Sustainable Atlanta Initiative Gets a Boost with Emory Study

Student-researcher Jessica Wang works on a study as part of a partnership between the Department of Human Resources, Office of Sustainability and Emory University.

In a recent study conducted by the Emory University Service Learning in Environmental Studies program, student-researchers found that Atlanta City Government could become a leader in environmental sustainability by increasing awareness of and accelerating employee participation in its existing alternative commute programs. The study was intended as a pilot for future commute alternative programs to be implemented by the Atlanta Office of Sustainability. Emory worked with the Atlanta Department of Human Resources (DHR) to investigate how the City of Atlanta could encourage its employees to use its current alternative commute programs. The City partners with the Clean Air Campaign to provide the following alternative commuter programs to its employees:

• MARTA Card Subsidy and pre-tax deductions for Gwinnett and Cobb County public transit


• Guaranteed Ride Home program (up to five free taxi-rides home per year for employees needing an emergency ride home on a day they use an alternative mode of transit)


• Cash for Commuters (earn money for each time you carpool, tele-work, use transit, walk or bike to work for up to 90 days)


• Car Pool Rewards (earn money by carpooling with three or more people. Ride to work together and log your trips online to receive gas cards

From March 14 – April 4, 2008, Emory students conducted research with GIS mapping, mini case studies and interviews with City employees in the Departments of HR; Planning and; Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. Their research showed that more than 70 percent live outside of Atlanta and 78 percent drive alone to work. High gas prices are the main factor encouraging people to get out of their cars (58 percent), and nearly one-third of employees (31.6 percent) surveyed were concerned about climate change as a reason to switch to carpooling, vanpooling, biking, walking, or public transit.

About Sustainable Atlanta: This program is aimed at making our city more sustainable by improving “green” programs and policies, such as water and energy conservation, reducing solid waste and emissions, and improving the rates of recycling. For the first phase of Sustainable Atlanta, the City has focused on government operations and policies. By mid-year 2008, Sustainable Atlanta will shift to an external focus with public policies and programs designed to make the entire city a model for sustainability. Information for this article was provided by Emory student-researcher Gary Eddy.

Open House for BeltLine Draft Plans

On Saturday May 3 from 12- 2 pm, the BeltLine Team will host a public open house at Atlanta City Hall for residents to provide input into the ongoing BeltLine draft plans. Active public participation into the planning and implementation of the BeltLine is a tenet of the visionary project, which will ultimately connect dozens of Atlanta communities with housing, transit, development and parks and trails. BeltLine project managers will be available to discuss resident concerns and input. City Hall is located at 55 Trinity Ave, Atlanta, 30303. For more information, contact Rukiya Eaddy at readdy@atlbeltline.org or Roland Young at ryoung@atlbeltline.org.

Reminder: Annual Electronic Waste Recycling Day

Added Lanes at World’s Busiest Airport Will Decrease Wait Times

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (HJAIA) has launched a $25 million construction project to expand the number of security checkpoints to shorten security wait times and increase capacity and efficiency at the world’s busiest airport. The project will increase the total of security screening lanes from 28 to 32. Project components include adding three lanes at the Terminal North checkpoint (T Gates), removing outdated lanes and screening equipment and adding four new lanes to Terminal South.

“This is just another step in our never-ending quest to exceed our customers’ expectations,” said Ben DeCosta, HJAIA General Manager. “We are partnering with the Transportation Security Administration to have these new security lanes fully staffed. We are confident that through this partnership we will increase the amount of passengers screened per hour which will decrease wait times while also maintaining a high level of security.” Construction of the new lanes is scheduled to be completed before the end of the 2008 summer travel season. HJAIA is the world’s busiest airport serving more than 89 million passengers annually housing 34 passenger and 16 cargo airlines.

For more information on the airport and its $6 billion-plus capitol improvement project, please visit www.atlanta-airport.com.

Atlanta’s Award-Winning Water Treatment Plants

The Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP) has given Atlanta water treatment plants the “gold award” for exceptional performance in the delivery of safe, portable water. The annual GAWP awards recognize facilities that met or exceeded the permit requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act in 2007. The City of Atlanta currently is spending $1 billion to overhaul its drinking water system by replacing meters, repairing leaks, building new transmission and distribution mains and upgrading its plants. The City of Atlanta Chattahoochee and Hemphill water treatment plants received the Gold Award for permit compliance. The Atlanta-Fulton County Treatment Plant, which is jointly owned by the City and Fulton County, also received a Gold Award. The Chattahoochee plant treats 64.9 million gallons of water per day; Hemphill treats 136.5 million gallons; and the City’s share of the Atlanta-Fulton County Treatment is 45 million gallons. “We are grateful to GAWP for recognizing our ongoing efforts to provide clean, safe drinking water to customers,” said Rob Hunter, commissioner, Department of Watershed Management (DWM). GAWP represents more than 5,000 operators, owners, contractors, manufactures’ representatives, engineers, elected officials, industry representatives and others concerned with Georgia’s water resources.

