April 23, 2024 – Today, the Atlanta Housing Sustainability Task Force hosted an AH Green open house for all Atlanta Housing employees. The day was packed with fun and informative demonstrations, speakers, giveaways, and health-conscious food trucks.
The Sustainability Task Force is a staff-led green initiative that spans all eleven departments of Atlanta Housing, with a goal of increasing awareness and engagement as we all work together to create a more sustainable, more equitable, and more efficient future for AH employees, residents, and landlords.
Held in conjunction with Earth Month, AH Green Day was the perfect time for the Sustainability Task Force to formally launch their initiatives and to talk with those who showed interest in joining the “Green Team.” Plus, employees were able to take part in a wide array of educational and interactive opportunities. From energy rebates to improving efficiency in homes, home gardening to holistic wellness, there was something to interest everyone in attendance. A soil testing booth was provided for those that wanted to know how they could improve their lawn or garden, and there was even an electric vehicle showcase in the visitors parking lot.
Terri M. Lee, President and Chief Executive Officer, spoke on the importance of sustainability at Atlanta Housing and how green practices help Atlanta’s families. She was also instrumental in the development of the AH 5-Year Strategic Plan, which includes these sustainability goals:
- Achieve green-certification for 33% of units in the AH portfolio
- Develop green workforce development partnerships
- Raise $2 million to improve energy efficiency in AH units
- Reduce the agency’s carbon footprint by 25% in five years
These goals will be achieved by working to identify areas to improve energy efficiency in housing technology, design, and awareness, and adopting policies that incentivize these types of improvements for the benefit of residents and landlord partners. We’ll partner with organizational leaders in climate change, sustainability, and resilience to obtain necessary resources.
Atlanta Housing’s reduction of its carbon footprint by 25% over 5 years is in support of the City of Atlanta’s 2019 Clean Energy Resolution to achieve 100% clean energy by 2035. We’ve established a baseline carbon footprint and set carbon reduction targets for our operations and procurement partners with a goal of reducing energy consumption in all operations, including building and fleet, while migrating towards renewable energy sources. These are all important changes with the ability to positively impact everyone at Atlanta Housing.
Companies that partnered with Atlanta Housing to make this Green Day event possible included Southface, BlocPower, Georgia Power, Emory University, Grady Hospital, Edison Bikes, the Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials, Truly Living Well, the City of Atlanta’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience, SK Collaborative, and WonderGrubs.