Wildlife High School - A for Effort

This one intrigued me.  An article online today at AJC.com titled 'School earns wildlife certification' sounded great.  It was in the North Fulton news section so I thought we might have something noteworthy on our hands.  Here's the lowdown:

• School - Johns Creek High School
• Organization - National Wildlife Federation
• Certification/Award - Certified Wildlife Habitat

This is part of a greater certification that Johns Creek is working on that would certify the city as a community wildlife habitat.  

I have a problem with it because it's inherently misleading.  Calling a school a 'certified wildlife habitat' immediately makes one think this school is focused on nature and preserving the natural environment.  Just take a look at the Google Maps image below.  

From what I can tell, about the only true 'wildlife' that this school is certified to nurture and sustain are cars, teenagers, football players, baseball players, softball players, fans and the like.  Sure, the open fields could attract some migratory birds and the Johns Creek Greenway runs through site but is that really grounds for a wildlife habitat certification?  The fields are residual space or sports fields and the greenway is a convenient suburban buffer zone between differing land uses.  It's a good use for the land given the situation but a wildlife paradise it's not and we shouldn't pretend that it is.

Now, I don't want to downplay what Johns Creek Student Malcolm Barnard is doing because his intentions are good and I commend him for his efforts.  However, I find fault with the National Wildlife Federation for turning what should be a meaningful certification into what essentially amounts to a boy scout merit badge.  Saying that Johns Creek High School is a Wildlife Habitat is a joke.  With the right amount of effort, any school in the nation could 'earn' that title.

Here are some ways the school could have truly been more wildlife friendly...

• Reduce it's footprint - kids don't need acres upon acres of land to be educated. Wildlife does need acres upon acres to have a legitimate habitat.
• Locate better - yes, the school is close to a couple subdivisions and some basic service businesses but is anyone really walking around over there?  Reducing the demand for busing and driving will reduce the parking footprint thus reducing the footprint.
• Put a green roof on it - a green roof would give it some serious green street cred while also saving energy in the long run, reducing runoff and creating 'habitat' for birds and insects.

Sorry Malcolm, you get an A for effort but I'm calling foul on the National Wildlife Federation here.

Peach Bites

Georgia Tech Makes the Honor Roll - The Princeton Review has named Georgia Tech to its Green College Honor Roll.  Georgia Tech is the only university in the region to make the list and strikingly absent is Emory University which has more LEED certified buildings than any campus in the nation. MNN

Suniva May Go Public - The Norcross based solar company is considering going public.  They have raised $75M in private funding and are looking for more. The company has obtained over $1 billion in orders. Atlanta Business Chronicle

Atlanta Ranks 33rd in Sustainability - The NRDC recently released rankings of the most sustainable cities in the US.  The west coast came out on top with Seattle winning the #1 spot and San Francisco and Portland close behind.  Roswell was 23rd on the smaller cities list.  Creative Loafing

Help For Our Right Whales - New technology may help ships avoid collisions with whales.  This will help the dwindling population of right whales that breed off the coast of Georgia.  TreeHugger

They'll Call it HotterLanta Soon - I hate the silly name of Hot-Lanta that our city picked up in the 90s but it is appropriate now and will be later this century if predictions are correct.  A report released recently on the potential impacts of global warming states that average temperatures in the 2080s will likely be 4.5 to 9 degrees hotter.  Macon.com

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.