Who’d have thunk that the little town of Bethlehem — Georgia, that is — would lead the world in manufacturing electric trains? OK. So, we’re not talking about the high-speed rail or flashy streetcars: They’re actually the off-track, miniature variety tailored to tots, which tend to circulate a bit more this time of year. Continue…
City Council approved a long-awaited ordinance Monday that permits Atlanta residents to install and operate systems that treat rainwater for use inside the home. Although the potable rainwater ordinance took nearly a year’s worth of negotiations, revisions and false starts, Atlanta still is ahead of much of the nation when it comes to ordinances allowing…
Georgia Tech-trained computer scientist Shwetak Patel is one of 22 2011 MacArthur Fellows, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced early this morning. Patel, now a faculty member at the University of Washington in Seattle, won the honor and its accompanying no-strings-attached $500,000 award (widely known as the “genius grant”) after inventing “a…
A landmark ordinance making it easier for Atlantans to use rainwater inside their homes gained approval this morning from City Council’s Utilities Committee, according to one of the authors of the legislation. Jenah Zweig of the city’s Office of Sustainability wrote in an e-mail that the ordinance is slated to go before the fully Council…
My father owned a local hardware store for almost 30 years, and I have fond memories of hanging out and working there, with the locally owned stationery story, movie theater, pharmacy, and grocery on the same block. Each successive block was also populated primarily with independently owned businesses, usually operated by their owners, most of…
Green Building Chronicle is in the midst of a brief semi-hiatus. We’ll publish occasional articles during this break, and we’ll be back with even more great coverage of green development, design and construction on Sept. 19.
Interface Inc. has announced a public memorial service to “celebrate the life” of the late environmental and business leader Ray Anderson. It will held this Monday in LaGrange, Ga. Those can’t attend in person can participate through a videocast. Here are the details: Memorial Arrangements Interface, Inc. will host a memorial service at LaGrange College…
As you’ve know doubt heard, Gov. Nathan Deal has thrown in the towel on his effort to change the date for next year’s regional votes on transportation sales tax referendums across the state. For now. That’s bad news for backers of the referendums, which will decide whether or not to impose a one-penny sales tax…
A little noticed finding in the Atlanta Beltline’s most recent Environmental Impact Statement could mean a lot for the character and cost of the entire project — and I’m not talking about the route. For the first time, MARTA and Atlanta Beltline Inc. planners have come out officially in favor of streetcars as the technology…
The world’s most ambitious green building certification program is getting a bit of push into Atlanta this month. Whether that results in construction anytime soon of an actual edifice that meets the exacting standards of the Living Building Challenge is another story. The Living Building Challenge is a certification program like no other. The U.S….
