Livable Buckhead Takes the Reins on Sustainability in Buckhead
Nonprofit forms sustainability committee and creates three-year, hyperlocal action plan
ATLANTA – Jan. 7, 2019 – Livable Buckhead and more than 30 leaders have collaborated to create a sustainability plan for Buckhead, developing a hyperlocal course of action that dovetails with city, state, national and even global efforts to improve sustainability. The Buckhead Strategic Sustainability Action Plan establishes ambitious goals designed to accelerate Buckhead’s environmental, economic and social sustainability over the next three years.
The plan is being released just months after United Nations climate scientists issued a report warning that significant greenhouse gas emissions reduction is required within the next dozen years to prevent the worst effects of climate change. The Buckhead sustainability plan is aligned with 29 of the targets outlined within the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, and will be a model for hyperlocal implementation of strategies that improve sustainability at the community level while contributing to global efforts to combat climate change.
“We all need to support the Livable Buckhead hyperlocal planning to enhance the environment while leveraging efficiencies from our existing resources,” said Rutherford Seydel, a lawyer and well-known figure among environmental conservationists. “Livable Buckhead is putting Buckhead on a path to be the best example of a sustainable and healthy community in the U.S.A.”
Buckhead often receives acclaim for its world-class retail and restaurants, but its sustainability achievements have gone largely unheralded. Over the past decade, Buckhead has quietly amassed an impressive set of sustainability credentials, particularly in terms of energy efficiency and increased greenspace. Livable Buckhead has played an integral role in many of these projects and saw an opportunity – and a need – to make them part of a cohesive, community-wide effort to boost Buckhead’s sustainability.
“Buckhead has quietly been working on sustainability for years,” said Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead. “We’ve added 37 acres of greenspace, brought more than 19 million square feet of commercial office space into the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge, and we work with 182 Buckhead employers and 37 office buildings to get their employees out of their cars every day, just to name a few accomplishments. The sustainability action plan synthesizes these efforts and charts a course for us to follow during the next three years.”
The Buckhead Strategic Sustainability Action Plan outlines implementation approaches in eight areas: water, health and wellness, greenspace, energy, waste, culture of sustainability, mobility, and arts and culture. Goals encompass a broad range of programs and activities, including placing an electric vehicle charger within a mile of everyone in Buckhead, making PATH400 energy net positive by adding renewable energy infrastructure, and creating incentives to encourage the development of housing that is affordable for the local workforce.
“Livable Buckhead has created a forward-thinking plan that focuses on the intersection of the environment and the economy,” said Colin Connolly, President and CEO of Cousins Properties. “Our terrific team of engineers and property managers worked with Livable Buckhead to shape the plan which is both aspirational and actionable, and I am proud of their leadership efforts.”
The Buckhead Strategic Sustainability Action Plan also dovetails with the City of Atlanta’s work to improve its resilience as part of the 100 Resilient Cities Network.
“As a core partner in the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge, Livable Buckhead has played a pivotal role in advancing energy efficiency in Atlanta’s commercial building sector, reducing greenhouse gas emissions throughout the region and ensuring a cleaner, healthier environment for all Atlantans,” said Amol Naik, City of Atlanta Chief Resilience Officer. “We are extremely proud of the changes Livable Buckhead is making and we hope this strategy will serve as a guide to more sustainable, equitable, and inclusive neighborhoods and businesses in Buckhead.”
The Beck Group provided in-kind graphic design services for the Buckhead Sustainability Action Plan. To view the plan and learn more about Livable Buckhead, visit www.livablebuckhead.org.
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About Livable Buckhead
Livable Buckhead is a nonprofit organization that strives to ensure the long-term viability and prosperity of the Buckhead community. The organization achieves its mission by working cooperatively with individuals, public entities and private businesses to integrate sustainable strategies. Livable Buckhead implements programs related to greenspace, recycling, energy efficiency, commute alternatives, arts and culture, real estate development and land use. For more information about Livable Buckhead and its programs, visit livablebuckhead.org.
