Welcome!

Welcome to the Metro Atlanta Group's web site. The Atlanta Group comprises the largest Sierra Club membership in Georgia and is dedicated to exploring, preserving and protecting the environment within Atlanta's environs. Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month beginning at 7:30 pm (except July). Our meetings are held at Church of the Epiphany, 2089 Ponce de Leon Avenue NE in Atlanta. Please see the calendar page for information about meeting programs.

News and Events

Georgia Chapter Calendar
Includes Chapter and Local Group events held throughout Georgia.

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Volunteer opportunities – Making the Beltline happen!

The Beltline is a visionary transit proposal and parks expansion project which will reduce traffic congestion and air pollution and improve the quality of life for residents of Atlanta.

The Sierra Club is working to raise public awareness and build support for the Beltline and we need you to get on board!

In December, the Fulton County Commission voted 5-1 to approve the Beltline's funding source, a Tax Allocation District or TAD. Sierra Club volunteers and activists kicked off the morning with a rally outside the Commissioner's building and then headed inside for public comments and the nail-biting deliberation and debate before the big vote.

Sierra Club volunteers collected nearly 5,000 public comments in support of the Beltline TAD this year. The Fulton County Commission had deferred the Beltline TAD vote four times, despite the Atlanta City Council and Board of Education's overwhelming votes of approval.

In the week leading up to the Fulton County Commission meeting, Sierra Club activists sent in hundreds of e-mails and flooded the Commissioner's office with phone calls. After the vote of approval, Fulton County Commissioner Nancy Boxhill commended the public for the scores of positive public comments the Commissioners received on the Beltline, and said they were appreciated and significant to the vote. The positive Fulton County vote was a victory not only for the Beltline, but also for the public as our elected officials voted in accordance with the will of the people.

Thanks to all our volunteers that worked on encouraging the Atlanta City Council, Atlanta Public School Board, and Fulton County Commission to pass the Tax Allocation District for the Beltline. While these major hurdles are a great success, the hard work will continue. Stay tuned for more updates and volunteer opportunities.

Contact: georgia.chapter@sierraclub.org, Georgia Chapter Office, 404-607-1262

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Goals for 2005 and Beyond

At our January 2005 meeting, members developed areas that volunteers can work on for this year. Members focused on four major themes and developed some goals in support of these themes.

1. Environmentally-Friendly Land Use and Zoning
   
   1. We want to form a "Virtual Outreach Center" to fight sprawl.
   2. We will advertise in the Georgia Sierran and Website that a committee is forming.
   3. We will create a packet with a 10-step program for neighborhoods to fight sprawl.
   4. We will utilize the Atlanta Group meetings to plan and work on the packet.
   
   
2. Air and Water Pollution
   
   1. We want to educate and advocate for cleaning up non-point sources of water pollution through educational advertising and watchdog developments.
   2. We want to assure that the City of Atlanta effectively separates or treats combined sewage overflows to the tributaries of the Chattahoochee and South Rivers.
   3. We want to educate citizens on the effects of indoor air quality.
   4. We want to advocate improving the outdoor air quality of Atlanta through reducing pollution from stationary sources (e.g., coal-fired power plants) and mobile sources (e.g., automobiles).
   
   
3. Energizing our Members
   
   1. We want engage our members through hands-on service projects.
   2. We want to have fun with other Sierra Club members with a variety of social events.
   3. We want to inform our members with interesting meetings, newsletter articles and web content.
   
   
4. Transportation
   
   1. Beltline:   a) Is this where transportation funds should go? (Projected cost of beltline--$500 million)  b) The beltline would result in more city parks (referred to as the "Emerald Necklace")  c) We should concentrate on increasing public transportation in high-density areas  d) Transportation and land use go hand in hand  e) Discussed the proposal for a C-line to Emory  f) Will contact "Friends of the Beltline" for a presentation to learn more
   2. MARTA Issues:   a) Discussed the inconveniences of MARTA buses (the buses used to be full in the 1970s before the building of the rail line at which time the bus routes began to revolve more around the train schedules). Sometimes you have to transfer between 2-3 buses to get where you are going.  b) Lindbergh to Emory rail line  c) Goal to work closer with "Citizens for Progressive Transit" (MARTA watchdog group)
   3. Peachtree Street Trolley:   a) There is currently no one MARTA bus that will take you the length of Peachtree St. from Downtown to Buckhead without transferring at Art Center. The proposed trolley would take you the entire length.  b) Will people ride it with the uncomfortable seats, etc. of a trolley-style car?
   4. HOV Lanes:   a) There are currently no HOV lanes on I-285.  b) Add length to current HOV lanes to extend further north and south.  c) Discussed paying a toll fee to drive in an HOV lane when only one person occupies a car.

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