Girls Incorporated of Greater Atlanta Goes Green

Girls Incorporated of Greater Atlanta has been awarded Grant to Green Initiative through Southface Energy Institute to help us become more environmentally friendly as an organization. Our goal is to conserve resources while improving our bottom line. Green represents the opportunities for companies to purchase, develop, launch and implement more sustainable buying decisions and business processes.

There are several ways in which we are striving to be green in our facilities. We currently are using copiers that are networked which allows for the use of less printing and paper. We are currently trying to reserve electricity at our Cobb/Marietta center by turning off lights in unused space, monitoring thermostats and unplugging unused equipment. We are re-evaluating our vendors and if possible going with vendors that are considered Green, such as our cleaning crew, as well as requesting they use environmentally friendly cleaning products. Girls Inc. donates old computers to a company who refurbishes the systems. These simple changes can lower expenses for our organization and ensures that as an organization we are socially responsible.

Green Programming

Special Thanks to our Grants to Green Sponsor

Girls Incorporated of Greater Atlanta consistently include environmentally-sensitive activities, workshops, speakers, field trips and curricula into their summer and after-school programs. Examples of such in 2008-09 include:

• monthly “Adopt-a-Stream” program with Cobb Watershed Stewardship;
• rafting trip with Chattahoochee Nature Center and River Georgia which included water- testing and wildlife surveying;
• weekly recycling club, involving families and members;
• arts and crafts with recyclable materials curriculum developed and implemented by Marietta Center staff for girls ages 6-18;
• field trips to Atlanta Farmer’s Market, Fernbank Science Center, Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Cobb County Water Testing Site, Berrypatch Farms, Big Creek Greenway, numerous federal and state parks, Georgia Aquarium and Big Trees Forest Preserve.