Environment
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Athens Takes ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ To New Level
If you assume your trash today gets collected and sent off to one of the “dumps” you see in cartoons, you’re sadly mistaken. Dumps haven’t existed since the 1970s; rather, the increasing amount of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Americans create gets sent to landfills where local governments like Athens are…
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How to Have an Eco-Friendly Holiday
The holiday season brings cheer, gifts, and treats for many. However, the season of giving can have harmful effects on the planet. According to a study conducted by Stanford University, Americans produce 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than any other time of year. Here…
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Consumers Lead Change in Backlash Against Fast Fashion
As a young girl living in a small town outside of Normandy, Germany, Sanni Baumgärtner’s love for clothing and apparel developed first with vintage fashion. She fondly remembers rummaging through her mother’s closet and borrowing her grandfather’s coat. Baumgärtner also frequented flea markets in search of pieces like ’70s-era leather…
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Dealing with Food Packaging Waste at the Georgia National Fair
Turkey legs, funnel cake and lemonade are just a few staples at the Georgia National Fair in Perry, Georgia. Cindy and Junior Jimenez, siblings from South Georgia, always make it a point to each get a turkey leg. As they attended the fair for the second year in a…
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UGA’s Second Hemp Harvest Advances Research on Industrial Hemp
Georgia farmers could have a new cash crop at their fingertips. After legislators enacted the Georgia Hemp Farming Act in May 2019, researchers at the University of Georgia wasted no time to research the growth of industrial hemp. Five months later, they’re ready for the second hemp harvest. Hemp is…
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How To Save Money By Saving Energy As It Gets Colder
With the weather getting colder, many people will soon turn on the heating inside their homes. Changes in temperatures can also mean a change in power bills. Matt Garcia, the manager and marketing administrator for local appliance repair company Athens Appliance, advises that turning off the thermostat is never a…
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What’s the Deal With 30 to 50 Feral Hogs? Explained
Imagine it: You are sitting on your back deck watching your kids playing in the yard. Off in the distance you see a growing cloud of dust headed straight in your direction. You’ve seen this before. It’s the hogs, about 30 to 50 of them. You know you only have…
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Organic, Traditionally Grown Produce Show Mixed Environmental Benefits
Sarah Thurman is proud of the growth that the Athens Farmers Market has experienced since she took over as market manager three years ago. In that time, she says that she has seen the number of visitors who stop by the market almost every Saturday morning from March through December…
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Jittery Joe’s Boards No-Straw Bandwagon
When University of Georgia students returned this fall for another semester in Athens, they discovered that their beloved coffee hub, Jittery Joe’s Coffee, had decided to board the nationwide movement to end plastic straw sales in an effort to become more environmentally friendly. “One morning I arrived for my shift,”…
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UGA to Bring 100 Electric Bikes to Campus this Fall
The University of Georgia’s Office of Sustainability recently announced the University’s partnership with Gotcha Mobility LLC, which will bring 100 electric bicycles to campus this fall. This new bike-sharing service will come just nine months after the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commissioners voted to ban Bird scooters for an entire…