Austell got a little greener on Saturday, March 23 with the planting of a food forest at South Cobb Recreation Center. The event also doubled as the Roots of Resilience Program kickoff, which is being facilitated through RCE Greater Atlanta — a functional network of United Nations University that seeks to advance the sustainable development […]
Category: Mark Lannaman
Mark Lannaman is a current graduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He holds a B.A. from Georgia State University and an M.S. from Georgia Tech. He has previously worked with WABE as an intern for the Atlanta Press Club. Mark was a 2021 National Association of Hispanic Journalists mentee, 2021 Every Learner Everywhere fellow, & 2022 Society of Environmental Journalists fellow. He enjoys reporting on topics including sustainability, environment, education and urban development. Born and raised in Metro Atlanta, his family comes from Jamaica and Colombia. One of his favorite quotes is, “You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore” -André Gide.
New report highlights Black household energy burden in Georgia
Last Thursday, researchers from Georgia Tech released a report titled “Energy Burdens of Black Households in Georgia” that analyzed the disproportionate effects of energy burdens on Black households in the state and its ramifications. The report, more than 40 pages, is divided into seven sections that look at the problem of energy burden in Black […]
Two Georgia cities selected for Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities initiative
Atlanta and Savannah are two of 25 cities selected for the Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities initiative. The three-year, $200 million initiative launched this month and aims to “turbocharge 25 U.S. cities’ efforts to leverage historic levels of federal funding to proactively build low-carbon, resilient, and economically thriving communities” according to the program’s website. With the […]
Legislation advocates for natural areas team in Department of Parks and Recreation
On Monday, March 4, the Atlanta City Council passed a resolution (24-R-3186) to bolster the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) by adding a natural areas team and a director of natural resources. The resolution is seen as a step in the right direction for parks and natural areas advocates. Since 2020, 80 percent of […]
First segment of Silver Comet Trail Connector breaks ground on Westside
The first section of the Silver Comet Trail Connector is coming to fruition. The Woodall Rail Trail broke ground in late February and when completed early next year, it will connect the future Northwest BeltLine trail to an area near The Works on Atlanta’s Westside. It’s the first section of a larger connector that looks […]
HUeMAN TV ushers in a new era as SIGNIFY, remains platform elevating marginalized creatives
SIGNIFY, a Black-led online streaming platform that started the night as HUeMAN TV, held SIGNIFest last Thursday at the Gathering Spot, where they announced the name change along with a new focus of the platform: uplifting Black women creatives. The night featured a number of short films that celebrated independent filmmakers, with a focus on […]
“The new civil rights” — Coalition gathers to advocate for environmental justice law at the capitol
On Friday Feb. 16 a coalition of environmental organizations gathered at the Georgia state capitol to hold an environmental justice day. The gathering was in support of HB 1263, which would mark Georgia’s premier environmental justice law, which now awaits a committee assignment. The bill includes creating an environmental justice commission appointed by state lawmakers […]
Black History Celebrated: Wyoming Black 14 remembered at Atlanta’s College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is celebrating a story of one of the most powerful combinations in American history — sports and civil rights. The Wyoming Black 14 were honored with their own display for Black History Month. The Wyoming Black 14 dates back to October of 1969. John Griffin was a starting slot […]
The grass is greener on this side: Park Pride announces nearly $4 million towards local Atlanta parks
In addition to celebrating its 35th anniversary, the park-advocating nonprofit Park Pride is also celebrating the largest investment in local parks in its history. This week, Park Pride announced $3.9 million in funding across 37 parks in the City of Atlanta and DeKalb County. Michael Halicki, executive director of Park Pride, said he’s excited about […]
Atlanta hosts affordable housing week and kicks off new permitting processes
