The Construction Source America

City of Atlanta | 13 ing to Mayor Reed, “Atlanta is committed to conserving our resources and to the mis- sion of sustainability that is inherent in this pledge.“ The City has spent billions of dol- lars to overhaul an aging water and sewer infrastructure. “Atlanta is keenly aware of the critical nature of our systems and the re- sponsibility to protect our water sources. We pledge to conserve water for both environ- mental and financial reasons. Conservation doesn’t just save water; it also saves money,” says Mayor Reed. Yet, whether focused on it has related to water consumption, recycling, weatheriza- tion tips or strategies for decreasing energy consumption, Quarles says the initiative’s stakeholder organizations maintain a year- round schedule of workshops and commu- nity forums from neighborhood to neigh- borhood, church to church, and school to school. URBAN GREEN Quarles adds that she has been especially encouraged to see schools adopting sustain- ability into their educational curriculum, and students both actively and enthusias- tically engaged in a variety of projects. A number of schools have created gardens with students taking a hands-on role as they learn Old Fourth Ward Park – Northeast Atlanta