Tracking sustainability news and events in Savannah, Georgia (and beyond)
Category
Business
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01.18.12On bicycles and employmentCity of Savannah Mobility and Parking Director Sean Brandon has a guest post at the Creative Coast blog this morning, which makes important points about poverty, employment, planning and creative communities: "I have found repeatedly that the person that takes their bicycle on an inhospitable street is trying to do the very thing that many complain those in poverty don’t do: get to and from their job." You can read the whole post here.
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08.31.11Parking lots cause lots of problems, inspire lots of quotes and, once upon a time, started a movementBill Dawers has strong feelings about parking lots, which he shares in his City Talk column, "Another parking lot detracts from downtown's vibrancy" in today's Savannah Morning News: "They tend to rend the residential and retail fabric. They repel pedestrians. They generally generate far less economic activity than more intense uses. They create heat islands. They contribute to problems with drainage and polluted stormwater runoffs." And he's not alone in his thinking. Here's Donald Shoup quoting Jane Jacobs on how parking lots affect the sidewalks they border and the city at large: "The presence of open shops and people on the street encourages ...
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05.12.11Kroger brags about not using plastic bagsEarly adopters of reusable grocery bags probably remember the reactions of confounded cashiers and baggers, who weren't sure what to make of shoppers who wanted neither paper nor plastic. But the practice has become so commonplace, shoppers rarely have to ask a bagger to stop shrouding their groceries in plastic before placing them in a reusable bag. Pretty much everyone's gotten with the program, at least from the store employee side of the equation. On the way out of the Gwinnett Street Kroger store earlier this week, I noticed the cling decal, right, on the window. By saving bags, in this ...
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03.17.10Sustainable agriculture conference to be held in Savannah, April 16 and 17The Greening the Southeast Regional Summit is scheduled for April 16 and 17 at the Coastal Georgia Center in Savannah. According to event organizers, the summit will, "bring together regional and national experts and grassroots organizations to provide training/information and successful models that focus on renewable energy sources for agriculture and forestry, to discuss how does sustainable farming and forestry impact climate change in the Southeast." Session topics include: Farming and Forestry Non-traditional Funding Sources Climate Change, Renewable Energy Sources, Food Access and Watersheds Successful Grassroots Models Green Action Plans for College Campuses For more information, visit the summit Web site.
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03.04.10Savannah Bicycle Campaign, B Street Salon forge partnershipWhat can a business do to become truly bicycle friendly? The first step might be to correct policies that discourage bicyclists from patronizing an establishment. Providing secure bicycle parking is another way to attract those who shop by bike. To truly make the leap from bike tolerant to bike friendly involves rewarding cycling customers and supporting groups that promote bicycling. B Street Salon in Savannah is leading the way. According to Savannah Bicycle Campaign Chairman Drew Wade, the partnership with the salon is important for a number of reasons. “We’re thrilled about the concept. We are encouraged to see more businesses ...
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02.15.10Series of workshops to imagine MLK without the I-16 overpassAs reported by the Savannah Bicycle Campaign last week, The Savannah-Chatham County Metropolitan Planning Commission and the Savannah Development and Renewal Authority are holding a three-day public workshop and charrette "to examine feasibility of removal of the I-16 exit ramps at Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd and Montgomery Street, and to address redevelopment along the 52-block corridor." The event is scheduled for Feb. 17, 18 and 19 at the Con-Ed Resource Center Ball Room, 714 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. A flier for this event can be downloaded here. Eric Curl wrote about the potential for flyover removal in the Savannah ...
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12.04.09Project DeRenne concept provides a vision of corridor’s futureFrom coverage of last night's Project DeRenne concept unveiling last night provided by WSAV, WTOC and the Savannah Morning News, you might get the idea that the mood in room was particularly contentious. I didn't get that impression. And I was sitting a couple chairs away from a local business owner, who rose during the question and answer session and demanded to know why she felt everything had already been decided. She asked why she was distrustful. Tough questions. Explaining to a person why they feel a certain way is difficult. Naturally, reporters were lining up to talk with her afterward. ...
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11.18.09Focusing on a single goal will not mean success for Project DeRenneA summary presentation for the recent Project DeRenne charrette is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. at 131 W. DeRenne Ave. The location, a former NAPA auto parts store, is fitting. The nearby intersection of DeRenne Avenue and Montgomery Street is—as one of the charrette facilitators from Kimley-Horne called it—one of the most caustic in Savannah. It certainly is scary to move through on a bicycle. This past Sunday a letter to the editor of the Savannah Morning News ponders some important questions: Participants in the planning process as well as the affected commercial and residential neighborhoods need to ...
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11.02.09Charrette particpants asked to describe DeRenne Avenue now and in the futureAs cars and trucks droned by outside, citizens streamed into a former auto parts store at the corner of DeRenne Avenue and Montgomery Street. The purpose of the gathering tonight was the launch of a week-long design charrette focused on the DeRenne Avenue corridor, arguably one of the most important yet troubled streets in the city. Factor in its use by commuters from outlying areas and its importance and troubles become regional in scope and severity. Facilitators from Kimley-Horn and Associates described the work they had done in Phase One of the project and outlined the goals for Phase Two and, ...
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10.28.09Changing a road that divides the city into an amenity that unites itWhen a street is designed to maximize the speed of motor vehicles, the results are as predictable as they are ugly. Yet we may not comprehend how desolate the built environment becomes when it is given over exclusively to cars. Cars and trucks become a distraction, drawing our attention away from the ways that they degrade the spaces, public and private, at the edge of the roadway. But when we strip away the cars, we can see how much damage they have done. Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR. The photos above were taken on a rainy Sunday morning in January 2008. I ...
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Transportation, land use, local farming and green building are all potential topics for Sustainable Savannah. The goal is to aggregate content about local events and projects, so there will be a central place to review everything that’s happening. The site is aimed at encouraging collaboration and information sharing between groups and individuals currently engaged in sustainability efforts. The site can also provide a snapshot of Savannah for green-minded people who are considering visiting or moving to the area.
