November 2004
Greenbuild 2004: Portland, OR
The 2004 Greenbuild International Conference & Expo will be held in Portland, Oregon to showcase the latest developments in the sustainable design industry. Atlanta's own Environmental Manager Benjamin Taube will be attending the conference to describe the steps Atlanta has taken to promote sustainable design. Currently there are five City of Atlanta facilities in pre-design or design stages that are striving to achieve the LEED Silver rating required by the city's Sustainable Development Design Standards. Ben will also be preparing the audience for Greenbuild 2005 which will be held in Atlanta and is expected to draw almost 10,000 attendees to the "Olympics of Greenbuilding."
June 2004
Electronics Recycling Round-Up
On Saturday, June 26, 2004, Environmental Manager Benjamin Taube held the second Electronic Recycling Round-Up for City residents. Electronics contain several materials that pose serious health risks when disposed of improperly including lead, mercury and heavy metals. Scores of people demonstrated their concern for the environment by ensuring that their e-waste was properly handled by dropping it off at the Atlanta Civic Center. Over seven tons of electronics including computers, monitors and cell phones were dropped off where an electronics recycler will ensure that they do not reach landfills. Disposed goods will be recycled into new products, refurbished and resold or donated to organizations that can put them to good use. The event was sponsored by Dell and equipment was recycled by GSan Inc.
Green Roof Conference
Atlanta’s own Environmental Manager Ben Taube will be showcasing City Hall’s green roof at the 2nd Annual Green Roof Infrastructure Conference, Awards and Tradeshow June 2-4. In addition to cleaning the air and reducing stormwater runoff, green roofs can have important energy related benefits. The soil and plant matter act as insulation, reducing heat loss and heat gain in a building and reduce the need for air conditioning and heating. Green roofs also help reduce the urban heat island effect, which makes downtown Atlanta 2-8 degrees hotter in the summer than the surrounding suburbs that have more vegetation and less impervious surface cover.
March 2004
Greenprints 2004: Sustainable Communities By Design
On the "greenest" day of the year, Saint Patrick's Day, Mayor Shirley Franklin and Council President Cathy Woolard were joined by top city officials at the 2004 Visionary Dinner to celebrate Atlanta's sustainable design community. Mayor Franklin presented Jim Jacoby of Jacoby Development the Argon Award for his leadership in creating the smart growth development Atlantic Station.
Mayor Franklin went on to annouce that the Department of Aviation will pursue LEED certification for the soon-to-be Maynard Holbrook Jackson Jr. International Terminal. By incorporating energy efficient and environmentally-friendly technologies, Atlanta will demonstrate its commitment to minimizing its environmental impact and maximizing taxpayer dollars.
December 2003
Southeast Green Power Summit
Atlanta has been searching for ways to incorporate cost effective renewable energy. With several high-profile public facilities including the Atlanta Civic Center, ZooAtlanta, the world’s busiest airport and City Hall itself, Atlanta can play a significant leadership and educational role in promoting renewable energy in the region by installing renewable energy technologies at these sites. Recently Council President Woolard participated in the Government Agency Purchasers Panel of the Southeast Green Power Summit to discuss Atlanta’s energy conservation efforts.
November 2003
Council President Woolard Champions "Change A Light" Campaign
On Wednesday, October 15, 2003, Council President Cathy Woolard promoted energy efficiency at a City resident's home. The Council President installed the first of several energy efficient light bulbs that the homeowner will receive to reduce the electricity used by lighting in the home.
As part of the "Change A Light, Change the World" campaign, ENERGY STAR and the Weatherization Assistance Program are teaming up to help low-income homeowners save on energy bills. The Department of Energy chose Atlanta for this event because of the tremendous savings the city has achieved through its Energy Conservation Program.
Learn more about the Weatherization Assistance Program.
August 2003
Atlanta hosts first Green Fair
An important part of energy conservation is education. With the support of the ENERGY STAR® program Atlanta held its first Green Fair on July 29, 2003. The event attracted over 400 employees and visitors to City Hall to learn about the ways they could save energy and money at home and in the office. ENERGY STAR® partners from the Atlanta area displayed energy efficient products including clothes washers, office equipment and a refrigerator.
Visitors to the fair were treated to ENERGY STAR® coffee mugs, totes and energy efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) that produce as much light as a 100 watt light bulb, but use one-quarter of the energy! Over 200 CFLs were given away – together these will save enough energy each year to power two average sized homes! Seven lucky raffle winners took home prizes donated by Green Fair exhibitors, including a home energy efficiency starter kit from Home Depot that featured insulating foam, a high efficiency air filter, a water heater insulating blanket, air sealing caulk, an occupancy sensor and a programmable thermostat.
The Green Fair also provided an opportunity to release the exciting news about our First Year Savings.
Thanks to ENERGY STAR® and our exhibitors!
Department of Energy
City of Atlanta: Watershed Department
Atlanta Regional Commission
Central Atlanta Progress
Clean Air Campaign
MARTA
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Southface Energy Institute
BellSouth
GE Appliances
Home Depot
Lanier
Southern Automatic Machinery
Xerox
Georgia Power
Scana Energy
Southern Company Natural Gas