Earth Day on the Atlanta BeltLine

Registration is underway for the 2013 Earth Day on the Atlanta BeltLine on Saturday, April 20, 2013.

Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership, Park Pride, Trees Atlanta, the Atlanta Community Tool Bank, Keep Atlanta Beautiful, and neighborhood partners are working together to plant native grass along the Eastside Trail on the Atlanta BeltLine to celebrate this year’s Earth Day on the Atlanta BeltLine. 

An element of the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum, these native grasses and flowers will create a prairie, which will provide food, protection, and homes for birds, butterflies, and bees. This natural wildlife habitat requires minimal maintenance (such as mowing), which cuts down on damage to creatures and carbon emissions along the trail, and also will contribute to enhanced water and soil quality while fighting erosion.

Volunteers can sign up online at http://earthdayonatlbeltline13.eventbrite.com.  All volunteers should arrive at the site by 8:30 a.m. to check in and should bring a signed waiver, which can be accessed from the registration website above. Planting activities begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude at noon.

Volunteers should wear sturdy, close-toed shoes, long sleeves and pants, work gloves, and should bring a water bottle, bug spray, and sunscreen.  Be prepared for moderate to heavy work.  All ages are welcome, though children must be accompanied by an adult.

Directions: Volunteers will meet under the Freedom Parkway Bridge, next to the Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark at 830 Willoughby Way, Atlanta, GA 30312. Please look out for the check in/registration tables manned by Keep Atlanta Beautiful representatives.

By MARTA:

Take Bus Route 16 (Noble-Downtown/Noble-Executive Park), which makes multiple stops along Ralph McGill Boulevard near the Skatepark.

Walk from INMAN PARK-REYNOLDSTOWN STATION: Depart the train and head Southwest on DeKalb Ave. NE. Turn right onto Elizabeth St. NE. Turn right on Eastside Trail. Skatepark will be on the LEFT.

By car from I-75/85 S: Take exit 248C toward GA-10 E/Freedom Pkwy/Carter Center. Merge onto GA-10 E/Freedom Pkwy. Turn left onto Boulevard NE. Turn right onto Ralph McGill Blvd NE. Continue onto Willoughby Way NE. The park will be on the right. 

Walk or Bike: Another way to enjoy the Atlanta BeltLine! Walk or ride your bike on the Eastside Trail to the meeting area.

There is a small parking lot and street parking.

Earth Day on the Atlanta BeltLine is organized by volunteers and community representatives from Keep Atlanta Beautiful, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., Atlanta BeltLine Partnership, Trees Atlanta, Park Pride, and the Atlanta Community ToolBank. Breakfast for volunteers will be provided by Kwanza Hall.

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 About Keep Atlanta Beautiful: Keep Atlanta Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, Inc., serves Atlanta by developing and implementing public education and community improvement programs that make a cleaner and greener Atlanta.  These initiatives enhance the quality of life and economic development in the community by instilling pride in community ownership and a behavior change that seeks improvements in littering, recycling, beautification, and natural resource conservation. www.keepatlantabeautiful.org

About Atlanta BeltLine Inc. (ABI): ABI is the entity tasked with planning and executing the implementation of the Atlanta BeltLine in partnership with the Atlanta BeltLine team including City of Atlanta Departments. Its functions include specifically defining the Atlanta BeltLine plan; leading efforts to secure federal, state and local funding; continuing the Atlanta BeltLine community engagement process; and serving as the overall project management office to implement the Atlanta BeltLine. www.beltline.org

About The Atlanta BeltLine Partnership:  The Atlanta BeltLine Partnership is a non-profit organization committed to raising funds from private and philanthropic sources to support the Atlanta BeltLine; working with neighborhoods, community organizations, faith organizations, businesses and other groups to raise general awareness and broad-based support for the Atlanta BeltLine; and serving as a catalyst to mobilize resources to address the social concerns raised by new development around the Atlanta BeltLine. www.beltline.org

About Trees Atlanta: Trees Atlanta is a nationally recognized citizens group that protects and improves Atlanta’s urban forest by planting, conserving, and educating. www.treesatlanta.org

About Park Pride: Park Pride, founded in 1989, is the only organization that works with communities all over Atlanta to improve their parks. Each year Park Pride coordinates more than 15,000 hours of volunteer work in Atlanta parks, develops new conceptual park plans for neighborhood parks and helps start dozens of “Friends of the Park” groups. Park Pride engages communities in programs such as Adopt-a-Park, Park Visioning, Volunteer, Fiscal Partners and Micro Grant programs. In advocacy efforts, Park Pride engages a contingency to take action for more greenspace acreage, including the creation of the Atlanta BeltLine, which promises to create more than 1,000 acres of new parks and 33 miles of trails. www.parkpride.org

About the Atlanta Community ToolBank:
Founded in 1991, the Atlanta Community ToolBank operates the country’s largest Tool Lending Program focused on equipping local service groups to implement a diverse range of community improvement projects. With over 160 different tool types available year-round, the Atlanta Community ToolBank has equipped more than 400,000 volunteers to date and serves as the charter affiliate and model agency for ToolBank USA and the movement to replicate the ToolBank model nationwide. www.atlanta.toolbank.org.

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