Sustainability
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Athens Leaders Weigh High-Performance Construction Against Housing Shortage
In Athens-Clarke County, the push toward a 100% clean energy by 2035 is colliding with a stubborn housing shortage. For the people working to solve both problems, the tension is constant. Melinda Lord, director of Housing and Community Development for Athens-Clarke County, doesn’t hesitate when asked whether affordable housing and…
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Electric Vehicles: Experts, Consumers Weigh the Costs, Benefits
Electric vehicles (EV) have been around for decades, but with the growing concerns emissions have on our environment, the question has become, are electric vehicles worth the investment despite the hassles of charging and planning? At the core of the EV movement is a goal for lower carbon emissions. According…
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Why Composting Is Accessible, but Not Widely Practiced
As spring gardening season begins in Athens-Clarke County, some residents are rethinking what happens to their food scraps. Food waste makes up a large portion of what ends up in landfills, where it breaks down without oxygen and produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. While composting offers an alternative, it…
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Life Without a Car: Is Walkability What We Miss Most About College?
As spring approaches, graduates leave behind the city and campus alumni often reminisce about: Is the reason Americans miss college so much its walkability and built-in sense of community? It is common in other countries or large cities like New York or D.C., where public transportation is prevalent, to live…
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Take What You Need, Give What You Can: Inside Athens’ Really Really Free Market
On a sunny Saturday afternoon in downtown Athens, many can be found shopping in outdoor markets. New clothes for a party, new toys for a pet, spending money on items that may or may not end up in a landfill. On the second Saturday of every month, however, Reese Pope…
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Community-Owned, Community-Saved: Daily Groceries Co-op Stands Resilient
Daily Groceries Co-op has been an Athens institution since 1992, but earlier this year, the community nearly lost it for good. Unlike a chain grocery store, a co-op is owned by the people who shop there. Members buy in, have a say in how the store is run, and any…
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Teaching Conservation: How Athens-Clarke County is Protecting Water
Clean water is essential for any community to thrive. From the necessity of having clean drinking water to fostering a healthy ecosystem, water conservation is not a practice that should fly under the radar, especially in a large, diverse community such as Athens-Clarke County. The average American home uses about…
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Denied Jackson County Rock Quarry Underscores Growth Vs. Groundwater Concerns
The fight over a proposed rock quarry in Jackson County has grown from a local zoning dispute into a broader debate over groundwater protection and drinking water, something far more personal to residents in affected communities. In May 2025, a Jackson County Superior Court judge upheld the county’s denial of…
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Athens-Clarke Sees Unexpected Tradeoff from Solar Garden Project
When you think of a garden, you likely envision a lot of green. The Athens Regional Library unveiled its own garden in April of 2024; however, it wasn’t the traditional green but a solar garden. As Athens-Clarke County moves toward its 100% clean energy goal for the year 2035, it…
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Madison County Volunteers Monitor, Advocate for South Fork Broad River
Ruth Ann Tesanovich, retired scientist and certified Adopt-a-Stream volunteer, wades through the stream behind her Madison County home with a lifetime’s experience in a lab. She tests for oxygen levels and combs through to identify critters that indicate stream health. The task is more than scientific. Her family has almost…