ATL Eco District

Atlanta Eco District Initiative: A Local Based Sustainable

Plan for the Future

 Source: http://www.sustainableatlanta.org/

By: Blake Ellett

Atlanta, GA

September 28, 2014

                Thanks to the initiative and resolve of community leaders in both private and public sectors, I can join a movement in my city that I have a lot of appreciation for and that is a sustainable Atlanta. Atlanta, it is our time to push for innovation in our city planning. EcoDistricts are one of the ways we can begin to make a meaningful change to reaching for a sustainable future in Georgia.

The Office of Sustainability for the City of Atlanta describes sustainability:

“Though “sustainable” is the new “green,” the term itself means different things to different people. For the City of Atlanta, working to be more sustainable means reconciling the city’s developmental goals with its environmental limits over the long term. In order to do this, all city government operations are being filtered through the lens of ensuring that current levels of consumption can be maintained in perpetuity. Implementing the Power to Change plan, the City of Atlanta’s Office of Sustainability is working with all city departments to balance Atlanta’s economic growth with environmental protection while being mindful of social justice”

 What are some of the steps in which our society must take for a sustainable future? Where do we begin and to what degree do we invest our time and resources to reaching a sustainable goal? These are questions that have to be answered from multiple angles and in a realistic way. Atlanta has taken some steps in the right directions for creating a sustainable plan for the city and its inhabitants. Sustainable Atlanta is a group of public and private sector individuals that have been brought together through the help of the Mayor’s office and public private partnership. Sustainable Atlanta has a clear initiative and its purpose it to “… advance the health, prosperity and quality of life for all people in metro Atlanta by nurturing a balance between environmental stewardship, economic development and social equity.” A main driver in this effort is the introduction of EcoDistricts.

Several large municipalities already have EcoDistricts such as Portland OR, Charlotte NC, and San Francisco CA. What is so great about these EcoDistricts is that they are all different. Each city, each EcoDistrict, each community decides where to focus their efforts on supporting a sustainable future for their city.

•  Living Cully: Portland Oregon EcoDistrict which focuses on anti-poverty.
•  Innovation District:  Boston, Massachusetts EcoDistrict takes under-developed land and transforms them into new live-work-play neighborhoods and public centers for innovation.
• SW EcoDistrict: Washington, DC EcoDistrict focuses on creating “complete streets”, improving bike lanes, sidewalks, and overall pedestrian transportation improvement.

Atlanta EcoDistrict Initiative:

We have seen some great examples of EcoDistrict utilization in other cities. The exciting part of all of this now is that it is our turn to create a collaborative sustainability initiative based on local input and community response. The plan starts at the local level, and Sustainability Atlanta recognizes this, calling for community level leaders (active citizens, faith communities, local businesses, and school leaders) to answer the sustainable call to take action. Now we can collectively come together in our communities and make local, ground based choices using the voice of every individual who wants to be heard.

Some ideas of where to start:

The city of Atlanta’s Office of Sustainability has some great initiatives currently in action. Good steps in achieving a successful sustainability plan should work in juncture with our local government. Some ideas in which could collaboratively be pursued are:

•         Green space
•         Lighting and Building efficiency increase (Atlanta is currently #3 in the Energy star ratings)
•       Water Conservation
•         Recycling
•         Paper Use Reduction
•         Commute Alternative Program

With these ongoing initiatives in mind, our local communities can begin to collaborate and apply to be an Atlanta EcoDistrict. The 2015 applications are currently being taken on waiting list and can be found here.  It’s our opportunity to grasp. I look forward to what the future holds and what innovations can occur at the local level for a sustainable and successful future for the great city of Atlanta, Ga.