Planning a Green Wedding in Atlanta

This is great site for green and eco-friendly weddings in Atlanta - lots of information and resources for Atlanta's eco-brides. Enjoy!

Sorry For The LONG Time Off

I didn't lose interest in going green or in helping Atlantans to go green - in fact I am more green now than ever. Unfortunately I got very sick in 2007 and have had two surgeries and a ton of tests in the time period between my last post and now. Juggling my two kids, my job and my health problems was all I could handle. I am better now and have much to post! Stay tuned!

Atlanta Smog Alert for Friday August 17, 2007

According to the Clean Air Campaign web site, tomorrow's air quality forecast is ORANGE - 124.

Because of the predicted concentrations of GROUND-LEVEL OZONE, air quality in metro-Atlanta is predicted to be "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups." In this range the outdoor air is more likely to be unhealthy for more people. Children, people who are sensitive to ozone, and people with heart or lung disease should limit prolonged outdoor exertion during the late afternoon or early evening when ozone levels are highest.

Put Your Extra Tools to Work for Atlanta

Take a look in your garage, in your toolbox, or on your workbench. The extra tools you've amassed over the years are itching to be used - why not put them to use in the community?

Sound interesting? It is! I found out today about another "green" event in Atlanta that involves recycling tools. This Thursday - Sunday, March 29 - April 1, you can donate your old (or new) tools to the Atlanta Communisty Toolbank through their 2007 Toolbank Tooldrive.

I've Never Heard of the Atlanta Community Toolbank...

Had no idea such an organization existed but it does! According to the Web site:

More than 54,000 Atlanta volunteers borrowed tools from the Atlanta Community ToolBank last year to perform more than 700 service projects of every kind. Those volunteers used ToolBank equipment to beautify public parks, repair homes for senior homeowners, plant community gardens, build picnic benches for public schools, and perform neighborhood cleanup days, to name a few.

The ToolBank provides critical equipment so that volunteers and nonprofit organizations can focus on performing the task, knowing that the ToolBank has the tools they need.

Donation Locations

Donate your tools at any of the following locations from March 29 - April 1, 10am - 4pm:

NW Atlanta:
West PacesSmith ACE Hardware
1421 W. Paces Ferry Rd.

NE Atlanta:
Intown ACE Hardware
1404 Scott Blvd.

SE Atlanta:
Decatur SmithACE Hardware
601 E. College Ave.

SW Atlanta:
West EndACE Hardware
962 Ralph D. Abernathy Blvd.

Take a Step Toward Cleaner Atlanta Air and Better Health and Participate in the Metro Atlanta Walk There Challenge

It's no secret that the traffic in Atlanta is terrible and the air quality is poor - you don't have to live in Georgia to know that... Atlanta is notorious for its traffic problem. So in my research I started looking up driving alternatives in Atlanta as well as information on improving Atlanta's air quality. Both will be the subject matter of numerous future posts but I came across the "Metro Atlanta Walk There Challenge" that is coming up in April 2007 and I wanted to post about it right away due to the time sensitive nature of this event.

Georgia's Clean Air Campaign is challenging Atlantan's to take a step toward cleaner air and better health and participate in the Metro Atlanta Walk There Challenge. From April 1 to April 30, you can sport a pedometer, count your steps, and be on your way to better air quality, better health and possibly an iPod shuffle or an overnight getaway to Callaway Gardens.

I just signed up for the Challenge and you should too! Let's get to walking in April - I know I could use some exercise and I certainly want to help the air in Atlanta!

Georgia Power Brings Green Energy to Atlanta

In reviewing my "carbon footprint" I realized that I should be doing a lot more to reduce the amount of energy I am using in my home. For obvious reasons I am making it my goal to do better about turning off lights, computers etc. when they are not in use. But in doing research I am finding there are many more things I can be doing.

One option is to use alternative power sources such as solar or wind power. That is all well and good but will take a significant time and monetary investment on my part to change my home. I live with my husband and two kids in a very old house (built in 1910) in Midtown Atlanta and bringing solar power to it without changing the history and character of the house will take some creativity.

So baby steps...what can I do today to make a difference?

I found my answer on the Georgia Power web site which I visited to see what tips and information they could offer Georgians. There I found that Georgia Power has a Green Energy program that will:

• Potentially reduce the environmental impact of energy production


• Conserve our natural resources


• Support domestic energy self-reliance

So What is Green Energy Anyway?

According to the Georgia Power Web site:

Green Energy is electricity produced in an environmentally friendly manner. Sources of green energy can include the sun, wind, water, biomass and geothermal. The use of these sources can reduce overall emissions from electricity generation. This makes renewable electricity technologies among the cleanest while having the least impact on the environment.

And How Much Does It Cost for this Program?

Well it isn't exactly cheap. According to the Georgia Power Web site:

Although renewable sources like sunlight and wind are free, the technology used to capture the energy they produce is still more expensive than traditional power generation methods. Additionally, the renewable sources have relatively low availability. For example, the wind does not always blow and the sun does not always shine. Increased demand for Green Energy may lead to expanded power production capacity and eventually to lower costs.

Makes sense...so here's the skinny on the cost:

Georgia Power's Green Energy is sold to residential customers in
100-kilowatt-hour blocks per month for a 12-month period. (100 kwh corresponds to roughly 10 percent of an average monthly residential consumer's bill). Each block adds $4.50 (plus tax) to a customer's monthly power bill. Customers may buy as many blocks as they like.

