*Summary

January 5, 2007 kicked off SART in the New Year. The format served as a question and answer forum for attendees and members of the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA). Dennis Creech presented opening comments and facilitated the event. This month’s topic was Georgia’s Energy Future. GEFA’s Elizabeth Robertson highlighted some GEFA’s of the goals and achievements for the past year. Members of GEFA were tasked with developing a statewide energy plan that included topics such as weatherization and public participation. The plan represents the common ground achieved in council as according to public influence. Kevin Kelly was the tasked with driving the plan to succession.

Kevin Kelly discussed the five key themes for developing a statewide energy plan. The first was prioritizing energy resource development. The plan hopes to pursue energy efficiency opportunities to match the increasing demand for the state. The second theme was to pursue energy renewables (mainly in biomass) and also seek out the best conventional resources to meet remaining need. Next the state looked at own practices to develop alternative fuels such as bio diesel and bio fuel. The plan included an education initiative in the state on energy use. This included workforce development, school preparation and an incentive structure for citizens. Finally, there was a push for Georgia to continue energy planning including carbon regulation, addressing climate issues and better energy data availability.

The session concluded with a 45-minute question and answer session.

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February 2007

Environmental Issues in the 2007 Legislature

The 2007 General Assembly is gearing up to make decisions in Georgia. Will there be funding for energy efficiency? For transportation solutions? Will there be rollbacks on protecting Georgia's marshes? Come hear what's happening (or not happening) under the Gold Dome this legislative session, and join your elected officials in discussing the issues that matter to you.

Panelists
Eric Johnson - President Pro Tem, (R-Savannah)
Senator David Adelman, (D-Atlanta)
Representative Harry Geisinger, (R-Atlanta)
Representative Brian Thomas, (D-Atlanta)
Jason Rooks, moderator – Executive Director, Georgia Conservation Voters

*Summary

Jason Rooks, the Executive Director of the Georgia Conservation Voters, moderated the February session discussing the environmental issues in the 2007 Georgia legislature.  The speakers at the event were elected officials from Georgia.  Senator Eric Johnson started off the morning with an overview of Georgia’s struggles with energy-efficiency incentives and economics.  Senator David Adelman was the next speaker and he addressed the issue of renewable energy.  He made it clear that Georgia is not going to be a leader in renewable energy.  This is market driven technology where Georgia is lacking in the demand, but Washington DC is moving forward on the supply side. 

Representative Brian Thomas was next on the agenda and he discussed his personal struggles with trying to get a LEED bill passed and the many issues that the timber companies have with the LEED program.  He emphasized that environmental changes in legislation come from grass root levels and he stressed the importance of writing your representatives.  Representative Harry Geisinger was the final speaker he stated that environmental problems are issues of demand from a growing population in the US (people migrating from below the border) and abroad, specifically China.  He sees energy independence as a long process and taking little steps along the way is the only way it is possible.

 

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March 2007

Trains, Pedestrians and Automobiles: the State of Transportation in Georgia

Issues of transit, congestion, oil dependency, biking and walking are on the minds of citizens and media everyday in the State of Georgia. But where are we now and where are we headed? Join us in bringing two top experts in the State to the table to help us answer these fundamental questions.

Panelists
Mike Meyer – Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Tech
Tom Weyandt– Comprehensive Planning Director, Atlanta Regional Commission
Steve Cover, moderator - Commissioner of Planning and Community Development, City of Atlanta

*Summary

March 2, 2007 was the first in a three part series discussing the State of Transportation in Georgia and the US.  Myles Smith from Georgia Power moderated this event.  Thomas Weyandt, Director of Comprehensive Planning at the Atlanta Regional Commission started off the morning with a transportation division update.  He made it clear that transportation in Atlanta is under-funded and the cost of development is increasing.  This dilemma is leaving roadway projects undeveloped and unfinished to pursue developments in advantageous alternative transportation. 

Michael Meyer, professor at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology spoke about the state of our transportation systems in Georgia.  He highlighted issues of demographics, existing transportation problems, environmental imperatives, advancing technology, changing institutional structures and current economic markets.  Michael feels that Georgia is not prepared for an aging demographic, a growth in population and is struggling to keep up the existing infrastructure.  There is a general lack of concern for energy consumption and the environment.  Michael emphasized that a high-speed rail line in Georgia’s “mega-region”should be priority along with broader environmentally influenced decisions.

The two speakers were followed with a question and answer session. 

The audience was concerned about educating the greater public, sustainability issues, under funding and land use issues.  It was stressed that we should look abroad for transportation planning influences and for alternative institutional structures.

