Happy #MotivationMonday GreenATLiens! Meet Natasha Dörr-Kapczynski, one of Atlanta’s leading youth climate organizers. Dörr-Kapczynski is making Atlanta greener through grassroots community organizing and education centered around climate change both on and off her high school campus! Currently completing her senior year at Campbell High School in Smyrna, Dörr-Kapczynski founded Atlanta for the Planet in March 2019 and has been involved in local environmental activism since the sixth grade.
Atlanta for the Planet is an Atlanta youth-led organization working in coordination with other local climate advocacy groups to organize climate strikes, educational campaigns, and legislative advocacy efforts. Dörr-Kapczynski and her team have successfully mobilized hundreds of students to the Global Climate Strikes last fall (one of which fell on her 18th birthday), and more recently the GA Earth Day Live event taking place April 22-24.
Dörr-Kapczynski is celebrating her third and final year as president of Campbell High School’s Earth Club. In addition to managing Campbell High School’s recycling program, Earth Club is preparing the next generation of youth leaders as well as engaging the wider community through local events. Under Dörr-Kapczynski’s supervision Campbell High School’s Earth Club provides regular after-school programming at Smyrna Elementary School, engaging 2nd-5th graders in nature appreciation activities, upcycling crafts, and recycling education. This year was Dörr-Kapczynski’s second year in a row co-organizing @sustainablesmyrna’s Earth Day Festival -this year virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dörr-Kapczynski is looking forward to starting her freshman year as a Foundation Fellow at UGA in the Fall. She hasn’t yet decided on her major, but you can rest assured she’ll continue her climate activism both in Athens and Atlanta for the foreseeable future (:
Natasha’s Call to Action: Get involved! Come to our next climate strikes and events! Follow @atlantafortheplanet for updates, or sign up for their email list here.
“Essential business,” it’s the hot button phrase of the hour. But what is an essential business? How do we define it? What we deem essential is strongly affected by what position of privilege we come from. Essential needs; food, shelter, safety. But let’s go back to the first word. Food. Nourishment. I think we can all agree food is essential to life. But how many of us are thinking about where our food is grown? Where is it sourced? I am going to go a step further. Locally sourced food is essential to life.
Just after the shelter-in-place order was issued, I was having a conversation with someone about the idea of an essential business. Almost in passing, they said to me, “an organic produce farm is not an essential business.” Hold your fire, I think they meant in the grand scheme of grocery stores, pharmacies, and other vital services, a small organic farm selling high-quality produce to restaurants and members of the upper and upper middle class was not necessarily “essential”. But why is it we see our local produce in this way? According to this directory on Farmers Markets Online, there are nearly a hundred open air farmers markets throughout Georgia. Given the amount of produce going directly to Georgians through this channel, and not including the amount sold through CSA, farmboxes or other means, we start to see just how vital local agriculture is in our state.
Under Section 6 Part F of the executive order made by Mayor Keisha Bottoms in March farms, farmers markets, and produce stands are considered essential businesses permitted to continue running during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a powerful statement the city has made in regard to our local food systems. Of course grocery stores are essential, but if they are essential then the farms supplying them must also be essential. But here the city is saying not just any farm, but the farms within our very community are essential. Our farmers.
And rightfully so, according to the FDA, 20% of food in this U.S. is imported. Within that 20%, 35% of it is fresh produce (source). But in the state of Georgia, agriculture is one of our main exports. It generates $73.3 billion annually, while agriculture and its related fields employ one in every seven Georgians (source). It is true many Georgia farms supply produce to hip local restaurants, but currently that supply chain is disrupted. And why is it necessary to go to a fancy restaurant to get locally grown food? And why is locally grown, fresh food only available to those of privilege? Essentially how can we make locally grown food more universally accessible?
The City of Atlanta has made one step in the right direction by doubling the value of SNAP/EBT dollars at most farmer’s markets. The city’s efforts towards increasing fresh food access are apparent in Aglanta’s 2020 Fresh Food Access Report. According to the report 52% of the city’s population lived in USDA-defined Low Income Low Access (LILA) areas. In 2020 that number shrank to 30%, due in no small part to the expansion of community farmer’s markets. While there is always more work to be done, we as a city have made a clear statement: Good, fresh food is essential, and we are going to grow it ourselves.
Atlanta’s Low Income, Low Access (LILA) food deserts in 2015 and 2020.
