Posted in Events, Sustainability on October 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
That’s right folks, Decatur’s bi-annual Electronics Recycling day is this Saturday, Oct. 24 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Decatur High School parking lot (corner of N. McDonough St. and Howard Ave.). Almost anything with an electrical cord can be recycled. TVs can be recycled for a $10 cash-only fee per set with exact change. There is no charge to recycle other items.
For a complete list of recyclable items, visit the Electronics Recycling Day webpage.
Posted in Community, Retail & Restaurants, Sustainability on July 29, 2009 | 2 Comments »
I know most Decaturites don’t need much encouragement to shop locally because they understand the value of supporting the local community. And most would agree that our local shops and restaurants make Decatur a great place to work and live. There’s little doubt that local shops and restaurants improve the quality of a community, but it’s hard to quantify that value.
That being said, I just discovered an organization that creatively sums up the quantitative value of shopping locally. It’s called The 3/50 Project. What does it stand for? Pick 3. Spend $50. Save your local economy.
In other words, pick three local businesses that you want to support and spend a total of $50 at those businesses each month. If half the employed population in the nation spent $50 every month in locally owned businesses, it would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue. For every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays local.
This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t shop at national chains. Instead, The 3/50 project encourages consummers to spend $50 of their budget each month at three locally owned shops. So next time you need a last minute birthday card or gift, stop by one of Decatur’s giftshops or boutiques.
To learn more about the 3/50 Project visit their website or click on the logo above.
Posted in Community, Sustainability on July 27, 2009 | 1 Comment »
The drought may be over, but it never hurts to post a reminder about non-drought outdoor water use, right? Julie Gyuricza, Decatur’s storm water engineer, emailed me a recap of the state-wide outdoor water use for your reading pleasure:
The State of Georgia has returned to a non-drought schedule for outdoor water use. Under a non-drought schedule, outdoor water use is allowed three days a week on assigned days using odd and even-numbered addresses.
• Odd-numbered addresses can water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
• Even-numbered and unnumbered addresses are allowed to water on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Water use may occur at any time of the day on the assigned days, but to be water efficient, landscape watering should not occur between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. For more information visit the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ website.
Posted in Community, Events, Sustainability, Uncategorized on May 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Come help us cut the ribbon for Fire Station #2 on Monday, June 1 at 10 a.m. The station was demolished and completely rebuilt and now the trucks fit, there are bathrooms for our female firefighters, and it can serve as an Emergency Dispatch Center and/or an Emergency Operations Center if necessary. We are hoping to achieve a LEED Silver Designation soon. It looks beautiful – come see it! Hope to see you there.
Posted in Sidewalk Talk, Sustainability on May 7, 2009 | 3 Comments »
City of Decatur facilities maintenance superintendent, Felix Floyd, impressed us all when he told us about the eco-friendly herbicide he mixed together to use on the MARTA plaza. Some of you might already know about this recipe, but for those of you who don’t, here’s how you can make your own chemical-free weed killer:
Of course the MARTA plaza needs more than one little spray bottle of weed killer, so Felix makes his in bulk. He estimates that for every gallon of vinegar, he adds 2 cups of salt and 1 cup of soap. It takes a couple of applications for the stuff to work, but I’m sure the plaza will be weed-free (and chemical-free) by Decatur Arts Festival weekend.
Posted in Community, Events, Sustainability, Uncategorized on April 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Anna I. Young would be proud. The ASC 1910 graduate/mathematics professor for whom the Alumnae House is named now has a beautifully renovated and LEED Silver sustainable home. Although Anna Young never lived in the house that is named for her, she was a charter member of the alumnae association and served as first vice president of the group. When she died in 1920, the Agnes Scott Alumnae Association and Board of Trustees gave the house to the college in her memory.
It is fitting that the rededication and celebration was held today during ASC’s Alumnae Weekend. President Elizabeth Kiss said that this is the college’s first project designed for LEED Silver certification and called out both Columbia Seminary and the City of Decatur for their soon-to-be open LEED Silver residence hall and fire station.
Check out Commissioner Fred Boykin (whose mother is an ASC alum) standing in front of Colonel George Washington Scott’s original bed that is now in one of the bedrooms and Commissioner Kecia Cunningham (who is also an ASC alum and currently on the Alumnae Board) standing in the garden.
My favorite is the alumnae art on all the walls – oh, and the AIY monogrammed towels in every bathroom.
Posted in Community, Meetings, Sustainability on April 2, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Environment Georgia is hosting Clean Energy, Green Economy Town Hall with Congressman Hank Johnson on Thursday, April 16, 7-8:30 p.m. at the Decatur Public Library Auditorium.
Join them for a discussion about a cooler, cleaner and cheaper energy future for Georgia with leaders in energy efficiency and renewable power. Learn how you and your community can support cleaner energy and a greener economy.
For more information or to RSVP contact Emily Thomas, 404-892-3573, emily@environmentgeorgia.org.
Posted in Sustainability on April 1, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Just in case you didn’t catch this on Decatur Metro, The Georgia Urban Forest Council is sponsoring a program on restoring your backyard ecosystem. Here are the details:
What: Restoring Your Back Yard Ecosystem seminar. Learn how natural plantings can reduce energy consumption, require less maintainence, and allow your yard to function as its own ecosystem.
When: Saturday, April 18, 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Where: DeKalb Extension Service Office, 4380 Memorial Dr., Suite 200, Decatur, GA 30032
How: Register online for $25 at EventBrite.
Posted in Community, Sidewalk Talk, Sustainability on March 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The City of Decatur, Agnes Scott College, City Schools of Decatur, Decatur Business Association, Georgia Organics, and Oakhurst Community Garden have come together to form the Decatur Agriculture Initiative (DAI) designed to bring together community partners around the issue of growing food locally.
The first step is the creation of a Master Plan that identifies and coordinates existing community-based efforts into one unified plan. This comprehensive approach should result in providing a variety of agricultural products, including food, which would be available through local producers and markets.
Examples of some possible outcomes might include: stronger community support for farmers markets, co-operative purchase of environmentally sensitive products, education programs designed for children and youth to be able to plan and support their own gardens, and more.
The possibilities are exciting and all of the partners are looking forward to collaborating on this brand new DAI in Decatur.
