Tracking sustainability news and events in Savannah, Georgia (and beyond)
Category
Education
-
10.02.08Curious about bicycle commuting? Join your neighbors and give it a try on FridayBicycle commuting offers many benefits and not the least of them is a closer connection with changing seasons, a relationship with the world that is available these days mostly to farmers and others who spend the majority of their time outside. Except in the case of the bicycle commuter, he or she is able to experience these changes not over the course of entire days, but within the context of twice a day sampling of weather conditions. As a result, I can tell you exactly what it feels like to be on a bike in Savannah at 8:05 a.m. on ...
-
08.12.08Sustainable SeafoodSome friends of mine went fishing this past weekend near Darrien. Over two solid days on the water they caught nothing but sharks. Having recently heard similar stories from other recreational fisher-folk I know, seemed to be a good time for a post on sustainable seafood. The worldwide depletion of ocean fisheries is not new news. But it is a fact that doesn't get much attention in the whole enviro-food discussion. Overfishing, overconsumption, polllution>habitat destruction and fisheries mismanagement are the main culprits. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, Worldwide, it is estimated that some 90 percent of species of large ...
-
07.09.08ImaginationLast night, creative city making champion Charles Landry spoke to a packed house. I had the pleasure of being in the audience along with most of the usual suspects (govt., real estate development, business, downtownies, a few artists & SCAD folk) . . . you were probably there too. He was worth standing up for, even if my feet are paying the price today. For those of you who couldn't make it, I'll briefly summarize. Landry defines creative cities as those in which ordinary people (along with their local bureaucracies) solve problems (or rather, create opportunities) in imaginative ...
-
07.08.08It’s a super Tuesday!Some days the sustainability-related events seem to stack up. Today is one of those days. From 10-11 a.m., Preserving Savannah Neighborhoods is staging a protest at the corner of Abercorn Street and DeRenne Avenue. The purpose? To highlight the Georgia Department of Transportation's counterproductive decision to go ahead with construction of a right turn lane from northbound Abercorn onto eastbound DeRenne, despite the fact that such a modification may be contrary to the recommended results of $300,000 study of the corridor that's recently begun. PSN's position is that no work on the road should be undertaken — no matter how long ...
-
06.09.08Erik Writes, I Get SchooledErik Blachford, CEO of TerraPass, saw my post on carbon offsets and wrote to ask if he could help us better understand the wonderful world of carbon offsets –Of Course!, I replied. Talking to him helped me realize how complex the carbon finance world is AND got me motivated to learn more. The following is my list of highlights . . . A carbon offset is a financial instrument that represents a reduction or removal of carbon dioxide, or its equivalent in other greenhouse gases (methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, HFCs, PFCs). Countries, companies or individuals can purchase offsets ...
-
04.08.08SCAD student groups launch new Web sitesTwo Savannah College of Art and Design student organizations that have environmental focuses now have new Web sites. Project Green grew out of SCAD's School of Building Arts to include students from all academic majors. Last year I wrote a profile of the group's leader, Paul Schwartzkopf for SCAD's now defunct faculty/staff newspaper. You can read it here. The group is currently led by Brian Bessenaire, who was mentioned previously on Sustainable Savannah here. Students for a Better Environment has been around for more than a decade and has been part of the college's Service Opportunities for Students program in recent years. ...
-
02.26.08Know how to pull a crank or true a wheel? Cog needs you!Cog, Savannah's bicycle cooperative, needs volunteer mechanics to staff its shop on Tuesday from 4-7 p.m. and Saturdays from noon until 5 p.m. Cog volunteers don't actually repair bicycles, but rather have the much more important assignment of teaching the co-op's customers how to fix their own bikes, guiding them through the process of getting their rides ready for the road. Those interested in volunteering can e-mail the shop at savannahcoop[at]gmail.com or stop by the cooperative, located at the corner of East Broad and 39th streets during the hours listed above.
-
01.12.08SCAD sustainability council makes AASHE BulletinThe Savannah College of Art and Design's Sustainability and Eco Practices Council was featured in the Jan. 10 issue of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education bulletin. The AASHE bulletin linked to a story in The Chronicle, the faculty/staff newspaper at SCAD. Here's a snip from "SCAD forms eco practices council," by Verena Paepcke, chair of the group: "The council is made up of faculty and staff from the schools of Building Arts, Communication, Design and Liberal Arts, as well as from the SCAD communications and student media departments. The council’s mission is to support SCAD’s sustainability ...
-
About
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.
