Tag: GreenATLiens

Motivation Monday #5 – Baba Sol

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#MotivationMonday – Meet Baba Sol! @baba.sol is a GreenATLien making Atlanta greener through indigenous plant walks, herbal medicine, and songwriting. Listening to a few tracks from his album Aquarian King you’ll hear verses on sustainability themes from plastic in the ocean and plant care to spending time in the woods and clean eating. Sol has maintained a vegan diet for 14 years, and has spent the past 10 years involved in community agriculture efforts including @gilliamscommunitygarden and Mystic Roots (@teena_myers) making healthy, locally-grown food available to the surrounding community.

Originally from Decatur, Sol developed an interest in medicinal plants through early experiences hiking through the woods and visiting his grandparents’ farm in Eatonton, Ga. Sol applies his knowledge and passion for herbal medicine leading indigenous plant walks across Atlanta and by creating herbal medicinal formulas through his business Royalish LLC. All formulas are made to order from hand-picked, foraged ingredients and prepared with the utmost care.

Sol’s “Indigenous Plants of Atlanta” tour has over sixteen five-star reviews on AirBnB Experiences, through which he’s hosted visitors from across the globe. Join him on one of his upcoming plant walks to learn more about edible and medicinal plants 🌱

Sol’s #calltoaction is for all #ATLiens to get involved in a community garden and start learning how to #growyourownfood. Got a question for Sol? Let him know in the comments!

You can see Baba Sol perform live next at @artisansbarandgallery 2/21. Head to the link in his bio (@baba.sol) for tickets and use the code BABA897 for $2 off admission
Stay green, ATLiens! 🖖👽

#GreenATLiens #GreenAtlanta #Aglanta #UrbanAg #UrbanAgriculture #communitysupportedagriculture #CertifiedOrganic #veganatlanta #atlantavegan #naturalist #herbalist #plantidentification #herbalmedicine #urbanforaging #foraging #foragingforfood #indigenousplants #atlantahiphop #alternativehiphop #psychedelichiphop #sustainability

Fridays for Future #7: Support City Council Legislation to Make the City Responsible for Sidewalk Repair

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Did you know that the City of Atlanta is not currently responsible for sidewalk repairs in Atlanta? Under current policy, the property owners adjacent to existing sidewalk are responsible for sidewalk maintenance. The policy is ill-enforced, which explains why so many sidewalks across Atlanta are in poor shape. But the future of walkability in Atlanta could be changing soon. City council member Farokhi tweeted Wednesday:

View the original tweet here.

2020 could be the year that Atlanta City Council takes back the City’s role in sidewalk repair and maintenance. More functional sidewalks will make Atlanta safer for seniors, wheelchair-bound residents, parents and caregivers equipped with strollers, residents walking their pets, and just about everyone else who might use a sidewalk to get from A to B in Atlanta.

The popular @atlanta_meme Instagram account frequently cracks jokes at Atlanta’s unbearable traffic. Perhaps if Atlanta sidewalks became safer and more functional, more ATLiens would choose to walk and bike to work. More walking and biking commutes mean less cars on the road, less traffic, less air pollution, and generally happier people.

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Above: Atlanta holiday wishlist from the @atlanta_meme, note “Helicopter to fly over traffic” and numerous other wishes to improve traffic conditions such as filling potholes and improving access to MARTA.

It’s important that we ATLiens raise our voices to support this legislation in order for it to be passed this year. This is not the first time this legislation has come to the city council floor. With engagement from the community, we could help make it the last.

Find your council member.

Sample message:

Dear ________,

My name is <name> and I live on <street> in <neighborhood>. I’ve lived here since <year> and intend to continue living in District <#> for the foreseeable future. I’m writing because I would like voice my strong support for passing legislation that will put the City of Atlanta in charge of sidewalk maintenance and repair.

<Write a sentence or two about your personal experience, or the experience of a family member, with the sidewalks in Atlanta>. I believe complete streets with safe sidewalks will encourage more Atlantans to walk instead of drive, reducing car traffic and air pollution in Atlanta. Thinning out motor vehicle traffic will promote improved public health outcomes by encouraging more active lifestyles, reducing stress for daily commuters, and even reducing asthma rates for Atlanta’s most vulnerable populations.

As your constituent, I strongly urge you to take action so that the City of Atlanta can begin improving mobility and livability for its residents as soon as possible.

Thank you,

<Your Name>

Stay green, ATLiens!

Learn more:

Motivation Monday #4 – Martin Roseman of Roseman’s Remedies

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#MotivationMonday – Meet Martin! Martin Roseman is a GreenATLien making Atlanta greener through his sustainable wellness company Roseman’s Remedies. Roseman’s Remedies harnesses the health benefits of CBD in their wellness products, and Martin has engineered their product packaging to reduce their environmental impact significantly versus the mainstream market. From using water-based inks and plant-based compostable plastics instead of their petroleum counterparts, to offering a mail-in and drop-off recycling program for all their product packaging, Martin has gone the extra mile as an Atlanta-based entrepreneur to do right by the environment.