The impact of Atlanta Farmer’s Markets on LILA Food Deserts
If you’re interested in adding more local food to your diet, Aglanta provides a list of options for free and reduced-price food access, paid access to food delivery, farmers markets that are open, and other ways you can get locally grown food into your fridge whether we are in a global pandemic or not.
Meredith is GreenATLiens’ Foodie ATLien writing and reporting on all things sustainable food systems in Atlanta. She is an actor and a low-waster transplant originally from Cincinnati, OH. She will likely talk your ear off about locally grown food, carbon emissions, or animal welfare. But when she is not, she can be found hiking with her dog, kayaking, or riding her horse. Her latest obsession is the connection between growing your own food and the rich fertilizer that is manure. In short, she’s trying to grow tomatoes out of horse poop. She also does stand up comedy.
Annnnnnd we’re back! We temporarily pressed pause on our regular postings so we could form a larger team of writers and activists to keep this thing going! So without further ado, GreenATLiens is very proud to introduce one of Atlanta’s greenest, Anamarie “Ree” Shreeves!
Meet Ree Shreeves. Ree is the founder of Fort Negrita, Atlanta’s first zero waste community outreach and education organization. Founded in 2013, Fort Negrita has evolved over the years from spreading awareness about proper recycling practices and eco-travel to becoming not only an online zero waste guide to Atlanta but also an organizer of community events, outreach to Haiti, and providing accessible upcycled, handmade items to support the transition to a zero waste lifestyle.
At the start of Ree’s zero waste journey, she bought a reusable pad at Sevananda and thought to herself, “I can make this!” Always community-minded, soon thereafter Ree began organizing “pad parties,” first among friends in people’s homes, then later at Wombfest, a women’s wellness and reproductive health festival, and most recently in Haiti! Ree is not one to boast of all she’s accomplished, however the event programming side of Fort Negrita is nothing short of impressive. Are you one of Zero Waste Atlanta’s >1,700 members? Founded by Ree in 2016. In addition to building community through the Zero Waste Atlanta group and zero waste period parties, Ree has also organized community clothing swaps, Earth Day events, a 15-day outreach trip to Haiti, among other environmental education events over the years.
Having just recently completed her master’s degree in Environmental Geography from Georgia State University, Ree is currently working with the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WaWa) engaging Atlanta’s youth in environmental stewardship and education. Ree affirms the way forward starts with educating our youth.
For beginners: Start examining your trash. Little by little, find ways to reduce your waste and ecological footprint.
For intermediate-advanced: Read this one-pager “How to Build Community” by Syracuse Cultural Workers and brainstorm ideas for how you can begin implementing them in your community.
Image by Syracuse Cultural Workers
To join Ree in the Fort and learn more ways to get involved with Fort Negrita, visit FortNegrita.com.
The Georgia Senate is currently reviewing SR 88, a resolution sponsored by Sen. Lester Jackson (D-2) to oppose seismic testing and oil and gas drilling along Georgia’s coast. The resolution aims to protect Georgia’s fishing and coastal tourism industries, beaches and salt marshes, and marine wildlife through their opposition to offshore oil and gas exploration of Georgia’s coast (source).
There are a number of endangered and threatened species inhabiting the Georgia coastline that would benefit from the acceptance of SR 88 including the right whale, the humpback whale, the West Indian manatee, the loggerhead sea turtle, the green sea turtle, the leatherback sea turtle, the Hawksbill sea turtle, the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle, the piping plover, and the wood stork (source).
10 Georgia Endangered & Threatened Species to Benefit from Passage of SR 88 – Slideshow
Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle – endangered
Hawksbill sea turtle – endangered
Leatherback sea turtle – endangered
Green sea turtle – threatened
Loggerhead sea turtle – threatened
Wood stork – endangered
Piping plover – threatened
West Indian manatee – endangered
Humpback whale – endangered
Right whale – endangered
So too, would Georgia’s fishing and coastal tourism industries. The resolution itself states that Georgia’s fishing and coastal tourism sustain over 21,000 jobs annually and contribute over $1.1 billion to Georgia’s economy. Oil and gas drilling would place over 368,000 acres of salt marshes along Georgia’s coast at risk for irreparable harm to both local ecosystems as well as cornerstone industries of the Georgia state economy.
