Sustainability
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Solar Panels, Sustainable Workplaces Bring New Energy to Athens
A growing trend in the world of work is the rise of sustainability – which means that businesses and governments are taking responsibility for their actions and resource use by incorporating renewable energy, waste management, and resourceful practices into their business models. The implementation of sustainability can look like Starbucks…
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How Local Trash Disposal Affects Climate Change
Approximately 300 tons of material is disposed of in the Athens-Clarke County Landfill daily. The average dump truck holds 12 to 14 tons of waste, so approximately 23 dump truck loads of garbage are dumped into the 289-acre landfill per day. Yet, not all of it should be garbage. “About…
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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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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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‘Live As Kindly As Possible’: Animal Rights Activist Gene Baur Lectures at UGA
“But even if we rescued a million animals every year, it would be a drop in the bucket. There are millions of animals killed every day,” Gene Baur said at his lecture “Eating Plants to Save the Planet.” Baur has been an active member of the animal rights community for…
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Grocery Shoppers Share About Their Lists, Habits At The Store
Not many people wanted to talk about their shopping lists at the Kroger on Alps Road in Athens-Clarke County on Monday, Sept. 23. In fact, most people that day really didn’t want to share. Food can often be fun and lighthearted. But food is also personal. And some individuals may…
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Eating Insects: Entomophagy and the Future of Sustainable Food Consumption
Have you ever eaten a cricket? Mealworm? Grasshopper? What about ants? Several experts in the field of entomophagy sat down with me to discuss what kind of nutrients people can get from eating insects and whether or not this is something that could be sustainable with an exponentially growing world…
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UGA Invests $2 Million Into Campus Safety
The University of Georgia is investing $2 million to enhance lighting and safety on campus, according to the UGA Student Government Association. The money will be used to upgrade lighting and security cameras in several key areas. Renovations have already begun and will take place throughout the next two years.…
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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…
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Environmental Effort: A Work in Progress at UGA and Around the World
In 1969, the Cuyahoga River caught on fire. Floating pieces of oil-slicked debris were ignited by a passing train, sending the river in Northeast Ohio up in flames. The fire reached over five stories tall and lasted almost 30 minutes. It caused $50,000 in damages. The river has caught fire…