Solutions

What you can do on your own

What you can do with others

What you can do on your own

Report Problems	Manage your own property	Use Alternative Transportation
Recycle	Restore the trees and plants	Get a Conservation Easement
Reduce Energy Use

• Report problems
  • General Steps to take:
    • Document the problem with photographs. (Do not walk on private property without permission.)
    • Record your observations in writing, including the date, time of day, and any other pertinent information.
    • Call your local government to report the problem. See list below.
    • Call the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper hotline (404-352-9828) and they will advise you on additional ways to resolve the problem.
  • Erosion and Sedimentation: 404-371-2365 (DeKalb County)
  • Fish Kills: 706-629-1259 (State Wildlife Resources Division)
  • Sewer Leaks and Overflows: 770-270-6243 (DeKalb County)
  • Spills: 404-656-4863 (Environmental Protection Division Emergency Response)
  • Dumping Trash: 404-362-2671 (Environmental Protection Division)
  • Dumping Hazardous Waste: 404-656-2833 or 1-800-241-4113 (toll free).
• Reduce Energy Use
  • Replace incandescent light bulbs with more efficient compact fluorescent bulbs.
  • Turn off the lights when you leavge the house, and use only the lights you need.
  • Keep your thermostat at 65 degrees in the winter and 78 degrees in the summer.
  • Conduct a Home Energy Audit.
  • Use clean transportation alternatives: carpool, mass transit, bicycles.
  • Contact your local utility company asking for clean, renewable energy options.
  • Resources:
    • Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
    • Georgia Airkeepers
    • Georgians for Clean Energy
• Manage runoff and pollution on your own property: Creekkeeper Guidelines for Homeowners
  • Conserve water. See Georgia Conservancy recommendations.
  • See also:
    • Home Forester Self-guided Online Workshop (T.R.E.E.S. project, Los Angeles)
    • How to avoid polluting your stream (Georgia Environmental Protection Division)
• Use Alternative Transportation
  • Atlanta Bicycle Campaign
  • MARTA
• Recycle
  • DeKalb County Recycling Locations
  • Emory University Recycling Center welcomes neighbors of Emory to recycle white paper, cardboard, mixed paper, file stock, newspapers, magazines, aluminum cans, glass, plastics #1 and #2, inkjet cartridges.
  • Remove your name from junkmail (and telemarketing) lists. Contact the Direct Marketing Association.
• Reclaim / Restore the plant life
  • Restore the plant ecology on your property
    • Control kudzu and other "exotic pest plants"
      • General Sites
        • Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council
        • Plant Conservation Alliance's Alien Plant Working Group
      • Kudzu
        • Plant Conservation Alliance
        • All About Kudzu (AccessAtlanta)
        • State of Virginia (Requires Acrobat Plug-in)
      • Chinese Privet: State of Virginia (Requires Acrobat Plug-in)
    • Support native species
      • USDA Plants Database
      • Riparian forest buffers
  • If your property abuts the stream: Reclaim the stream bank and prevent further erosion using natural materials and vegetation (instead of concrete)
    • Local Example
    • Resources
      • "Guidelines for Streambank Restoration" [Detailed instructions to help owners of streamside property understand how to prevent and, if necessary, correct simple streambank erosion problems using natural methods which combine live plant material and structural measures.] Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. 706-542-3065.
      • "Banks and Buffers" [Guide for selecting native plants for stream-banks and shorelines]. Tennessee Valley Authority, 1101 Market St., TVA CST 17b, Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 / 423-751-7338
      • "Watershed owner's manual." Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper.
• Control development of your property with a Conservation Easement
  • "A Conservation Easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a qualified conservation organization which contains restrictions that you voluntarily place on your property. Easements are a flexible tool used to protect your property and to help you keep the land in your family. Since you help write the easement, you can choose which rights are restricted." [Georgia Dept of Natural Resources]
  • "A conservation easement cuts the value of property by giving away building rights. These rights are given up in a deed to a nonprofit charitable organization, such as a land trust, and their value is then deducted from the market value of the property for estate tax purposes... A gift of a conservation easement is also a charitable donation, which the donor can deduct from his or her income taxes.... In some cases, people are even able to reduce the size of their local property taxes, particularly in areas where assessors are sensitive to conservation issues." ["Conservation Easements Lighten Taxes"]

• Perform biological and chemical monitoring.
  • Join the Adopt-A-Stream program and get certified. For information on AAS workshops call 1-888-373-5947 (toll free) or 404-675-1639.
  • Glen Creek Watershed Alliance has access to equipment needed for biological and chemical monitoring. Call Steven Blackburn at 404-562-9397 or email him at blackburn.steven@epamail.epa.gov
• Support or participate in pollution prevention programs, e.g., stenciling of storm drains (Contact the Adopt-A-Stream program for info and materials)
• Support or participate in stream-bed clean-up programs, e.g., Georgia's Rivers Alive annual clean-up in October.
• Support reduction of impervious surfaces, e.g., smaller driveways, sidewalks, cul-de-sacs, and parking lots.
• Support protection or restoration of sensitive areas such as wetlands, steep slopes, and natural habitat, e.g., Governor Barnes Greenspace Program. For large-scale projects, consult Robbin Sotir & Associates (770-424-0719, sotir@mindspring.com)
• Support or participate in neighborhood efforts to reclaim stream buffers from kudzu and other alien pest plants.
• Support strengthening and enforcement of DeKalb County's tree ordinance, e.g., with Trees Atlanta.
• Support better storm water management.
  • Support installation of natural ponds and wetlands, bioretention systems, infiltration and open channels -- instead of enclosing storm drainage in pipes which flows unfiltered and unimpeded directly into natural streams..
  • Support separation of wastewater from stormwater systems and from stream channels.
• Attend workshops, e.g., Community Watershed Workshop, 9/12/2000, 7:00 p.m. at Fernbank Museum of Natural History.
• Vote for candidates -- from district commissioners to presidential candidates -- who are willing to act on environmental concerns. For national offices, see the League of Conservation Voters or the Sierra Club's Environmental Voter Education Campaign (EVEC). For local offices, see the Political page of the Atlanta Chapter of the Sierra Club.
• Support smart growth. Join the Sierra Club's Challenge to urban sprawl.

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