Author: Ben Young

A panel of experts at the recent GeorgiaForward forum says we’ve made some progress in solving our water challenges, but there is still much to be done.

It’s no secret that colleges were among the first entities to adopt sustainability practices, which puts them ahead of the curve. As we present our Higher Education Directory of colleges and universities (see page 39), it’s worth noting the incredible…

Each year Metro Atlanta leaders seek answers to their problems by analyzing comparable regions. The LINK (Leadership, Involvement, Networking, Knowledge) trips, coordinated by the Atlanta Regional Commission, have become an indispensible annual chatting session for the region’s movers and shakers…

Sometimes the best way to get a clear perspective on Georgia politics is to head out to the country and get back to nature. Here we see the ecological advantages of our state in all their glory, and at times,…

As the state’s wish list for T-SPLOST transportation projects to be tackled by a penny sales tax by district – if voters approve in 2012 – begins to emerge, we are seeing the early signs of regional thinking. Specifically, Metro…

As Georgia Trend honors companies that have boosted their sustainability index in the Southeastern Corporate Sustainability Rankings (see page 39) this month, there seems to be a top-down effect. It is worth noting some of the trends that have boosted…

A bill in the Senate (SB 86) would allow communities to blow off the Georgia Planning Act. They can still make plans, but they won’t be penalized by the state for failure to craft and implement their plans through denied…

Every year, U.S. residents and companies discard mountains of waste – an estimated 251 million tons in 2006. In 2008, Georgia sent nearly 13 million tons of garbage to landfills, according to The Atlanta Journal-Consti-tution, and nearly 40 percent of…

Georgia Trend began GreenRoom in part to acknowledge good deeds in the land conservation sector. Every few months a group like Georgia Conservancy would announce that another swath of the state’s wilderness or coastal marshland was protected. Usually it involved…

The year 2011 could be the year three new governors decide on a water compact that will mutually benefit Georgia, Florida and Alabama. If it isn’t, 2012 could be the year that makes or breaks the future of our state.…

Relatively speaking, 2010 was a good year for Georgia transportation. We may have actually turned the corner, leaving behind a regressive reticence that left our state clamoring – unsuccessfully – for critical infrastructure funding for the last eight years. Without…

Interesting new developments are emerging around Atlanta, centered on pedestrian access and representing a real cultural shift. It has relevance to sustainability efforts, based on reducing car use by making it more worthwhile to park and walk. And the pleasure…

As the Atlanta BeltLine reaches the halfway point of its $60-million campaign to build 33 miles of trails, there is a rediscovery of Georgia’s intricate network of trails in the making. Trails are an indispensible link in the state’s ecological…

It was a big moment: all of Georgia’s Riverkeepers uniting to support a water plan that relies on interbasin transfers in coordination with other initiatives to keep the state’s supply flowing. The gubernatorial candidates should be listening, because the Riverkeeper…

Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority is changing its name to reflect a stronger focus on enabling institutions to use the Ameri-can Recovery Reinvestment Act (ARRA) dollars it has been authorized to disburse. It will subsequently be known as Georgia Environmental Fi-nance…

Georgia’s Land Conserva-tion Program has done pretty well in a bad economy – acquiring 116,627 acres of land for easement protection since the program’s inception in 2005. Last August more than 7,000 acres along the Altamaha River were donated as…

Georgia’s agricultural community is roiling over some cuts to agricultural and ecological projects in the state’s university system that were part of a proposed overall $300 million shave to the system budget, which was floated during this year’s legislative session.…

In a dramatic endorsement of nuclear energy, President Barack Obama has announced $8.3 billion in low- interest stimulus loans for construction of two more nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle in Waynesboro. This huge chunk of dough means that opposition to…

Gov. Sonny Perdue has endorsed a transportation funding plan, finally. He has also proposed $3 billion in bonds over the next 10 years to get transportation projects rolling. The regional “T-SPLOST” plan, which allows counties to band together to create…

Atlanta Beltline now brands itself as simply Beltline. The shift is almost imperceptible but speaks volumes. For one thing, it speaks confidence. Former CEO Terri Montague shepherded the $2.7 billion plan, aimed at creating a 22-mile ring of parks, neighborhoods…

Clean air is often taken for granted – you can’t see it until it’s gone. By then the federal government may be punishing you for fouling it, which is what happened in the late ’90s, when Atlanta’s failure to meet…

Talk about calling out the cavalry: Gov. Sonny Perdue’s new Water Contingency Task Force, announced in October, consists of more than 80 heavy hitters throughout the state, chaired by John Brock (Coca-Cola Enterprises) and Tim Lowe (Lowe Engineers). Its focus…

A number of impressive environmental efforts were spotlighted recently by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ first Conserve Georgia Natural Leaders awards, which promote the Conserve Georgia program and successful examples of its different elements: Atlanta’s Clean Air Cam-paign won…

The EnergyStar and WaterSense programs are helping people help the environment by doing something they love – shopping. You don’t have to understand how the technology works or have a huge personal stake in green issues to appreciate Energy-Star appliances,…

More stimulus money is flowing into Georgia, this time to finance water and sewer improvements; $40.5 million of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is part of $91.5 million approved by the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA) for upgrades…

Georgia Trend’s first GreenRoom Summit, covered in the July issue, produced some revelations, especially information from the energy companies that residents, not big companies, use the most power and water. That means the onus is on residential developers and citizens…