Electronic Waste Recycling Day 2008

Atlanta City Councilmember Carla Smith hosts
Electronic Waste Recycling Day 2008
First 100 cars to received a free gift certificate from Best Buy

Atlanta City Councilmember Carla Smith will host the city’s annual Electronic Waste Recycling Day on Saturday, April 26 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at Turner Field’s GOLD Lot of Turner Field. Residents are encouraged to bring their old computers and household electronics to this Earth Day event. An astounding 75,583 of electronic items were collected in 2007 – the largest amount ever collected. “We are out to beat that record,” said City Councilmember Carla Smith, whose office has hosted E-Waste Recycling Day for the past six years. “Each year we collect more electronics than the year before, which shows there is a tremendous need for residents to properly dispose of these unwanted items.” The goal of this initiative is to promote the recovery, reuse, and recycling of obsolete electronic equipment and to encourage the design, manufacture, and purchase of environmentally responsible electronic equipment. The electronics industry is one of the fastest growing and most innovative industries in the world. Every year, newer and better products are being sold to consumers. While electronics account for up to five percent of landfill volume, the products contribute up to 70 percent of the toxins found in landfills.

The following items will be accepted at the city of Atlanta’s E-Waste Recycling Day:

• COMPUTER MONITORS
• TELEVISIONS ($10 fee required)
• MICROWAVE OVENS
• COMPUTER CPU’s
• STEREOS
• TELEPHONES
• LAPTOPS
• COPIERS
• CB RADIOS
• PRINTERS
• VIDEO MACHINES
• CD PLAYERS
• DISK DRIVES
• VCRs and DVD Players
• PORTABLE RADIOS
• FLOPPY DRIVES
• CAMCORDERS
• CELL PHONES
• TEST & NETWORKING EQUIPMENT
• CAMERAS
• KEYBOARDS
• MODEMS
• RECORD PLAYERS
• SCANNERS
• CURCUIT BOARDS
• SPEAKERS
• ELECTRICAL PANELS
• TYPEWRITERS
• UPS/BATTERY BACK-UP
• FAX MACHINES
• CD ROMS
• PROJECTORS
• CABLES
• COMPUTER MOUSES

The following items will not be accepted: consoles, projection televisions, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, washers, dryers, freezers, de-humidifiers or humidifiers, gas-powered equipment, tires, household trash and NON-electronic equipment.

For more information, please call Councilwoman Smith’s office at (404) 330-6039.

Project Update - Howell Mill/Chattahoochee Intersection Project

We are pleased to provide you with the following information related to the Howell Mill Road/Chattahoochee Intersection Improvement Project:

• Utility relocations are currently underway with City of Atlanta Traffic Operations, Comcast, Bellsouth, and the City of Atlanta Watershed Management Department. We expect completion of relocations by April 21st with paving operations immediately following.
• With the exception of the stamped concrete crosswalks and permanent striping planned for the project, we continue to expect major construction activities to be complete by the end this month, April 2008.
• Stamped crosswalk locations are planned at the intersections of Howell Mill and Chattahoochee and Howell Mill and Defoors/Bellemeade. These activities are currently scheduled for early May 2008, for the duration of approximately 2 weeks.
• All of the scheduling is weather dependent. Significant rain days, more than 1-2 in a work week, will impact this schedule.
• Additionally, the Atlanta Police Department is working diligently to address enforcement concerns in the area.

As always, we certainly appreciate your diligence in working with us to improve your community. This project will upgrade Howell Mill Road between White Street and Verner Street and provide more pedestrian-friendly amenities. This will be accomplished in part by the addition of an 8’-0” wide stamped concrete sidewalk on the west side and a similarly patterned 5’-0” wide sidewalk on the east side. Crosswalks will also be of stamped concrete. The project consists of the following:

• Widening of the narrow lanes on Howell Mill Road to at least 11 feet.
• Addition a through lane on Howell Mill Road northbound between Chattahoochee Avenue and Bellemeade Avenue.
• Widening of the narrow lanes on Chattahoochee Avenue in its approach to Howell Mill Road to accommodate truck-turning movements.
• Addition of a left turn lane on Howell Mill Road onto Chattahoochee Avenue.
• Addition of a left turn lane on Howell Mill Road onto Bellemeade Avenue.
• Addition of a left turn lane on Bellemeade Avenue westbound onto Howell Mill Road southbound.
• Improvement of the pedestrian environment through sidewalks/streetscape and street lighting.
• Redesigning of the northwestern corner of Defoors Avenue to discourage cut-through truck traffic.

