EPA Data Show Toxic Pollution Declining
According the EPAs Toxic Release Inventory, overall toxic pollutants declined by 15.5 percent between 2000 and 2001 (the latest available numbers) and more than 50 percent since 1988. The largest polluter on the list is the metal mining industry, which releases 45 percent of the overall toxins, followed by the electric utility industry at 17 percent, both of which had overall declines from what was reported in 2000. Two counties in Georgia were included in lists that named the largest polluters by industry. Floyd County, Georgia had the 5th largest releases nationwide from the paper products industry from Inland Paperboard & Packaging, Inc. Bartow County, home to a Georgia-Power coal-fired electric plant, claimed the 3rd most polluted spot on the Electric Utility Industry list. The toxic culprit is primarily hydrochloric acid, released in large quantities by both industries, followed by methanol and ammonia produced by the paper products industry. All figures are available at the EPA's website. Any citizen can access the report and find data on his/her county by going to the EPA's website and following the link for the TRI Explorer.

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TNC Land Purchase Protects Endangered Species
The Nature Conservancy recently purchased 71-acres of land located along the Jack's River in the Chattahoochee National Forest. The property has been identified as a key location in the protection of several rare and endangered species in the Conasauga River watershed, which includes the Jack's River. This newly acquired land will aid in the protection of several federally listed aquatic species, including the blue shiner, the amber darter, the frecklebelly madtom and four species of mollusks, as well as the rare Jenkin's snaketail dragonfly, by protecting the water quality of the Jack's River and downstream waters in the Conasauga River watershed. "With development threatening the surrounding area's ecological balance, the recent acquisition will aid in the reduction of sediment flowing from the property into the river system during heavy rains," said Rick Guffey, north Georgia conservation director for The Nature Conservancy. To read the full story, visit Earth Share's newsroom.

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Raising the Green Roof
Earth Share Workplace Campaign Partner Lord, Aeck & Sargent is in the news again after winning the Environmental Sensitivity Award from Construction Specification Institute, a national real estate development trade group based in Arlington, Virginia. Green at Work Online readers may remember that Lord, Aeck & Sargent is designing the Eco-Office at Southface Energy Institute in Atlanta that will serve as a model for commercial "green" building. Led by LEED-certified architect Jim Nicolow, Lord, Aeck & Sargent's sustainable design project credits also include the Georgia Public Health Laboratory, built in 1998, the four-month-old Georgia Tech Student Health Center and the Zoo Atlanta Conservation Action Resource Center. The Zoo Atlanta facility features a "green roof" that is home to plants and grass that serve as a natural coolant during summer months as well as a filtering system for rainwater. A similar roof is being proposed at Southface. To read the full story in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, visit Earth Share's newsroom, or to learn more about Lord, Aeck & Sargent's sustainable design projects visit their website.

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Got Greenspace? Now What?
Many citizens of Atlanta are charged with the responsibility of caring for urban greenspaces, thanks to funding from former Governor Roy Barnes' Greenspace Program, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and other public/private groups. Urban greenspaces require tender loving care in order to remain safe and healthy for years to come. Mark your calendar for the Trees Atlanta Greenspace Management Conference, September 12th and 13th, 2003 at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History. Visit www.treesatlanta.org for more information about this hands-on workshop.

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DNR to Reduce Trout Stocks in Chattahoochee
After completing a five-year study of Trout survival in the Chattahoochee River, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources is reducing it's stock by 75,000. This comes after finding that the rainbow and brown trout they have been stocking since 1976 are growing slower than usual and beginning to die off from natural causes, which many anglers view as a complete waste. Except for the elusive brook trout that resides in the northern tributaries, trout are not native to the Chattahoochee and have very few natural predators other than man. The DNR attributes the die off to a combination of factors. Though trout stocking has doubled over the past 13 years people haven't been fishing any more. This combined with the fact that the amount of fish that are "returned to creel" (that's an angler's term for keeping what you catch) dropped from 85 percent in 1983 to just 27 percent in 2001. Lisa Klein is the DNR Trout Biologist for the Chattahoochee River. You can contact her for the complete report at lisa_klein@mail.dnr.state.ga.gov. For more information on trout and trout fishing in the state of Georgia visit these websites, Trout Unlimited or sherpaguides.com

FACT: The first trout in the Chattahoochee River were stocked in 1962 by a group of anglers from the Izaak Walton League. Frustrated with the state's lack of response to their requests to stock the river, they took matters into their own hands. By the cover of night they dumped 12,500 rainbow trout purchased from a farm in North Carolina. In one year, the 1-2 inch fingerlings grew to be nearly 14 inches!

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TNC Work Parties--August 16
Enjoy Georgia's beautiful natural areas and lend a hand to conservation by joining The Nature Conservaancy at Dry Creek Swamp a seed collection and trash pick-up. To sign up contact Malcolm Hodges by the August 13, mhodges@tnc.org or 404-253-7211.

Elachee Trail Guide Training—September 3 & 5
The naturalists at Elachee Nature Science Center in Gainseville will teach you the basics of wildflower and tree identification. Call for details. 770-535-1976.

Join a Campaign and Make a Difference!
The Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club is seeking volunteers to help with conservation campaigns. Join a campaign today so you can become familiar with environmental issues in Georgia and throughout the nation. Current campaigns include Clean Energy, National Forests and Sprawl. Visit the Sierra Club website for more info.

Board Positions Available at Atlanta Audubon Society
AAS is currently looking to fill positions that will open in January 2004. Volunteer board positions include, Directors of conservation, communication, special events, and volunteers. Please contact Victor Williams, 770-423-1012, 72064.1017@compuserve.com. or Georgann Schmalz, 404-633-1527, jbgs@mindspring.com.

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Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.- Frank Lloyd Wright

Conservation Easement Workshop--August 12
During this free workshop sponsored by The Nature Conservancy and the Georgia Land Trust, llearn what a conservation easement is, the tax benefits of putting a conservation easement on your property, and the rights and duties a landowner retains when working with conservation easements. The workshop will be held from 7-9 p.m. at the Dawson County Library Meeting Room, 342 Allen St., Dawsonville, Georgia. For more information please contact Candace Stoughton with The Nature Conservancy's Etowah River Office at 770/704-7280 or Al Brasier of the Georgia Land Trust at 706/892-9686.


So You Gotta Drive...
If you're one of those people that consider alternative transportation an alternative lifestyle, you're not alone. Though, you probably knew that already given the hour it took you to drive in to Midtown from Marietta last week. (It's only 22 miles away!!!) Whatever your reasons for driving, keeping your car well maintained can add years to its life and drastically reduce its impact on the environment. If you're cringing right now because your 45,000-mile vehicle still hasn't had its 30,000-mile tune-up, consider the following:

Around 13% of our cars produce approximately half the car pollution. The majority of which are probably old, and poorly maintained vehicles.

Worn spark plugs can drastically reduce your fuel efficiency, so can under inflated tires, but a simple tune up can improve your fuel economy by 4 to 12%.

A poorly maintained vehicle wastes fuel and can emit up to 10 times the pollution of a well-maintained one.

For more car pollution facts visit the American Lung Association or if you just want to kill some time take Car Talk's Pollution Quiz.

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Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.- Winston Churchill

The Atlanta Share the Road Century--September 20:
A bike safety ride to benefit the Atlanta Bicycly Campaign. Details at www.atlantabike.org

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In the end, our society will be defined not only by what we create, but by what we refuse to destroy.- Nature Conservancy's John Sawhill