Recycling efforts at Sweetwater 420 Fest turn waste into funding for housing and clean water initiatives
SweetWater 420 Fest expanded its recycling program for a second year, collecting 420 pounds of aluminum and about 300 pounds of plastic bottles and cups over the two-day festival in Atlanta.
Volunteers sorted roughly 15,000 cans and 7,500 plastic containers, working alongside attendees to separate recyclable materials from waste. Plastic bags used for collection and corrugated plastic signage were also diverted from the landfill.
The value of the recovered aluminum was donated to Habitat for Humanity’s Atlanta homebuilding program. SweetWater also directed $1 from every beer sold at the festival to Waterkeeper Alliance, which funds clean water initiatives.
Organizers said the effort built on last year’s program, with volunteers managing contamination and guiding festival goers on what could be recycled. Large-scale events increasingly face pressure to reduce waste, but recycling programs at music festivals remain relatively uncommon across the Southeast.
— Derek Prall
Robin and Doug Shore Innovation Center opens at KSU
Kennesaw State University opened a $60 million research facility on its Marietta campus Wednesday, adding 70,000 square feet of lab and classroom space aimed at bringing faculty from different disciplines together under one roof.
The Robin and Doug Shore Innovation Center, named for two of the university’s largest donors, houses four labs, a makerspace, two classrooms and workspace for 22 faculty research teams. It also includes an entrepreneurship center and an interactive media lab.
University President Kathy S. Schwaig said the building was designed to support collaborative research and teaching in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Among the projects already underway in the facility is a water quality monitoring effort led by computer science professor Ahyoung Lee, which pairs researchers from four colleges with local governments and nonprofits to develop real-time contamination detection systems.
Robin and Doug Shore have made more than 80 individual contributions to Kennesaw State since 1999, supporting programs across the university. Board of Regents officials, state legislators and community leaders attended the ribbon-cutting.
The university, part of the University System of Georgia, enrolls more than 47,000 students across its Kennesaw and Marietta campuses.
— Derek Prall
City of South Fulton revitalizes Cliftondale Community Center as hub for youth, seniors, and families
The City of South Fulton reopened the Cliftondale Park Community Center on April 17 after a renovation that added updated spaces for youth programming, senior classes and family activities.
The center, at 4650 Butner Road, had been a priority for District 2 Councilman Aaron V. Johnson, who hosted the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Improvements include dedicated rooms for after-school programs, senior technology and wellness classes, and upgraded walking areas and recreation features throughout the surrounding park.
Mayor Carmalitha Gumbs said the project had been nearly nine years in the making.
“This center reflects who we are as a city and the values we hold when it comes to investing in our neighborhoods,” Gumbs said.
City officials said the facility’s programming was shaped by resident feedback calling for safe spaces for young people, more resources for seniors and stronger neighborhood programming. Planned offerings include homework help, digital literacy courses for older adults and exercise classes focused on mobility and balance.
The city said the center will also serve as a base for partnerships with local schools, nonprofits and community organizations, with volunteer and part-time employment opportunities expected as programming expands.
— Derek Prall
Leadership Changes at The Atlanta Voice
Janis Ware, who has led The Atlanta Voice for nearly five decades, is handing control of the newspaper to the next generation of her family.
Richard Dunn, the paper’s chief operating officer and Ware’s nephew, and her niece Jazmine Brazier, the company’s development specialist, will take over leadership. Dunn said he grew up working in the newsroom alongside his grandfather and had long planned to eventually lead the publication.
The Atlanta Voice was founded in 1966 by Ware’s father, J. Lowell Ware, during the civil rights movement to cover Atlanta’s Black community. The paper has since expanded into a multimedia platform reaching hundreds of thousands of readers.
Under Ware’s leadership, the organization also took on community development work outside the newspaper, including affordable housing efforts in Mechanicsville and other Atlanta neighborhoods.
Dunn said he plans to expand the paper’s reach and pursue new forms of storytelling while maintaining its editorial mission.
“The Atlanta Voice has never been just a newspaper,” Dunn said. “It is a trusted voice for the community, a platform that amplifies stories, perspectives and issues that might otherwise go unheard.”
— Derek Prall
Atlanta founders release AI tool
An Atlanta enterprise software consultancy has developed a standalone product aimed at helping engineering teams track and share how their developers use AI coding tools.
CodeVine, which launched Wednesday at the Georgia Technology Summit, was built by Wells Burke, founder of Rocket Partners, a consultancy that has served large corporate clients from its Atlanta office for the past decade. Burke, a Georgia Tech graduate, said the company developed the platform internally to manage its own teams before deciding to release it as a commercial product.
The software is designed to give engineering leaders visibility into how AI-assisted coding tools are being used across their organizations, including what developers are spending on AI services and which techniques are producing results. CodeVine was named a TAG Top 10 Most Innovative finalist. The company is based in Buckhead.
— Derek Prall
Furkids Animal Rescue to host fashion luncheon, handbag auction at Cumming sanctuary
Furkids Animal Rescue & Shelters will hold its third annual Fashion for Furkids luncheon on May 6 at the organization’s 9-acre sanctuary in Cumming, combining a seated lunch with a silent auction of new and vintage designer handbags.
The event, scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Furkids headquarters on Union Hill Road, will be hosted by Nancy Flaherty, a fashion historian with the Couture Council of Georgia. The program includes live music and a presentation by Flaherty. Tickets are $100, with proceeds going toward the nonprofit’s rescue, medical and adoption programs.
The luncheon will take place at Shiloh Gardens, a restored event space on the Furkids campus. The property, once overgrown and neglected, has been converted into a botanical setting that serves as both an animal sanctuary and a community gathering space.
Furkids operates Georgia’s largest no-kill shelter and the Southeast’s largest cage-free cat sanctuary. Founded by Samantha Shelton, the organization has placed more than 80,000 animals in homes and relies on more than 1,000 active volunteers.
The event comes as Furkids prepares to open a new dog shelter and medical center on its campus this spring, with a state-of-the-art medical facility expected to follow this summer. The organization will mark its 25th anniversary in 2027.
Tickets are available here.
