versus fake.  This SF Gate article helped.  The debate will rage on but I would say that a majority lean toward real as the better choice if you must make one. 

Positives of Real: US Grown, Biodegrades, Affordable, No Storage, Fresh Smell 

Negatives of Real: Pesticides, Sap, Transportation, Needles 

Positives of Fake: No Needles, No Sap, No Transportation Issues, Lasts Longer 

Negatives of Fake: Non-Biodegradable, Made w/PVC, No Fresh Smell, Have to Store it, Made in China

Well, we decided on the real tree and once we decided, I immediately started wondering how we would get rid of the tree. 

Well, I put off the research for the past 3 weeks and enjoyed the holidays.  Yesterday, the tree came down and the environmentalist came back out.  I quickly googled my city and tree recycling.  I knew there would be something.  Most likely a mulching operation.  To my surprise, I stumbled on a national campaign run by Earth911.org who has teamed up with many Home Depot locations to act as a drop spot for used Christmas trees.  You will need to enter in your zip code on the home page to find local info and events. 

The campaign is aptly named "Bring One for the Chipper."  So, I couldn't resist putting up a nice beaver for today's post.

MDH