Tracking sustainability news and events in Savannah, Georgia (and beyond)
Category
Recycling
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06.02.08Sonoco recycling plant now closed on weekendsIt looks like Sonoco came up with its own solution in the wake of neighbors' complaints about litter migrating from the site into Carver Heights. When I drove by on Sunday, the drop-off bins were gone and the area where they formerly resided was cordoned off. A sign indicated Sonoco is now closed on Saturday and Sunday. Some folks refused to accept that, it seemed, and left bags of all sorts behind. I talked with two people who were about to add their bags to the pile and suggested they head down the street to the City of Savannah's "Recycling Complex: ...
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05.29.08WSAV: “Recyclers trashing Savannah neighborhood”WSAV-TV reports residents of the Carver Heights Neighborhood are unhappy with the Sonoco recycling plant on Gwinnett Street. They complain that plastic bags become airborne, sail across the street and land in the residential area. While it's likely that many of the invading bags originate from Sonoco, plastic bags can be found floating all over town like polyethylene ghosts. If we want to eliminate this scourge from Carver Heights and other neighborhoods, there are models we could follow. But what can be done in this specific area? WSAV's B-roll of Sonoco presented a familiar scene to those who take their recyclable ...
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05.22.08That CRT belongs at Goodwill, not in the landfillIf the lane behind your house looks anything like mine, it's generally lined with stuff set out for a trip to the landfill. Sadly, the furniture, clothing and building materials that I see on a weekly basis really don't belong buried in the ground, as they can still be used. Often punctuating the piles of cast offs are consumer electronic items, which are full of nasty stuff. I was pleased to learn today that the Jewish Educational Alliance and Goodwill Industries of the Coastal Empire are teaming up to steer desktops, laptops, monitors and keyboards away from the landfill and ...
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05.12.08Middle of May means many green eventsThere's something sustainable happening every day for the rest of the week. Doubt me? Submitted for your consideration: Tuesday: The May installment of Green Drinks Savannah happens at Cha Bella, located near the corner of Broughton and East Broad streets. The events starts at 5:30 p.m. More information is available here. Wednesday: SCAD's chapters of the The American Society of Interior Designers and the International Interior Design Association present a lecture called "Off the Grid," by Mariyn Whitne and Cindy Faulhaber. The event begins at 7:45 p.m. in Room 104 of Eichberg Hall, located at 229 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. ...
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04.15.08Recycling as public policy and artAn editorial in today's Savannah Morning News suggested a logical course of action for two large governmental agencies: They ought to work together. When it comes to recycling, the more stuff removed from the waste stream, the better. That's why it's good news the Chatham County Commission is looking into bringing a recycling program to the unincorporated county. The county's smaller municipalities, such as Garden City, Pooler and Port Wentworth, should also consider a recycling program. The city of Savannah has already received entries from a request for proposals for a sorting and recovery facility. It is currently reviewing those proposals ...
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04.05.08Savannah Morning News revisits Chatham County’s green goalMary Landers checks in on Chatham County's progress toward the goal of becoming the greenest county in Georgia, in a April 4 Savannah Morning News story called "How green is my county?" Landers points out just a few of the significant obstacles in the county's path: Chatham has no curbside recycling, only average public transportation and carpool use and draws far less than 1 percent of its household energy use from renewable sources such as wind, solar, biomass or hydroelectric, according to U.S. Census data. These problems aren't lost on newcomers. When I've mentioned the county's green aspirations to folks who've moved ...
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03.18.08Lane rangers or lane dangers?I spent a lot of time in my backyard this weekend and on Saturday I heard a rumble coming down the lane. I looked looked over the back fence to see an battered pick-up truck glide by with its bed full of castaway children's toys, rusty lawn furniture, old vacuum cleaners and a tangle of other unidentified junk. Today I walked through the lane on my way to the aluminum and newspaper recycling bins at Savannah Arts Academy. Along the way I glanced around and saw shoes, at least half of a croquet set, a piece of garden trellis (with a ...
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02.29.08In today’s paper: Carpooling, trash and the other downtownA story in today's Savannah Morning News reports the flame has gone out at the city's controversial incinerator. Scott Larson's story "City dumps garbage incinerator," features an interesting quote from an elected official about refuse that would previously have been burned, but will now end up in the landfill: Chatham County Commissioner Dean Kicklighter represented the residents, calling Southbridge "the downtown of West Savannah." Birds, increased traffic and odor could hurt property values in the subdivision. He suggested the city contract with a private hauler who would take garbage to another site. Seems to me that Kicklighter and residents of the other ...
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02.11.08Why drip when you can gurgle?On his blog “Notes from the Food World,” writer/journalist Michael Ruhlman espouses the virtues of the humble coffee percolator, declaring “Percolator Love.” He wants to “rid the world of the ridiculous automatic drip coffee maker, a sham perpetrated on an unthinking, convenience-minded public.” I’d like to help him. I currently own electric and stovetop percolators, and a French press. Never again will I willingly subject myself to the thin and toxic tinkle from an automatic drip coffee maker. But I do acknowledge why I once went there. At the home of an out-of-town friend years ago, I found it charming to wake ...
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01.30.08Bottles, bags and today’s paperMary Landers' story "Savannah taps into tap water," in the Savannah Morning News reports that the City of Savannah is making an environmentally- and fiscally-prudent effort to limit the use of bottled water by city employees. Laura Walker, who is organizing the Savannah's Earth Day festivities, is interviewed for the story. Why is the city giving bottles the boot? Here's a snip: Making bottles to meet Americans' demand for bottled water requires more than 17 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel more than 1 million U.S. cars for a year, according to the Earth Policy Institute. About 83 percent of ...
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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.
