2
Business View Magazine
106 Business View – October
Infrastructure
The Power to Change
Atlanta’s Office of Sustainability works toward
best practices
A
tlanta’s Office of Sustainability is an internally
funded strategy organization focused on
instituting sustainability best practices into
city government and the community so that every
environmental activity, program and policy is screened
and evaluated according to economic and social impact.
The city was compared with others in best practices
research for sustainability, and the research indicated
that Atlanta is already implementing more than a
third of what needs to be done. The office is working
with departments across city government to improve
current programs and policies and implement new
ones.
The Greenspace and Recreation Opportunity Bond
introduced in 2005 provides $105 million in bonds
for land acquisition, new recreation amenities and
infrastructure improvements. Green space and bike
trails will be added along the BeltLine project. The
city is switching to more energy efficient indoor and
outdoor lighting, including LED traffic lights which use
80 percent less energy. Building efficiency practices are
mandating lighting sensors, improving the maintenance
system, installing automatic sensory faucets and setting
citywide policies on temperature settings.
Atlanta passed an ordinance requiring all new
construction and major renovations to be Silver-LEED
(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
certified. Two examples under design and construction
are the new public safety headquarters and the
international terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta
International Airport. Additionally, the city reuses and
rehabilitates existing buildings to support neighborhood
revitalization. The Atlanta Development Authority and
BeltLine offices by Underground Atlanta are located in
what was once the Block Candy Factory.
Atlanta’s water/sewer infrastructure improvement
The City of Atlanta
