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City of Atlanta | 7 WORKING TOWARD A CLEANER GEORGIA For Georgia Power, helping to protect the environment is a top priority. It’s a challenge we take seriously as we balance meeting the growing energy needs of our state while minimizing our environmental impact. We constantly challenge ourselves by supporting programs that help improve air and water quality, preserve natural resources and protect endangered species. To learn more, visit georgiapower.com/environment. © 2013 Georgia Power der the leadership of former Mayor Shirley Franklin where the City’s first director of sustainability did a tremendous job identi- fying opportunities to deploy sustainability best practices in government operations with very limited resources. At the time, Quarles says much of the emphasis was focused on achieving energy efficiency and improve- ments throughout government operations, initiatives supported through grants funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. While those activities accommodated much in the way of improvement in energy policy and the expansion of efficiency practices, the cur- rent administration has broadened its focus to include rigorous reduction measures for materials management, carbon-emissions re- duction, and for improvements in water con- servation and quality. In its current iteration, the relatively young team of six brings a wealth of back- ground and technical expertise to the table. Kelsey Baack worked as a National Net- work of Environmental Management Stud- ies (NNEMS) fellow for the U.S. EPA and brings her analytic experience from the Bos- ton City Council to Atlanta. Aaron Bastian’s background in government, the private sec-