How You Can Support Resolution 88
Step 1: Identify your Georgia state senator
Were you here last week to contact your Senator about the plastic bag bill? If so, you probably already have your state senator’s contact info. If not, simply type in your address into OpenStates.org to identify your Georgia state senator.
Step 2: Contact them to voice your support
Whether you prefer leaving a voicemail or an email, we’ve got you covered. Feel free to add your own personal story to grab your state senator’s attention! Below are a sample voicemail script and email template for contacting your Georgia state senator:
Sample voicemail
Hello, my name is ________. I’m your Georgia constituent contacting you to vote YES on Georgia Senate Resolution 88. I have lived in ______ since ____ and I am a strong supporter of environmental conservation. As your constituent, I urge you to protect our environment as well as our economy from the dangers of the fossil fuel industry. Georgia’s coast is home to a number of threatened and endangered species as well as 21,000 coastal tourism and fisheries jobs. If something were to go wrong with oil and gas exploration off our coast, not only would fragile wildlife populations suffer, industries that contribute over $1.1bn to Georgia’s economy would suffer as well. Please vote YES on Resolution 88, thank you.
Sample email
Dear ____________,
My name is [first and last name] and I have lived in [area] for [amount of time}. I’m writing to voice my support for GA Senate Resolution 88. As your constituent, I urge you to protect our environment as well as our economy from the dangers of the fossil fuel industry. Georgia’s coast is home to a number of threatened and endangered species as well as 21,000 coastal tourism and fisheries jobs. If something were to go wrong with fossil fuel exploration off our coast, not only would fragile wildlife populations suffer, industries that contribute over $1.1bn to Georgia’s economy would suffer as well. Vote YES on Resolution 88. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
[Name] [City, State, Zip]
Step 3: Share with others
You can share this post with its voicemail and email templates using the Facebook and Twitter share buttons below, or you can visit our Instagram page and share on the gram. Stay green, ATLiens!
Happy #MotivationMonday, GreenATLiens! Today’s Monday Motivation is the >74K MARTA Martians who make the city greener and the air cleaner every day by riding MARTA! Here’s a quick rundown of how MARTA Martians are helping reduce traffic, slow down climate change, and improve local public health.
MARTA & Traffic
Can you imagine another 74 THOUSAND cars on Atlanta’s interstates during rush hour? Neither can we. According to the Texas Transportation Institute, public transit users shave 32% off the time people spend in traffic on average (source). Taking public transit isn’t just good for alleviating traffic, it’s also good for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and for improving public health outcomes.
MARTA & Climate Change
According to a 2017 EPA study, transportation accounted for 29% of the U.S.’s greenhouse gas emissions (see below). No other sector, not even energy, surpassed transportation’s GHG emissions. Personal vehicles accounted for 59% of U.S. transport emissions. By contrast, rail accounted for 2% and “other,” which includes buses, accounted for 4%. The fuel efficiency of public transit allows transport of a greater number of people at lower emissions rates than car travel. MARTA riders, or MARTA Martians, are taking positive climate action every time they board, in addition to helping reduce traffic and improve local air quality.
Air pollution is known to be a trigger of asthma (source). While the national average for asthma prevalence among children hovers at 7.5% (source), the most recent data available from the Georgia Department of Public Health reports 13.9% of Georgians ages 0-17 have been diagnosed with asthma (source). It’s worth noting that asthma prevalence and asthma hospitalization rates are higher for black and Latinx children than for white children (source). Public transit’s positive impact on public health was demonstrated during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, when fewer people in metro Atlanta drove cars and more used transit. Child emergency room visits for asthma dropped by as much as 45% (source).
Image source: Environment America Note, although cars do not emit ozone, cars’ CO2 emissions heat the atmosphere, increasing problematic ozone levels (source).
Riding MARTA doesn’t just help Atlantans breathe easier. Air pollution from cars is linked to a number of other health problems including heart attack, stroke, cancer and mental health problems (source). Mothers exposed to air pollution are at a higher risk of low birth weight, pre-term birth and stillbirth, which disproportionately impacts women of color (source, source). For older adults, long-term exposure to particulate pollution has been associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia (source).
Thank you to all you MARTA Martians out there taking climate action on the daily and improving traffic and public health for all ATLiens in the process!
Bishop, Kelly C, et al. “Hazed and Confused: The Effect of Air Pollution on Dementia.” NBER, National Bureau of Economic Research, 30 Aug. 2018, www.nber.org/papers/w24970.
