An e-Newsletter of ARC's Green Communities Program February 2018 Plan Now for Supporting Pollinators"Entire species are disappearing at alarming rates [because of] loss of habitat essential for food and shelter, diseases and parasites, and inappropriate pesticide use." In this issue's main article, Phyllis Stiles, the founder and director of Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA discusses why it is important to begin thinking about ways to create healthy and vigorous environments for pollinators. Stiles' Bee City USA program works to create commitments and resolutions for maintaining sustainable habitats for pollinators in cities and towns across America. Green Communities SpotlightBee City Atlanta The City of Atlanta is officially the second Bee City USA municipality in Georgia. Bee City Atlanta aims to improve local food production through expanded pollination while raising community awareness of how food grows in Atlanta. This initiative was started in 2017 and has since created a pollinator-protecting resolution and a Bee City Seed Library, which has been empowering citizens to make their own difference. Make it PersonalTips for Helping Pollinators At Home
Sustainability News ClipsGreen news from near and far: Georgia cracks top 10 for LEED projects, besting California, Colorado Suwanee couple catalysts behind development of The Orchard at White Street Park How Washington, D.C., Built a Bike Boom Top 10 movers and shakers in sustainability - 2017 Smart strategies for relamping and beyond How energy-efficient is your community? Making the case for energy efficiency projects Copenhagen’s newest architectural gem is a waste management plant Global green and partners ramp up food waste diversion in California EPA’s WasteWise program helps stakeholders track diversion rates and set goals Get Green for Community Development Assistance Funding for Curbside Recycling Carts Funding for Scrap Tire Clean-Up LED Street Lighting Solutions and Training Urban Land Institute 2017 Technical Assistance Panels Kresge Fdn. Healthy Housing & Neighborhoods Initiative Ford Fdn. Sustainable Development Grant SolSmart Community Designation Green by the Numbers 3/4 – fraction of major food crops that rely on pollinators 90 – percentage by which monarch butterfly populations have diminished over the past 20 years 37 – percentage of bee species that are in decline Sustainability HappeningsTrees Atlanta Mayors Symposium Greenprints Parks and the Resilient City GUFC Invasive Species in the Urban Forest GUFC Natural History of Georgia Forests and its Relationship to Community Trees The Green Matters e-newsletter is designed to give you a glimpse of important sustainability initiatives happening around the metro Atlanta region and beyond. Whether it's the latest research, new educational offerings, environmental stewardship efforts or potential funding opportunities, this e-newsletter will help you stay abreast of what's happening in this important area. |