Environment
-
Frost, Floods and Droughts: Georgia Farmers Grapple with Climate Extremes
The chirping of crickets and katydids echoed through the dense fields of vegetables, flowers and fruits at Diamond Hill Farm, patiently waiting for harvest. Carolyn Shew, communications manager at the farm, marched through the rows of produce, pointing out crops along the way. “We have blueberries here… they don’t produce…
-
Community Store: Reducing Textile Waste with Fashionable Pieces
Clothing and textile waste are one of the most significant sources of pollution worldwide, nationally and in Northeast Georgia. While it might be hard to imagine, there is an estimated total of 92 million tonnes of textile waste generated globally each year. In Georgia alone, textiles make up the seventh-largest…
-
Georgia’s Trout Face Growing Threats from Climate Change, Habitat Loss
When the clear feeder creek behind John Lee Thomson’s home and the fish hatchery he works at turned muddy after a quick rain, he knew there was a problem. Thomson started to hike upstream to find a clear-cut lot missing all of its trees. Red mud spilled into the once-clear…
-
Athens Tree Ordinance Helps Protect City’s Trees
A few months ago, the views walking over the bridge on Oconee Street were filled with greenery surrounding the river. Lush tree branches dangled over the water. Leaves and other plants peeked out through the railing, impeding the walking space for pedestrians. Now, the same spot is barren. Tree stumps…
-
Athens Farmers Market Engages Community in Sustainability
Every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at Bishop Park and from 5-8 p.m. Wednesdays at Creature Comforts, vendors prepare their tents with local produce, organic honey, artisanal soap and handcrafted jewelry to sell to the oncoming crowds of local Athenians. Established in 2008, the Athens Farmers Market has operated…
-
Fighting food insecurity with cooking classes
Wimberly’s Roots is a community garden and kitchen located in a food desert Winder, Georgia. Wimberly’s Roots has made it their goal to increase access to healthy food in their community by offering monthly cooking lessons and cooking classes with the Boys and Girls Club. Watch the video to learn…
-
Eco-Athens: Business Sustainability in Action
This solutions journalism special is the collection of the work of eight Grady Newsource journalists, who have each reported on the sustainability efforts of local businesses in the Athens-Clarke County area.
-
Athens Boutique Makes Fashion Sustainable, Transparent for Customers
COMMUNITY is a fashion boutique in Downtown Athens known for its innovative, handmade styles using all recycled materials. Sanni Baumgärtner, a native of Germany and owner of the boutique, expressed the store’s central values of being sustainable and transparent. Baumgärtner shared it was her main priority to have the sewing…
-
UGA Students are Prioritizing Sustainable Fashion
University of Georgia student organizations Fair Fashion and Swap Shop are helping promote sustainable fashion practices to help reduce the amount of waste on campus. Through clothing swaps and informational meetings, both organizations put accessibility and education at the forefront of their mission. “I love to be able to show…
-
Reusable Water Bottles: Are They an Answer to the Plastic Problem?
Plastic is all around us. It’s used as storage containers, phone cases and shampoo bottles. One of the most pervasive plastic-made items comes in the form of water bottles. These water bottles are created to be used once, and then discarded. Once a bottle is thrown in the trash, it…