Water on the Agenda at the State Capitol

The 2010 session of the Georgia Legislature convened Monday, January 11, and water issues will be high on the agenda. UCR is working with legislators and the Georgia Water Coalition to promote water conservation and efficiency, protect our state waterways and ensure that our water supplies are shared equitably.
Informed and active citizens can help make the difference between success and failure. Click here to learn more about the upcoming session and what you can do to be involved. And have you signed the No Water Grabs Petition? Click here to learn more.

Creek Cleanup – January 23

UCR, West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, and Community Improvement Association are partnering again to clean up a tributary to Proctor Creek, one of the most environmentally impaired creeks in the metro Atlanta. We will be picking up trash out of the creek, and also in surrounding abandoned homes and empty lots areas. Click here to find out more about this and other upcoming clean ups. Pitch in!

Tri-State: Governors Negotiating – But in Secret

The governors of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida did meet in mid-December and have agreed to continue to meet to work out a water-sharing agreement for presentation to the three state legislatures for approval in 2010. BUT - the states have received a judge's approval to keep their negotiations confidential, and UCR and other stakeholders believe that the secrecy in the negotiations may undermine the protection of our strained water resources
Click here to read an Op-Ed by the Southern Environmental Law Center on this issue. READ MORE about the tri-state water wars, including UCR’s common sense solutions to this conflict.

Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival

Save the Date for the Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival – Sunday, March 7, at the Tara Theater in Atlanta. UCR, Georgia River Network and Georgia ForestWatch have partnered to bring together the best of these award-winning environmental films in a total three-hour program – doors at 1 p.m., films being screening at 2 p.m. Tickets available online starting February. Click here for details.

Environment Georgia Offers Activism 101 – January 21

On Thursday, Jan. 21 from 6 to 9 p.m., Environment Georgia is helping to organize a free activist workshop in Atlanta. The training is being run by The Public Interest Network and will feature sessions on:
* the best techniques for organizing your neighbors to take action, and
* the best ways to persuade your local media to cover an issue you care about.
It's a chance to learn, share ideas and connect with other environmentally active citizens as well as activists from other causes. And it's free.
Click here for more details. (http://www.environmentgeorgia.org/action/activist-workshop?id4=ES)