In addition to his sustainable practices as an entrepreneur, Martin has organized several street cleanups in metro Atlanta, most recently in Edgewood to clean up and beautify the area. Martin volunteers with the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (@livethriveatl) whenever he can because he loves learning about circular economy when he’s there.

Martin has always had the heart of an entrepreneur, from walking dogs and selling candy at school as a youth to launching his own wellness company in 2018. Inspired at a young age by his father’s example, a New Yorker fluent in the region’s side job culture, Martin’s father’s success instilled in him an essence of entrepreneurship. Additionally, playing in the woods as a kid in Gwinnett further instilled in Martin a connection with and appreciation for nature


Martin’s #calltoaction for all #GreenATLiens is to visit the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials. If you’ve been there before, take the next step and sign up for their volunteer orientation! It’s a very illuminating experience.
Give Martin a warm welcome and shoot him any questions you may have about sustainability in entrepreneurship! 🖖👽

Fridays for Future #6: How will the Beltline Southside Trail affect Atlanta’s future?

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  • PC: The Atlanta Beltline

Happy #fridaysforfuture GreenATLiens! At the start of the New Year the @atlantabeltline continues construction of the Southside Trail, connecting the Eastside and Westside trails in a “U” shape. This ATLien observed while 🚲levitating🚲 down the BeltLine segment on Bill Kennedy that a new segment of BeltLine path has been completed since two weeks ago.

Newly constructed Beltline

What will a completed Southside Trail mean for Atlanta’s future?

Reduced traffic as more residents choose the BeltLine over driving to commute?

Increased property values, rent increases, displacement of low income families, and gentrification spreading Southward? The @atlantabeltline is aware of this possibility and will be providing a renter’s rights workshop 1/27 at @thekenekt to empower renters…

Opening of more grocery stores near the Southside BeltLine, furthering @keishabottoms’s vision of eliminating all food deserts in Atlanta by 2022?

The fight of a lifetime to preserve and create new affordable housing in Atlanta (that’s actually affordable)?

How do you envision the completed Southside trail will affect Atlanta’s future? What precautions can the @cityofatlantaga take to prevent the worst outcomes and encourage equity and inclusivity for all?

Learn more:

Atlanta Magazine. The future of the Atlanta Beltline: 4 benchmarks to watch for

Beltline Fourth Quarterly Briefing Slideshow: beltline-fourth-quarterly-briefing-2019-12-03-Download

Fridays for Future #5: EPA Will Begin Lead Decontamination of West Atlanta Soil in 2020

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What You Need to Know

After an Emory University team found unsafe concentrations of lead in Westside Atlanta’s soil, the EPA launched an investigation to test the soil of 368 Atlanta properties for lead contamination. Having received results for 124 properties, 64 were found to contain elevated levels of lead in the soil. The EPA has found lead contamination levels as high as 3,400 parts per million (ppm) in Atlanta, more than 800% the EPA threshold of 400 ppm. The EPA plans to begin decontaminating properties in the first quarter of 2020.

An estimated 160 families in West Atlanta grow food in personal gardens, making lead contamination of soil in the area especially concerning. The source of the lead is believed to have come predominantly from “slag” used to fill in low-lying areas over a century ago. $2 million will be spent over 12 months to restore the soil to meet EPA guidelines. Homes with children under age 6 and pregnant women will be given priority, as lead poisoning in children can have serious effects on cognitive and physiological development. Lead poisoning can also affect adults, contributing to high blood pressure, nerve and kidney damage, among other ailments.

West Atlanta has approximately 1,600 households and 4,000 residents. Roughly 42% of West Atlanta households are living below the federal poverty line. 45.5% of children under age five live below the federal poverty line in West Atlanta. Decontaminating lead from the soil in Atlanta’s westside is not only a public health issue, but an environmental justice issue.

What Can You Do?

Contact the EPA to get lead out of drinking water.

If you’re a CompostNow member, donate your compost to local urban agriculture initiatives active in West Atlanta, such as Aglanta or Soul Spirit Farmers. See the “Share Your Compost” button below. Compost helps to dilute lead levels and remediate soil health. If you’re not already a CompostNow member, try it for two weeks free.

Sources:

Miller, Andy. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Danger in the ground: Lead contaminates Westside Atlanta neighborhood. Dec 5, 2019.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Westside Lead Investigation. July 2019.

Motivation Monday #3 – Andrew Wright of Green Done Wright

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#MotivationMonday – Meet Andrew! Andrew Wright is a GreenATLien increasing awareness around sustainability by organizing community education workshops and tours. Andrew is the founder of Green Done Wright, where he applies his background in Environmental Science to educating the public on a range of topics including but not limited to vertical hydroponic farming and zero waste cleaning.

Andrew has always been a mover and shaker. As an undergraduate Andrew spearheaded a student-led effort to start a community garden on his college campus, and as an alumnus he continues to provide technical support to its current student leadership. As a Master Composter, an LEED Green Associate, and a Sustainability Ambassador of Atlanta, Andrew has a wealth of knowledge and expertise he is excited to share with others.