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April 2007

Getting from A to B: Connecting Atlanta's Transit Systems

Metro Atlanta has a long way to go before realizing a seamless transit system. As MARTA continues to fight for funding and smaller systems search for a place at the regional table, some local organizations have introduced expanded transit and shuttle services on their own.  Join us in discussing the next steps in creating a synchronized transit system in the metro Atlanta region. Learn what is happening at the local and regional levels to improve the viability of transit in our region’s future.

                                

Panelists
Cheryl King –Director, Transit Planning Board

Laura Ray –Executive Director, Clifton Corridor Transportation Management Association

David Southerland, moderator –Executive Director, Perimeter Transportation Coalition

*Summary

The April Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable was the second discourse in a three part series on the State of Transportation in Georgia and the U.S.  The April SART focused on the transit network in the Atlanta region.  David Southerland of the Perimeter Transportation Coalition moderated this event. Cheryl L. King, AICP, Staff Director of the Transit Planning Board started off the morning by pressing the issue of making a seamless transit line that takes people from point A to point B without involving single occupancy vehicles.  The shuttles connecting people to MARTA and other destinations were developed independently of one another leaving the Atlanta transit systems inconvenient and inefficient.  She made it clear that the only way to solve this problem is to involve several parties that can plan regionally and coordinate services, using both private and public funding.

 

Laura Ray, Associate Vice President for Transportation and Parking at

Emory University spoke about Emory’s effort in connecting the Clifton corridor with the Cliff Shuttle Busses.  Emory focuses on their commitment to the community by offering free usage of the Cliff busses to the entire community and not only Emory affiliates.  They have also made great strides in alternative transportation by having bike racks near their shuttles, supporting sidewalk building projects and locating Flex cars around the Clifton corridor.  Emory has doubled their parking fees in order to encourage alternative transportation and this has resulted in a 13% drop in annual parking permits.  Emory is looking for new ways to improve the regional connectivity of the Atlanta transit system.

 

The audience was concerned about the greater public attitudes and awareness, biking issues, public and private partnership questions, zoning concerns and, the problem of empty busses. The session ended with the fact that the busses can only be as effective as the roads they ride on, signal prioritization and timing are issues that need to be properly handled.

 

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May 2007

Trending Toward Transit: A National Perspective

We are pleased to close this series with Anne Canby, a national figure who heads a Washington D.C. coalition of 35 major environmental, planning and transportation organizations. We will discuss emerging efforts on alternative transportation modes, advocacy, transportation directions from the new Congress and efforts being made to move transit well into the 21st Century. Find out who is doing what to shape our transportation future.

Panelists
Anne Canby –President, Surface Transportation Policy Partnership
Catherine Ross, moderator - Georgia Tech, College of Architecture

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June 2007

Meeting Georgia's Electrical Energy Needs

Meeting Georgia’s electrical energy needs is a challenge. Choices we make today will affect our region’s economy, air and water resources, public health, land use and our global climate. Join us for a discussion with the Georgia Power Company on their vision of our energy future.   

 

Georgia Power Panel

Ronny Just - Environmental Issues Manager

Dean Harless - Marketing Issues Manager

Ervan Hancock - Renewable Generation Strategy Manager

John Sibley, moderator –Former President, Georgia Conservancy

*Summary

The June Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable, with representatives from Georgia Power, discussed current and future decisions addressing Georgia’s energy needs. John Sibley, the former president of the Georgia Conservancy moderated the session and introduced the panel with remarks about beginning a “new dialogue,” focusing on real collaborations between the environmental community and the utilities instead of knee jerk reactions to oppose conservation efforts. It has been seen through the Governor’s appointment of the Energy Policy Council and State Energy Plan as well as at the national level with GE and BP making strides with alternative fuels, the US Climate Action Plan and cap and trade programs to reduce and manage carbon emissions. It is time for a new conversation in Georgia and we are starting here.

 

Ronny Just, the Environmental Issues Manager began by stating that the population within Atlanta is growing rapidly and is expected to add 3- 3 ½ million people to the population in the next 25 years.  With increased population comes change, particularly in the realm of energy supply and demand.  He said that they are looking into various strategies to try and meet these growing needs while addressing the environmental impacts. They will do this by increasing energy efficiency, implementing various programs to encourage green energy, and seeking alternative sources of energy from biomass, wind, and solar. Later, issues regarding coal burning were discussed, noting their current work to close a plant in the Atlanta area and working to convert a retired coal burning plant into a biomass plant.  Coal is currently about 70 percent of the energy supply produced by Georgia Power. Although Georgia Power wants to provide greener energy, the challenge of keeping rates low often overrules investments in energy efficiency and renewable technologies.

