Last week, my husband Rutherford and I had the honor of hosting Georgia Conservation Voters’ Green Tie Reception for Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. Mayor Reed was honored for his commitment to making Atlanta a Top 10 City for Sustainability.
During the reception, Georgia Conservation Voters executive director Rob Teilhet, Rutherford and I presented the Mayor with the 2011 Green Tie Award for his efforts in protecting the Georgia we all love.
Through his policy initiatives and projects, the Mayor has been working toward several aggressive goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Atlanta, including:
- By 2020, reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the City of Atlanta’s jurisdiction by 25 percent
- By 2030, reduce these emissions by 40 percent
- By 2050, reduce the emissions by 80 percent
He is also working to reduce energy usage among municipal operations:
- By 2020, by 15 percent
- By 2030, by 40 percent
- By 2050, by 80 percent
Mayor Reed also has a goal of making renewal energy account for 5 percent of the city’s energy usage by 2015.
In addition to his energy goals, he is also working to reduce “food deserts” in Atlanta, bringing local food within 10 minutes of 75 percent of residents by 2020.
Already, with the Division of Sustainability, he has secured $28 million in government grants for at least 25 new projects and improvements in the city.
As you can see, he is doing some extraordinary work. Thank you, Mayor Reed, for your continued commitment to making Atlanta a healthy, sustainable city for all of us who live here!