“FastStats – Asthma.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19 Jan. 2017, www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/asthma.htm.
Mehra, Renee, et al. “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Adverse Birth Outcomes: Differences by Racial Residential Segregation.” SSM Population Health, El Sevier, 28 May 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6545386/.
The Earthlings of the Georgia Conservancy are monitoring the happenings of Georgia Senate Bill 280 – a proposal to “prohibit the distribution of plastic ‘grocery’ bags by retail stores to customers.” A number of other plastic bags and containers would be exempt from this legislation (source).
Plastic bag pollution doesn’t just threaten Georgia’s endangered and threatened marine life (see list of Georgia’s endangered species here), it also harms our more common wildlife, like this squirrel seen tangled in a plastic bag in Atlanta, obviously distressed that it can’t shake itself free:
Squirrel tangled in a plastic shopping bag seen August 2019 in Atlanta, GA
And with a $66 billion tourism industry that sustains over 475,000 jobs, Georgia literally can’t afford to degrade its environment (source).
How You Can Support Bill 280
Step 1: Identify your Georgia state senator
Simply type in your address into OpenStates.org to identify your Georgia state senator.
Step 2: Contact them to voice your support
Whether you prefer leaving a voicemail or an email, we’ve got you covered with some sample language to use. Feel free to add some personal stories of your own to grab their attention! Below are a sample voicemail script and email template for contacting your Georgia state senator:
Sample voicemail
Hello, my name is ________ and I’m your Georgia constituent contacting you regarding Georgia Senate Bill 280. I have lived in ______ since ____ and I am a strong supporter of environmental conservation. I urge you to vote Yes on Senate Bill 280 to protect our environment and our wildlife from plastic bag pollution. Georgia is home to over 30 endangered species, many whose lives are threatened by plastic bag pollution in our state. Banning plastic grocery bags will benefit our state’s $66.2 billion tourism industry, which sustains over 475,000 jobs for Georgia residents. Thank you.
Sample email
Dear ____________,
My name is [first and last name] and I have lived in [area] for [amount of time}. I’m writing as your constituent to voice my support for GA SB 280. I strongly urge you to vote Yes on SB 280 to protect our environment and our wildlife from plastic bag pollution. Georgia is home to over 30 endangered species (source), many whose lives are threatened by plastic bag pollution in our state. Banning plastic grocery bags will benefit our state’s $66.2 billion tourism industry, which sustains over 475,000 jobs for Georgia residents (source). Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
[Name] [City, State, Zip]
Step 3: Share with others
You can share this post with its voicemail and email templates using the Facebook and Twitter share buttons below, or you can visit our Instagram page and share on the gram. Stay green, ATLiens!
Meet Gwen Lynn, environmental scientist and consultant, owner and founder of @inagreenminute! In a Green Minute provides short educational videos on climate change and environmental science to disseminate information and know-how to the public. It only takes a minute to be green! When she’s not creating and circulating educational content on climate change and sustainability, Gwen is busy organizing local events such as flower plantings, litter pickups, and engaging local youth in science education. Be on the lookout for more details on @inagreenminute’s annual event coming up in May!
Hatched by childhood dreams of seeing the Earth from an astronaut’s space vessel, Gwen decided to save the Earth by studying Environmental Science. Born and raised in the Bronx, Gwen earned her Bachelor’s in Environmental Science from Rutgers and her Master’s in Environmental Science and Occupational Health and Safety from the City University of NY (CUNY). As an EnviroSafety Scientist, Gwen applies the disciplines of environmental science, occupational health and safety, and industrial hygiene to solve real world problems. Think environmental science with a workers’ rights flair! Gwen has forged a path in climate education to make sure everyone, not just scientists, do their part to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Gwen’s #calltoaction is buy less and choose well. Humans are the only living species that leaves accumulated junk when their lives are over.
Wednesday, February 19th ATLiens are gathering to discuss the future of Edgewood Ave, specifically nighttime closures of a block of Edgewood Ave from Jackson to Boulevard to pedestrians-only on weekends. This would no doubt create a safer space and less stressful pedestrian experience for those who want to enjoy the local nightlife in Sweet Auburn.
How do you imagine nighttime closures would affect Atlanta’s future?
Less lives lost to traffic deaths?