Andrew recommends taking a look at the daily waste you produce and finding low or zero waste replacements. Everything from food waste, clothes, household utilities, dryer sheets, and even recyclables are made from precious resources. The things we consume take a lot of time, energy and labor to produce and transport to you, the consumer.

Share in the comments what waste you’re struggling to reduce right now, Andrew is here to help!

#GreenATLiens #SustainableAtlanta #GreenATL #Atlannuh #Sustainability #ZeroWasteAtlanta #Hydroponics #UrbanAg #Aglanta #MasterComposter #Composting #EnvironmentalScience #LEED #SustainabilityAmbassadors #ProBiosphere #ActOnClimate #LeadOnClimate #ClimateAction #WasteAudit #EcoConsumerism #DIY #DIYTilIDie #SustainableLiving #ZeroWasteLiving #GreenLiving

Fridays for Future #4 – Close Coal Ash Ponds Sooner, Not Later

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Happy #FridaysForFuture, Green ATLiens!

Screenshot showing concentration of unlined coal ash ponds in Northwest Atlanta

Did you know there are four unlined coal ash ponds that have been a source of groundwater contamination in Atlanta? See below an interactive map of coal ash contaminated sites in the U.S. Two of the four in Atlanta (ITP) have been closed, the other two have a notice of intent to close thanks to the implementation of 2015 federal coal ash regulations -the Coal Combustion Residuals Rule.

The toxins in coal ash are linked to cancer, heart disease, reproductive failure, stroke, and can cause lasting brain damage in children. See a full infographic on the harm to human health from breathing and ingesting coal ash intoxicants here.

see full PDF here

The EPA is currently proposing to allow companies to delay closing unlined coal ash ponds. Tell the EPA ATLiens want no delays in closing unlined coal ash ponds contaminating our local groundwater supply.

If you have another 5-10 minutes to take your activism one step further, use the message template below to voice your concerns to Georgia Senators Johnny Isakson and David Perdue.

Email Senator David Perdue

Contact Senator Johnny Isakson

Message template

Dear Senator,

The 2015 coal ash rule is currently protecting more than 10 million people across Georgia. Despite some weaknesses in the current rule, coal plant owners have already established publicly-accessible websites, completed hundreds of inspections, published critical groundwater quality data, identified over a hundred sites where cleanup of contaminated groundwater must soon begin, and disclosed the identity of leaking and dangerous coal ash ponds that must close. The standards of the 2015 rule — which received more than a half-million supporting comments from the public — are helping to protect clean water and safeguard public health and should be strengthened, not weakened. For this reason, I ask you to oppose the EPA’s proposal to allow polluters to delay the closure of dangerous coal ash ponds. Furthermore, I ask that you to strongly oppose the EPA’s failure to hold even one in-person public hearing on this proposal. This is a violation of law. By refusing to hold an in-person public hearing, the current presidential administration is failing to encourage meaningful participation in rulemaking and is removing a critical right of the public to directly address EPA representatives.

Your constituent,

Stay green, ATLiens!🖖👽

Fridays for Future #3 – December 6 #GlobalClimateStrike at the Georgia State Capitol

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#MotivationMonday #1: Stephanie Simmons of Imagimatics

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Meet Stephanie! Stephanie Simmons is a GreenATLien empowering youth and families through food justice, sharing economies, and entrepreneurship education! At the homeschool collective Stephanie co-founded Imagimatics youth learn more than just the core subjects, learning about food systems and where their food comes from, how to grow their own food, and how to turn the fruits of their labors into money at local farmers’ markets.


Stephanie got her start in urban agriculture with The Food Project in Boston, Massachusetts. Serving two years as FoodCorps member Stephanie led youth education workshops on gardening, cooking, and food justice, as well as hands-on projects installing raised garden beds with teens. Since then, Stephanie has served as a FoodCorps Fellow with Georgia Organics, Community Ag Program Director at Athens Land Trust, and provided resource developing consulting to the Georgia Farmer’s Market Association and the International Rescue Committee.


Prior to serving in the FoodCorps, Stephanie’s background primarily centered on youth and early childhood education, and at-risk youth advocacy. Today, Stephanie marries her passions for youth empowerment and food justice through her work at Imagimatics. Not stopping at Pre-K through 12 education, Stephanie and her co-founder Anjel also organize community events for parents to pursue personal and professional growth as well as strengthen community ties- like the Community Clothing Swap she’s organizing at Gallery 992 ! Donations of clothing, home goods, and dry pantry goods are welcome!

Stephanie’s Call to Action

Stephanie recommends GreenATLiens plant pollinator-friendly plants around their homes, or if you’re ready to take some BIG action, replace your lawn with native groundcover! Stephanie shares the Atlanta and DeKalb public libraries have free seeds to “check out” for this purpose .

Do you have any questions for your fellow GreenATLien Stephanie? If not, say hi!🖖