The City of Atlanta hosted its inaugural “Affordable Housing Week”, which started on Monday Feb. 12 and ran until Friday Feb. 16. It comes at a time when affordable housing is a quickly rising concern for many residents. Affordable Housing Week also began the Welcome H.O.M.E. (Housing Opportunity Moves for Everyone) process, a new initiative […]
New analysis shows Georgia clean energy investments are paying off for workforce and economy
Whether you’re for the environment or the economy — or both — the data is clear: clean energy is a great investment. A report released at the Georgia Clean Energy Summit on Thursday in Atlanta highlights the high return on investment for Georgia in the clean energy industry. Much of the advancement of the clean […]
Mercedes Benz Stadium hosts Atlanta Veteran Job Fair
On Thurs. Feb 8, Mercedes Benz Stadium hosted the joint Atlanta Veterans Job Fair in partnership with RecruitMilitary and Disabled American Veterans (DAV). The event had 640 veteran registrants and featured nearly 50 exhibitors. The mission, according to RecruitMilitary, was to empower veterans and help them find meaningful work in their next stage of life. […]
Ranked-choice voting suffers setback in Georgia legislative session
Ranked-choice voting (RCV) suffered a setback in Georgia this legislative session, with the Senate Ethics Committee passing SB355 — a bill that would ban RCV in Georgia. RCV has been gaining traction around the country and online, with supporters saying it would allow more third-party candidates to be elected, greatly reduce runoffs, and lead to […]
Goodwill launches electric vehicle workforce development program in Georgia
Goodwill of North Georgia just kicked off The Goodwill Clean Tech Infrastructure Academy (CTIA) on Monday, Jan. 29, an EV and green workforce development program in partnership with Accenture. The Atlanta pilot program is set to run from Jan. 29 through Feb. 23. The first run has 30 participants across three cohorts. This is the […]
Temple Sinai becomes first synagogue in Atlanta to install solar system on rooftop
Temple Sinai, located in Sandy Springs, just became the first synagogue in Atlanta to incorporate a solar system to power their operations. The system was installed by Cherry Street Energy, which has been installing solar systems throughout the city in partnership with the local government. The installation was finished mid-January, and paperwork to have it […]
City of Atlanta to receive an electric bike rebate program. Can the city’s infrastructure support it?
The latest win for alternative transit was just announced in Atlanta — a joint rebate program between the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), the City of Atlanta, and Propel ATL to help residents buy their own electric bicycle (e-bike). The program is aimed at low and moderate income Atlanta residents. It doesn’t have a specific launch […]
Atlanta welcomes the 1000th Whataburger in the country, thirteenth location in the metro area
Whataburger, the fast food chain headquartered in San Antonio, can officially call Atlanta home of its 1000th franchise in the nation thanks to the location that just opened in Vinings. The celebration was met with dozens of Whataburger executive leadership, along with representatives from Coca-Cola and Cobb County Chamber of Commerce. Other partners included the […]
Energy efficiency and housing justice walk scheduled on Martin Luther King Jr. Day postponed, but the mission moves forward
Street Teams for Energy Efficiency and Climate Resilience, a coalition born out of Atlanta advocating for energy efficiency, scheduled their annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service walk around energy efficiency in Virginia. Street Teams has grown to have coalitions marching in places as far as Hawaii, Michigan, Virginia and of course, Georgia. Due […]
Nonprofit looks to increase rooftop solar accessibility for low income households
A nonprofit is seeking to increase access to rooftop solar for lower and moderate-income households in Georgia through a program called Georgia BRIGHT, which stands for Building Renewables & Investing for Green, Healthy, Thriving Communities. Capital Good Fund, the nonprofit running Georgia BRIGHT, is looking to install between 150 and 200 rooftop solar systems as part […]
Georgia Energy Exchange 2024 in review: Georgia keeps its foot on the gas for electric vehicles
The Georgia Energy Exchange was held in Buckhead on Friday and featured Public Service Commissioner (PSC) Tim Echols, who is seeking reelection. Echols has been a PSC commissioner since 2011. The Public Service Commission is the regulatory body for the state of Georgia which oversees utility providers in the state including Atlanta’s Georgia Power. The […]
