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FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL OFFICIALS TO HOST SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT MEETING IN ATLANTA

Release Date: 04/30/1999
Contact Information: Mary Jo Bragan, Public Outreach Specialist, 404-562-8323 or Dawn Harris, EPA Press and Media Relations, 404-562-8421

Federal, state, and local officials will host a sustainable development meeting (“Toward a Sustainable Atlanta”) in Atlanta, Georgia on Monday, May 3, 1999. The meeting, designed to promote “Smart Growth” concepts that will allow communities to sustain a healthy prosperous quality of life, will begin at 12:00 p.m. at the Georgia State Urban Life Center, Georgia State University in downtown Atlanta.

Participants will hear and see what’s happening on the national scene and meet with local leaders and concerned citizens in local communities. The meeting will provide participants an opportunity to form a local “Smart Growth Network” and to begin formulating a “Smart Growth Agenda” for the Atlanta Region. The meeting is co-sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the Georgia Environmental Protection Division; the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce; the Georgia State University, Environmental Policy Research Center; and the Georgia Environmental Council, and member organizations.

Also, on Monday, in Detroit, MI, the President’s Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD) and the Global Environment and Technology Foundation are sponsoring “A National Town Meeting for a Sustainable America”. Across America, communities will look for ways to share ideas, form partnerships and develop and implement local visions for sustainability. To support this effort, the Atlanta meeting will downlink a portion of the National Town Meeting..

Atlanta has experienced tremendous growth and economic prosperity in recent years. However, this growth has also brought about significant changes to our environment. Most noticeable are the area’s loss of tree cover, its declining green spaces, the increasing traffic problems, and the reduced air and water quality. Persons interested in actions they can take to reverse these harmful trends are encouraged to attend the meeting.