How Many 100-kilowatt-hour Blocks Should I Buy?

I checked my latest Georgia Power bill and it looks like we used 1527 kwh in February and 1635 kwh in January. Hmm, I don't think I can afford to buy 15 or 16 blocks per month - that would increase my bill by more than $75 per month. I think I will start with 4 blocks per month which, with tax, will increase my bill by about $25 per month. It's a start anyway...

Join me in signing up for Georgia Power's Green Energy Program. Here's the link to sign up for residential service:

https://customerservice.southerncompany.com/corporate/green_residential_signup.asp

If you are a business and you want to sign up, you can use this link:

https://customerservice.southerncompany.com/corporate/green_commercial_signup.asp

I will report back and let you know how Georgia Power's Green Energy Program is working for me!

Going Green: Getting Started and What Is My Carbon Footprint Anyway?

I have been experimenting with the idea of going green, eating organic and giving back to the community for several years now but I have been doing so without any real education on these subjects. After all of the hooplah surrounding Al Gore's movie and his "carbon footprint" I decided to research into all of this to try and educate myself and change my lifestyle. I am sharing my findings on ways to go green, eat organic and give back in Atlanta specifically to help other Atlantans and improve our fabulous little city.

Giving Back

Giving back is an easy one for me so I'll start with that. My mother and father have always been involved in helping others personally, through their church as well as other charitable organizations. Living by their example, I have been volunteering my time and/or money since I was very young. A few years ago I got involved with a charity that fits with my career (wedding industry), supports a good cause (breast cancer) and involves going green to some degree in the form of recycling and reselling wedding gowns and other accessories: the Brides Against Breast Cancer Nationwide Tour of Gowns benefiting the Making Memories Foundation.

By the way if you are in Atlanta and you are getting married, the Atlanta Brides Against Breast Cancer wedding gown sale is coming up at the end of March. Click here for details.

In any event, I will try to write about charitable giving opportunities in Atlanta regularly as I hear about them, so please let me know about anything worthy of writing about...

Eating Organic and/or Local

Apparently there is a big debate as to whether eating organically grown food or locally grown food is better for our health and our environment. I don't think I will ever be qualified to answer this questions as I delve into this subject matter. However, I do plan to write about places to find the best organic and locally grown foods. I have been a big fan of the Whole Foods Market on Ponce de Leon Avenue for several years now but I know there has to be more out there in Atlanta...

But let's just start with the Whole Foods Market. I love it because the produce and seafood are absolutely fabulous and the entire Health and Wellness atmosphere is just refreshing. As I understand it, Whole Foods does try to support local farmers whenever possible but let's not worry about that right now. For the sake of being healthier, eating organic foods that haven't been sprayed with pesticides, injected with hormones and other chemicals seems like a good healthy start - and the Whole Foods Market is a great place to buy these types of food products.

Find a Whole Foods Market in Atlanta >>

Going Green: What is My Carbon Footprint?

So in my attempt to change my lifestyle to be more "green" I am really having to research. There is a lot of information out there and I am apparently a little behind the times. But since I don't know too many people who are actually eco-conscious, hopefully many Atlantans will find this information useful.

First off, I wanted to find out what a carbon footprint actually is and then what my carbon footprint is. According to TimeForChange.org, a carbon footprint is defined as:

The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide(CO2).

And your carbon footprint is defined as:

The sum of all emissions of CO2 (carbon dioxide), which were induced by your activities in a given time frame.

Ok so the following activities all create CO2 emissions:

• driving cars and traveling in other vehicles including planes, trains, buses, etc.
• heating your home
• the production of foods and other goods such as plastics
• using your computer for hours on end

This article on TimeForChange.org gives a fabulous explanation of the term carbon footprint along with a guideline for calculating your carbon footprint.

Also, here are some links to calculators that I am going to use to calculate my own carbon footprint:

• Offline Carbon Footprint Calculator (downloadable pre-defined spreadsheet)
• Online Carbon Footprint Calculator

Calculating...

Yikes! My carbon footprint is 31 tonnes of CO2 and according to the BP calculator the country average for the U.S. is 18.58 tonnes of CO2.

So what in the world is a tonne of CO2? According to the BP Web site, "1 tonne of CO2 emissions occupies 556 m3 of space at 25 degrees Celsius and standard pressure. The volume of water in an Olympic swimming pool is approximately 2500m3. Therefore the average household emissions in the USA (approximately 20 tonnes per year) would be enough to fill about four and half Olympic swimming pools!"

BP is a global energy company that is doing what it can to research and develop alternative fuels and energy sources. In Georgia, BP has helped to improve our air quality by introducing BP’s ultra-low sulfur (30 parts per million) gasoline in Atlanta - and we need it! Did you know that Atlanta is one of several U.S. cities out of compliance with EPA air standards? We need to fix this! Click here to read more about what BP has done in Atlanta and Georgia and now start using BP gasoline... I am trying to think of where the closest BP is to my house but I can't find any type of station locator on the BP web site. Ok more on this later when I start locating some BP stations!

Well this was a nice little, very little, introduction for me. Now I need to figure out how to go about reducing my carbon footprint.

Join me on my journey to better living Atlanta!