Tracking sustainability news and events in Savannah, Georgia (and beyond)
Category
Land Use
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12.13.10The wrong kind of walkability?Lesley Conn's Dec. 7 Savannah Morning News story, "Package store request galvanizes Victorian District neighbors," contains an interesting passage. Nearby residents, she writes, are worried the liquor store will create "more pedestrian traffic on an already well-trod corridor." What could happen if there are too many pedestrians? Would the sidewalks crumble? Too late! They already have in some parts of the neighborhood around the former Little Kings restaurant and beauty parlor site. What the neighbors are truly concerned about is not the volume of pedestrians, but the type: Those who litter, loiter and worse. Certainly these are activities that can "undo years ...
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09.16.10Tybee Island meeting seeks public input on U.S. Highway 80 bridgesThe idea of riding a bicycle from Savannah to Tybee Island is understandably appealing both to area residents and visitors from all over the United States. Unfortunately, the trip can be a dangerous one. Major barriers to safe travel by bicycle include the bridges at Bull River and Lazaretto Creek. A public meeting tonight on Tybee Island is part of a study of the situation. Details on the meeting are as follows: Pub Mtg 1 Press Release 090810.docx Thursday, September 16, 2010 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tybee Island City Hall 403 Butler Ave. Tybee Island, GA 31328 The purpose of the study is to determine the ...
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08.24.10Class presents ideas that could make strip mall sustainablePerhaps there's no type of building that better signifies suburban sprawl than the strip mall. Well, maybe a McMansion would do, but the strip mall has been with us longer and its very form and purpose transmits the essence of sprawl. The buildings are low and long, surrounded by parking lots and, in most cases, reachable safely only by car. Whitemarsh Plaza is a smaller specimen, but it's location along a multi-lane high speed roadway is common for this variety of commercial development. Whitemarsh Plaza became the focus of SCAD graduate students. And things continued from there, as SCAD professor Scott ...
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06.08.10When trends converge: Boycotts, bicycles and a car culture in decline?In recent days, I've heard a lot about boycotting BP to punish it for the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Boycotts against companies have in many ways become the default American reaction against behavior we don't like. Perhaps we have become resigned to idea that our main role in our economy and society is to consume. American consumers (formerly known as American citizens) vote with our wallets. And, we are told, we should vote against BP by withholding our business. Seems straight forward enough. The problem is our dependence on oil is bigger than the Gulf of Mexico and bigger than BP. Deepwater ...
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06.04.10Would oil off our coast cause us to change our ways?In the early days of the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe, some local media reported the Gulf Coast's loss could be the Atlantic Coast's gain, in the form of tourists reconfiguring their summer vacation destinations. These stories usually included mandatory expressions of sympathy for the region dealing with the environmental catastrophe. Still, the disaster was down there. The major consequence for us would be more difficulty finding space to plant our chairs and umbrellas on the more crowded beaches of Tybee Island, right? Interviews were conducted just to make sure we were in the clear. But now the story may be changing. ...
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04.28.10April 29 community forum examines health effects of infrastructure, transportationHealthy Savannah is sponsoring a community forum on April 29 at 6 p.m. at the Savannah Civic Center. The forum takes an important, but not often examined (at least locally) angle on community health. Instead of focusing entirely on personal nutrition and exercise, the forum will examine the health impacts of infrastructure — specifically related to transportation — along with physical activity, nutrition and smoking. A press release describes the goal of the forum "is to help people understand what factors have the greatest impact on our health in Savannah. Keynote speaker Dr. Evelyn Lewis will provide an opportunity for citizens ...
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03.20.10The return of Ellis Square, Savannah’s next great public spaceStanding in Ellis Square yesterday evening, it was a little difficult to remember the ugly parking garage that occupied the square for decades. It was even harder to imagine more than 1,000 parking spaces below all the grass, trees and people having fun. And there were plenty of people having fun. A ribbon cutting, staple of dedication ceremonies, followed remarks by Mayor Otis Johnson and other government officials. However, instead of sticking to the usual script in which the audience observes dignitaries cutting the ribbon, scissors were distributed to the crowd allowing the public to take ...
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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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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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01.07.10Study links walkability and access to healthy food in SavannahMary Landers' story, Savannah examines making healthy food an easier choice, in the Jan. 6 Savannah Morning News describes a study commissioned by the Healthy Savannah Initiative, which documents the problem of food deserts in Savannah. Landers describes the study's methodology, which uses a variety of data sources "to come up with a block-by-block analysis of how convenient it is to choose fresh and healthy over fatty and fast. The group calculated a 'food balance' score for each city block by dividing the distance from it to any mainstream food provider (such as Kroger) by the distance to any fringe food ...
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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.
