Ei Newsletter 2018 Spring

Regeneration in ACTION! The 2018 Winter newsletter announced the evolution of the Ei tagline from Sustainability in ACTION to Regeneration in ACTION. With a new era comes a new name for the Zero Waste in ACTION Blog, an addition to the Ei Leadership Team, a new initiative in pre-launch mode, and more!

Follow the Ei Blogs, The IMPACT and Regeneration in ACTION, to keep current on project status and tales from the journey.

On June 13, 2018, the Zero Waste in ACTION (ZWA) Blog surpassed the 385,000 pageviews milestone!

Launched in 2009 as the Zero Waste Zones Blog, the original premise was to document the Zero Waste Zones successes and later the Recycling Refinement and Sustainable Food Court Initiative accomplishments. When the Zero Waste Zones were sold to the National Restaurant Association in 2012, the Zero Waste Zones Blog evolved into the Zero Waste in ACTION Blog.

With the evolution of Ei’s focus areas and tagline, it is time to give the Zero Waste in ACTION Blog a new name. Though there will be a continued emphasis on minimizing and reducing waste, the article focal points will expand to new horizons. Complementing the Soil Health platform, the Water Use | Toxicity platform is a prime focus.

… and in alignment with the Ei tagline, the Zero Waste in ACTION Blog new name is:

The Regeneration in ACTION Blog

Ei embraces a new era, a new name, and renewed impact!

The RA Blog article, A New Era, A New Name: Regeneration in ACTION, celebrates the recent milestone, announces the new blog name, and gives an Ei update.

The Ei Conscious Cleaning Initiative (Ei CCI) is in the pre-launch stage; the website landing page is published.

As a first action step, on March 6 Georgia Tech Director of Building Services Tommy Little and his team hosted the Ei Conscious Cleaning Demo & Tour. Facility & housekeeping managers from Atlanta’s venues and businesses committed to pioneering the movement from sustainable to regenerative best operating practices attended the impressive two-hour demo and tour. The Ei FB album, Ei Conscious Cleaning Initiative, includes an event pictorial recap.

Over the past months, the Ei CCI Team of industry experts scheduled a plethora of introductory and demonstration meetings with potential Ei Industry Pioneers.

Ei CCI potential impact is bigger, much BIGGER, than the prominent Zero Waste Zones 2009 launch.
The ZWA Blog article, The Evolution of Standard Cleaning Practices, gives a high-level history of cleaning, introduces conscious cleaning, and documents the Ei CCI demo at Georgia Tech.

Photo: Tommy Little & Wendy Welker by their Green Seal Green Cleaning Certification banner.

In March 2018, Jay Brady officially joined the Ei Leadership Team as the Water Use | Toxicity Program Director.

With an initial priority on the Ei Cooling Tower Blowdown Initiative in the Florida market, Jay works closely with Ei Industry Experts Steve Myers of Filters Plus and Jim Harrell with Renaissance Technology. Stay tuned as big announcements are expected in the coming months.

With the Flint River headwaters funneled underneath Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest airport in the world, the Sustainable Facilities Initiative (SFI) Team is in the initial planning stages for a Finding the Flint project, working closely with the SFI – Atlanta Airport associates.

As the second longest river in Georgia, the Flint River is critical to the state’s ecological, environmental, economic, and water-supply foundations. Flowing unimpeded for nearly 220 miles, the Flint River is one of forty rivers in the nation that flows unimpeded for more than 200 miles. Yet the Flint River is running dry.

On March 17, Ei Strategic Ally Park Pride hosted a Finding the Flint tour to educate first hand on current scenarios and challenges. Ei Founder Holly Elmore and Ei Environmental Advisor Boyd Leake joined Park Pride Executive Director Michael Halicki on the excellent tour.

Finding the Flint brings together the community across local jurisdictions, businesses across industry boundaries, and citizens who call the Aerotropolis Atlanta Alliance area their home. With the spectrum of committed support, the Flint River is staged to flow from a “river in crisis” to a “river in regeneration.”

The RA Blog article, The Flint River: a river ready to regenerate, educates on the Flint River history and current scenario as well as gives an overview of the Park Pride tour.

Photo: Michael Halicki standing next to the Flint River headwaters flowing in a roadside culvert.

The Spring 2018 Southern Farm & Garden magazine issue features Holly’s garden image as the wrap cover. In addition, the six-page article, Restoring Pollinator Populations, was researched, written and photographed by Holly.

Ei Strategic Ally Park Pride’s Pollinators in Parks program is featured in the article. The pdf book SF&G Restoring Pollinator Populations showcases the article and images; it is best viewed full-screen.

The Lambda Alpha International (LAI) Baltimore Chapter hosted the Spring 2018 Land Economics Weekend (LEW) attracting a global contingency eager to learn about Baltimore’s history, challenges, and accomplishments.

With limited time, the LEW tours and presentations focused on neighborhood revitalization, Inner Harbor industrial | commercial development, and community-based initiatives.

As an LAI Atlanta Chapter Board member, Holly represented the chapter in pre-LEW business meetings and enjoyed the LEW festivities. After the business meetings, Holly met with the Land Economics Foundation Board to preview a potential LAI Atlanta Chapter Finding the Flint project grant application. The LAI project will complement the Ei Finding the Flint project referenced in the SFI section.

The RA article, Baltimore: revitalization in-process, gives an overview of the Baltimore LEW. Holly published the Ei FB album, 2018 Spring Baltimore LEW, with images from her LEW perspective.

LAI is an honorary society for the advancement of land economics. LAI provides a forum for the study and advancement of land economics where the “winnowing and sifting” of ideas takes place in an atmosphere of mutual respect.

Ei Strategic Ally Park Pride Executive Director Michael Halicki and SFI Chair Tim Trefzer, Georgia World Congress Center Authority Director of Sustainability, were inducted into LAI in December 2017.

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