 

Further discussion directed by the audiences’ questions related to the challenges with Nuclear Power and water use/pollution, conservation programs and funding, carbon intensity, and position on climate change among other things. In the 2004 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) pilot programs to deliver energy efficiency savings were administered to the tune of about $30 Million annually; with the 2007 IRP, they plan on funding about $43 Million annually to these programs for the next 3 years. This is approximately 0.7 percent of Georgia Power’s revenue. Overall, both the audience and panelists were very engaged in the topics discussed, leaving room for continued dialog. 

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July 6
Statewide Water Management Plan

The draft statewide water plan proposes a new framework and new policies for managing Georgia's water resources in the coming years. Come hear an overview of the plan which is being considered by the Water Council through December and will be sent to the General Assembly in 2008.

Panelists
Carol A. Couch - Director of the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Julie Mayfield, moderator - Vice President and General Counsel, Georgia Conservancy

August 3
Cleaner Air - Motivating Changes by Changing Motivations

We are approaching an age when voluntary and market forces, rather than regulatory mandates, will be the greatest agents of change for improving air quality. In this new age, profit margins will be driven upward by improving environmental outcomes, and motivations for cleaner air will shift from minimizing the costs of compliance to maximizing profits and value.

Panelists
Michael E. Chang - School of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology
Ron Methier, Branch Chief of Georgia EPD's Air Protection Branch
Kevin Green, moderator – Executive Director, Clean Air Campaign

Summary

Kevin Green, the executive director of The Clean Air Campaign moderated the August panel discussion concerning Atlanta’s air quality. The first panelist, Michael Chang, professor at the School of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology, began the roundtable by making the connection between Georgia’s economy and the state’s air quality. According to Chang, past improvements in the economy came at the expense of the environment in that a small increase in pollution corresponded to small increase in income. However, the exact opposite is true today – decreases in pollution can correspond to economic gains. As such, we currently have the opportunity to improve both our environment and our economy.

The second panelist, Ron Methier, Chief of Georgia’s Air Protection Branch, built on Chang’s remarks with a practical discussion of specific strategies that could be pursued to improve air quality. Focusing on transportation planning, establishing long-term goals, and including the public in early development stages were all presented as strategies necessary for progress.

Transportation planning was a hot topic of the day. Questions regarding new initiatives were put forth, such as allocating more money to mass transit and refocusing the mobility plan. In response, the speakers did concede that there are considerable difficulties in changing the current system, however they did proffer ideas such as increasing school carpooling and bus systems and providing increased transportation alternatives. Overall, this month’s roundtable put forth some valuable new ideas engaging both the audience and the panelists.

 

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October 5 , 2007
Greening Higher Education

The Atlanta area boasts one of the largest concentrations of higher education in the country and the sustainability initiatives of these schools can have a significant local impact. This discussion will focus on the variety of ways three universities are greening their campuses and making their operations more sustainable.

Panelists:

Dr. Peggy Barlett, moderator, Professor of Anthropology at Emory University
Ciannat Howett, Director of Sustainability Initiatives at Emory University
Howard Wertheimer, Director, Capital Planning and Space Management at Georgia Tech
Tom Adams, Director, Engineering Outreach Coordinator, UGA

Summary

Peggy Bartlet began the discussion not with a focus on any individual institution but with the growing trend towards sustainability on campuses in general. She described what some schools are currently doing, such as replacing landscaping with nativescaping, getting involved in the greening supply chain, and promoting energy conservation.  IN spite of growing trends, some schools

She noted that some schools that are in the midst of a transition or are short on capital do not make these efforts despite the reduced long term operating costs.  She then touched on the idea of transforming culture.  This involves creative campaigns to promote sustainable practices amongst all members of a university.

Tom Adams discussed the University of Georgia’s sustainability.  Not only does UGA have the nation’s largest fleet, and within that is a large fleet of biodiesel busses and electric cars. In fact, UGA is the only state university with an ethanol pump. Beyond making headway on the university’s transportation footprint, UGA’s sustainability plan focuses on four areas: recycling, water, conservation, green cleaning, and new green construction.

Ciannat Howett explained Emory’s definition of the word sustainability, which centered on the quality of life within a community – how the economic, social, and environmental systems work together to provide a healthy and productive environment. From there, Howett discussed how the school was working towards sustainability. For example, 54% of Emory’s campus is protected green space, and, in spite of its relatively small size, the university has the most square feet of LEED buildings in the country. Lastly, Howett touched on how Emory’s plans to create a greener campus extend into the surrounding community.

