Environment
-
From Waste to Waves: How Shell to Shore is Working with Restaurants to Save Georgia’s Coastline through Oysters
When Hunt Revell and Tyler Leslie worked at Seabear Oyster Bar in Athens, they were struck by how many oyster shells they threw in the trash each day. The duo didn’t yet know that these shells could be tools for coastal restoration, but they knew throwing them away seemed wasteful. …
-
Cheers! Beer is Brewed Sustainably in Athens
All around the town of Athens, Georgia, people sit with cold beers clutched in their hands. From football fans flipping burgers and laughing at a tailgate, to close friends unwinding at a brewery over a casual game of cornhole, love of a beverage can be a uniting factor among very…
-
Athens Food Scrap Collection Helps Businesses Reduce Food Waste
Athens is home to a commercial composting facility that services many local businesses and residents. Local businesses can opt in to collecting food scraps in separate bins to be picked up by Athens-Clarke County. These materials are combined with leaf and limb waste to create compost to sell to residents…
-
Sustainable Boutique Tackles ‘Battle Scars’ of Georgia Football Jerseys
When a football player makes a tackle or game-winning catch in the end zone, they may walk off the field with a damaged jersey. However, the next week, the players return with jerseys that have been sewed up and repaired. The seamstresses at Community are behind the stitches. Community is…
-
From Pollination to Plate, Bees and Beekeeping Play an Irreplaceable Role in Food Production
The bustling aisles of a grocery store offer rows upon rows of food to choose from. In this space, the freedom of choice appears endless, though insight into where and how exactly a product originates may not be as readily available. Peering beyond the confines of the supermarket’s shelves can…
-
Bike Athens To Move To New Location Within Community
As Bike Athens goes through the process of moving to and building out their new location on Prince Avenue, they are still working to help the community in Athens. Although their new shop isn’t ready, they are still helping customers with repairs and working on donated bikes for their bike…
-
Soaking up the Sun: Solar Energy Grows in Georgia, Despite Challenges
Under the Georgia sun, a few businesses are harnessing solar energy to power their operations, leading a sustainable effort to reduce their carbon imprint. Athens Running Company is one of the businesses in Athens who chose to adopt solar energy through the Solarize Athens campaign. Owner Mark Schroeoder installed their…
-
Fighting Pollution: How Athens Residents are Keeping Rivers Alive
Athens residents and local groups came together early in the morning on Oct. 21 for the annual Athens Rivers Alive event. Their mission: to clean and revitalize the county’s polluted creeks, rivers, streams and trails. Rivers Alive, a statewide Georgia volunteer waterway cleanup program, celebrates its 25th annual cleanup this…
-
ACC’s Clean and Renewable Energy Campaign A Generational Opportunity For Change
The Athens-Clarke County’s mayor and commission adopted a resolution in 2019 to obtain 100% of the Unified Government’s energy needs for operations and building, from clean and renewable sources by 2035. Four years later, the Sustainability Office looks to bolster sustainability in the local community with the Clean and…
-
What You Missed at Vulture Festival 2023
As the sun rose over the tree line, event attendees craned their necks to watch the vultures spread their wings to sunbathe. The early morning light filtering through the spread feathers of their wings cast them in an angelic glow. Vultures may get a bad reputation, but the Athens-Clarke County…