More people choosing more climate-friendly modes of transport like walking, carpooling, and MARTA to get to Edgewood’s nightlife destinations?
Possibly other areas of Atlanta adopting a similar model based on the success of this experiment?
Head to the public meeting Wednesday to learn more! 📸: @threadatl
Happy #MotivationMonday, GreenATLiens! Meet Zeb, Sustainability Director of Goodr! Zeb and his team of DoGoodrs are actively reducing businesses’ edible and nonedible food waste in Atlanta. Edible food is taken to local food insecure communities who take what would have been methane-emitting landfill waste and turn it into nourishment for their families. Nonedible food waste is taken to partner facilities where it’s converted to compost, animal feed, and more!
Originally from Chicago, IL, Zeb moved to Atlanta to attend Morehouse where he graduated in 2018. A car fanatic since childhood, Zeb was initially drawn to sustainability via his early fascination with EVs and renewable energy. Along the way Zeb’s main interest became the intersections between sustainability, environmental justice, and racial equality. Just as Zeb was developing an interest in leveraging sustainable systems towards environmental justice Jasmine Crowe, Founder and CEO of Goodr, gave a talk at Morehouse that compelled him to pursue an internship at Goodr. The rest is history. Zeb has risen from intern to Logistics Director to Sustainability Director, where he oversees operations and logistics, maintains carbon neutral operations, tracks and analyzes data, and much more! Sounds like a full plate to us (pun intended 😂)!
Zeb’s #calltoaction is to ask questions, explore new options, and don’t be afraid of change. The grass is definitely greener on the sustainability side. Got questions for Zeb? Ask him here! Stay green, ATLiens! ✌️👽 #GreenATLiens#DoGoodr
The City of Atlanta 2020 Fresh Food Access Report just dropped this week. The report outlines how in the past five years the City has increased fresh food access for residents living in food deserts. By 2022, the City aims to reach 85% of Atlantans with fresh food access within a half mile of their homes. But first, some key terms….
Fresh food access points refers to supercenters, grocery stores, neighborhood markets, and farmer’s markets, and farmstands.
LILA stands for Low Income Low Access. Low income is defined in this case as areas where over half of residential household income is at or below 80% of the area’s median income. Low access is defined here as an area were at least a third of the population or more live more than a half mile from the nearest fresh food access point.
Food deserts are residential areas where there is not reasonable access to fresh and affordable food. The city of Atlanta defines that as areas where there is no fresh food access within a half mile of one’s home.
Then and Now
In 2015, 59% of the City of Atlanta’s total area were LILA food desert areas, with 52% of Atlanta residents affected (241,314 residents). How has the city improved fresh food access since then?
Supercenters
10 supercenters have opened in or near LILA areas since 2015, increasing fresh food access to 12,732 Atlantans living in LILA areas, or 5% of the total residents affected in 2015. All 10 supercenters accept SNAP.
Grocery Stores
44 grocery stores have opened in or near LILA areas since 2015, increasing fresh food access to 26,942 LILA-residing Atlantans. That’s 11% of the community affected by food deserts in 2015.
Neighborhood Markets
39 neighborhood markets have opened since 2015, just over half accept SNAP (what gives?). The expansion of neighborhood markets has provided fresh food access to 40,236 more Atlantans, or 17% of the residents originally affected by LILA food deserts in 2015.
Farmers Markets
19 farmers markets have opened in Atlanta since 2015, 68% accept SNAP/EBT. These farmers markets have increased fresh food access to 16,533 residents during half of the year, and 2,830 residents year-round
The Bottom Line
In five years, 96,443 Atlantans have gained proximity to fresh food access points for half of the year, 82,740 have gained access to fresh food year-round. Roughly 34-40% of the original affected population are better off in terms of food access than five years ago. To reach its ultimate goal, Atlanta will have to reach 70,000 more residents with fresh food access by 2022. Continuing at its current rate, averaging fresh food access gains of under 20K residents per year, Atlanta will have to push back its deadline to 2024 to reach 85% of Atlanta residents. But, the City has one more trick up its sleeve that might prevent a deadline pushback: urban agriculture. In the last page of the report the City identifies that by updating urban ag ordinances to allow on-site sales at urban farms, 32,714 residents would benefit and 17,579 residents would gain fresh food access from Atlanta’s 18 existing urban farms. Contact your city council member to voice your support for updating this ordinance!
Green ATLiens 