The current schedule of activities is as follows, weather permitting:

• The relocation of utility lines by other agencies is currently underway. This task must be completed before the construction of the median is started.
• Upon completion of the utility relocation, roadway work will resume to install the median, along with resurfacing, crosswalks, and striping.
• The roadway remains open at this time to avoid unnecessary traffic concerns. Police officers/flaggers are in place to assist with traffic movement, if needed when there are lane blockages due to utility work.

The Department of Public Works remains on schedule for completion of the entire project by the end of April 2008, with the exception of the installation of stamped concrete crosswalks and permanent striping.

Funding: $1.1M (General Obligation Bond Funds)

Ongoing updates may be found at http://www.atlantaga.gov/government/publicworks/howellmillroadwideningproject.aspx

For additional information, please contact the City of Atlanta - Department of Public Works
Greg Holder, Project Manager at (404) 330-6208

2ND ANNUAL EARTH DAY CELEBRATION

It’s our city. do your part.

Join the Keep Atlanta Beautiful 2nd annual Earth Day Celebration

In April, Keep Atlanta Beautiful, the City of Atlanta, and The BeltLine Partnership will host “Arms Around Atlanta ~ Earth Day Celebration.” As part of this celebration, there will be two festivals over two weekends. On April 19, Zoo Atlanta, a Greener Atlanta Earth Leader, will sponsor the first event, where Zoo patrons will enjoy $5 off general admission with the donation of a used cell-phone that will benefit the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. Your Zoo entry will include access to the Earth Day World Music Fest™ and the Kids ECO-Zone™, a special area where kids can learn about “Stepping Lightly in Atlanta” and reducing their carbon footprint.

On April 26, 10 am – 10 pm, we will be in Glenwood Park, a Green Streets Properties ‘green’ development. The day’s activities will feature the Earth Day World MusicFest™, Kids ECO-Zone™, and the Organic and Local Taste of Atlanta™, as well as a special ceremony at noon where Mayor Shirley Franklin and Anthony Pratt, Chairman and CEO, Pratt Industries, will award the winners of the “Stepping Lightly in Atlanta Awards Contest.” Keep Atlanta Beautiful and the City of Atlanta are delighted to present the 2008 ‘Stepping Lightly in Atlanta Awards” sponsored by Pratt Industries, a Keep Atlanta Beautiful ~ Greener Atlanta Benefactor.

On April 26, we will also hold an e-Waste recycling drive at Turner Field in the Gold Parking Lot, hosted by City Councilmember Carla Smith, where residents can recycle their old computers, monitors, TVs (TV’s will have a recycle charge), and other used electronics. Last year, more than 80,000 lbs. of e-Waste were recycled.

Throughout the month of April, Keep Atlanta Beautiful will sponsor community-based projects to help clean and green neighborhoods and parks in the City of Atlanta along with many located on and close to Atlanta’s BeltLine. Last Earth Day, with the help of more than 55 teams, or 1200 volunteers, Keep Atlanta Beautiful successfully beautified 31 sites around the city and recycled more than 8,500 lbs of recyclable waste as well as 13,000 tires. Thanks to The Home Depot Foundation for their generous support in 2007 and for helping Keep Atlanta Beautiful carry on the tradition in 2008.

For more information on how you can be a part of the excitement, education and entertainment of the Keep Atlanta Beautiful Arms Around Atlanta ~ Earth Day Celebration, visit http://www.keepatlantabeautiful.org/.

BeltLine Quarterly Briefing-April 17, 2008

Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. - Update

Quarterly Briefing - April 17, 2008

Once every three months, the BeltLine Team hosts a city-wide meeting to provide an overview and update of Beltline activities. Our next briefing is Thursday, April 17, 2008 at Atlanta Public Schools Auditorium from 6-8 p.m (130 Trinity Ave., Atlanta, GA).

We very much appreciate your participation in furthering BeltLine planning and implementation. If you have any questions, please contact Roland Young at

ryoung@atlbeltline.org or Rukiya Eaddy at readdy@atlbeltline.org.

For more information about the BeltLine, please visit www.beltline.org