The Sustainable Growth Engine Newsletter

The Sustainable Growth Engine Newsletter

Summer 2012

In this issue:

- An update from Sustainable Atlanta Executive Director Suzanne Burnes

- Why Wait Until July 31 to Cast Your VOTE?!

- Energy Efficiency During the Summer

- Atlanta BBC Meet Your Match a Success!

- Rain Harvesting Summit

- Connect with Us

Executive Director's Update

Greetings!

It's HOTTT!!

The heat bears down upon us with a vengeance in Atlanta this summer. While we all complain about it, our increasingly-frequent extreme temperatures are more than an annoyance to many in our city. Constant air conditioning is a luxury not afforded by all, and the generation of the power needed to meet our peak demands contributes to our poor air quality days. The heat island effect magnifies these impacts, particularly in parts of the city with fewer assets in terms of tree canopy and greenspace. And at a time when the emissions of our car-dependent commutes are the most intense, we want our children to be able to be outdoors - playing at camp, swimming at the pool, exposing their fragile lungs. Emergency room visits peak with heat exposure and asthma cases. Quality of life is strained, and it's a time of year when I most struggle with how I personally can make a difference to protect those among us who are most at risk.

Fortunately, this summer we have ways to act. If you haven't taken advantage of opportunities to increase how efficiently you use energy at home, we have a few tips to share. The nice side benefit of reducing your personal generation of carbon is of course the lower utility bill each month (more money to support local farmer's markets!).

And for each and every one of us, the opportunity of our generation to impact how our mobility impacts our air is at hand on July 31. If you've ever felt a moment of concern over your child playing on the playground on a code red day...if you've ever sat in your lonely solo vehicle watching the heat waves radiate off the road in a traffic jam...if you've ever been late to work because our under-funded public transit system simply couldn't get you to work when you needed it, you have an obligation to get to the polls next week and VOTE. Don't find yourself on Aug. 1 reading the national headlines of a failed effort to invest in our future and think "ACH! I forgot to vote!" Plan your day, take a neighbor, post it on your neighborhood blog, post it on Facebook, tell everyone you see. Your children will thank you one day.

Why Wait Until July 31 to Cast Your VOTE?!

Everyone agrees that Metro Atlanta has a serious traffic problem and that we face a transportation crisis. Traffic impacts us all - whether it is the negative impact it has on the air that we breathe or our inability to get home in time for family dinner. WE, as voters, have the opportunity to determine if a proposed solution can help our transportation and traffic woes. The July 31 Regional Transportation Referendum allows us to vote on a penny sales tax to support transportation improvements throughout the metro region!! All funds raised in the 10-county region would be used to support a wide range of projects that could reduce congestion, create jobs and improve our quality of life!

Early voting for the July 31 primary began on Monday, July 9. Don't forget to go to your local polls to vote for the Regional Transportation Referendum. Any registered voter in the 10-county region wishing to vote in advance of Election Day is not required to vote within the City limits of Atlanta, and may vote early at any listed location within the county of his or her residence. Advance voting is taking place in each county Monday through Friday, July 9-27 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information visit www.transformmetroatlanta.com.

Energy Efficiency During the Summer

Here are some tips to help keep your energy use and your costs down during the summer:

* Set your thermostat at 78° F in the summer and leave it alone. With each degree you increase in the summer, you can immediately realize a 3 percent to 4 percent decrease in energy use.

* Keep curtains and shades closed during the summer, especially on the east and west sides of your home.

* Avoid using appliances that give off heat during the hottest times of the day as they will make your cooling system work that much harder. Do your cooking, washing and drying clothes in the morning or in the late evening, when the demand on your cooling system is less.

* Using a ceiling or area fan in the summer will make the air feel up to six degrees cooler. However, use fans only if you are in the room. Running the fan doesn't actually lower the temperature; it just makes you feel cooler.

* If your cooling system runs continuously but doesn't seem to be cooling adequately, change your filter. If that doesn't work, have a licensed contractor check to see if refrigerant is low or if the coils are dirty.

* Keep plants and brush at least 3 feet away from outside units so they can operate more efficiently.

These tips are provided by Georgia Power's EarthCents portfolio of energy efficiency programs that help customers save money, use energy efficiently and help the environment.

Learn more by visiting georgiapower.com/earthcents.

Atlanta BBC Meet Your Match a Success!

The first Atlanta BBC Meet Your Match networking mixer was a huge success with more than 150 vendors in attendance networking and offering services and information to representatives from participating Atlanta BBC properties.

Currently more than 50 buildings at an estimated 38,000,000 SF have committed to the ABBC. Central Atlanta Progress BBC staff are finishing up audits on the first 20 million SF this month. Midtown Alliance has joined as a partner and will continue to grow the program in Midtown.