Howard Wertheimer presented Georgia Tech’s sustainability efforts.  Georgia Tech established the Institute for Sustainable Technology and Development in 1992, and the three tenets of sustainability within the school’s master plan are education, ecology and economy. Georgia Tech has signed the President’s Climate Commitment, offers over one hundred courses taught with an emphasis on sustainability, and has an award-winning recycling program.

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November 9, 2007
Faith and the Environment

Environmental sustainability is finding a voice within religious communities. This growing intersection can be attributed not only to religious convictions and social interests but the inefficient and expensive nature of operating large churches that are only occupied intermittently. Find out how sustainability is being promoted to congregations and their membership.

Panelists:

Dr. Michael A. Battle, President, Interdenominational Theological Center
Rusty Pritchard, Associate Director, Evangelical Environmental Network
Katy Hinman - moderator, Executive Director, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light

Summary
November’s SART was moderated by Katy Hinman of Georgia Interfaith Power and Light. Ms. Hinman introduced two ideas that were to thread throughout the session: first, that the environmental and faith communities share, at their root, similar ideas of stewardship and conservation; and second that the alliance between both communities can and should be strengthened in order to lend the environmental the moral voice that it sometimes struggles with.

Dr. Battle of the Interdenominational Theological Center spoke about the ITC’s vision of Theo-ecology, explaining the need to take care of God’s creation by transforming and “representing a new Eden” here on Earth instead of trying to recreate an old one. He concluded by sharing his vision for a carbon neutral campus for the Atlanta University Center. Mr. Pritchard of the Evangelical Environmental Network shared his presentation entitled “Climate Change and Spiritual Values,” stressing the idea that global warming is a moral issue that requires a moral imperative to act. He then outlined a Christian Evangelical framework for dealing with climate change, focusing on an ethic of family values, US business interests, and charity. Finally, he added that for the Evangelical church to regain its moral imperative, it must distance itself from partisan politics.

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December 7, 2007
Dig Atlanta - Sowing the Seeds of Urban Agriculture & Local Food

Cities across the nation are reconnecting with the land through innovative projects to produce, process and distribute locally grown foods that support public health, farm viability and food security. Learn how individuals, businesses and organizations in Atlanta are championing sustainable foods and farms and how urban policies and planning can play an integral role in growing healthy, community-based food initiatives for the future.

Panelists:

Daniel Parson, Farmer, Gaia Gardens
Bobby Wilson, UGA Cooperative Extension & Atlanta Urban Gardening Program Coordinator
Linton Hopkins, Chef and Owner, Restaurant Eugene
Alice Rolls - moderator, Executive Director, Georgia Organic

Summary

The theme of December’s roundtable was sustainable, locally grown food. Alice Rolls, Executive Director of Georgia Organics, served as moderator of the discussion. Ms. Rolls spoke about the disconnect between people and their food in mainstream society, but also about the growing number of business opportunities for locally grown, sustainable foods to gain traction. These two themes were echoed by the featured speakers but from three different perspectives.  

Bobby Wilson, coordinator for UGA’s Cooperative Extension & Atlanta Urban Gardening Program, spoke about the benefits of community gardening in southwest Atlanta, including the improvements urban gardens provide for communities’ quality of life, economic development, and self-efficacy. Mr. Wilson also noted that a 4’ by 16’ plot of land could provide a family with $400-$600 of vegetables annually. Daniel Parson, of Gaia Gardens, discussed the sustainable aspects of running a community garden in a residential community setting; namely, its environmental features, its economic viability, and its social justice applications. Finally, Linton Hopkins, chef and owner of Restaurant Eugene discussed the benefits of re-connecting to local foods. In addition to taking pleasure in the “immediacy of foods,” he also cited the increased civic engagement associated both with meeting food growers and learning about the food that we, and more importantly, our children, consume.

In the question and answer session, the moderators were asked what could be done to increase the number of markets for locally grown foods in the Atlanta area. Mr. Wilson outlined a strategy explaining that relationships must first be made with leaders in a community followed by interior organizing (with a rotating leadership scheme, to ensure everyone’s buy-in) as well as exterior organizing (which would include a point person to ensure tasks are completed). In terms of enticing growers to come into the city, Mr. Parson explained that municipalities had to provide farmers with consistent customers and a good selling space. Mr. Hopkins noted that here that faith-based communities could play important roles with lot space that is usually unused at least one day a week.   

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