Imagine! Fun Stuff in Norcross

Wow, the busy season is off with a bang and there are plenty of ways to get involved. If you cannot volunteer in person, we have an ongoing need for funds, supplies and materials, assistance with writing, publicity, social media, planning and execution. For more details about any of the following Green Community activities sponsored by Sustainable Norcross in conjunction with the city, contact 770-246-0083 or sustainablenorcross@gmail.com.

Friday May 20 – 8 AM – 9:30 AM – Walk to School with select students of Summerour Middle School. Be part of the Kick Off of Safe Routes to School. Donate small incentives to give away to 6 – 8 grade students.

Saturday May 21 – 8 AM – 11 AM – Assist with Bike Rodeo for designated students of Norcross Elementary and Summerour Middle Schools led by Norcross PD. Donate small incentives to give away to 5 – 8 grade students.

Saturday May 28 – 9 AM – Install donated wood raised garden beds at new location of the Community Garden at Norcross Cultural Arts and Community Center (NCACC). Bring your own shovel and work gloves to help spread the love…and dirt in this Eagle Scout project. Beds will soon be available to rent. Volunteer to be on the garden governing board to decide when, how much, etc.

Saturday May 28 – 9 AM and Ongoing through the summer – Weed, water and plant additional donated seedlings at 4 existing beds at new NCACC Community Garden. Produce goes to charity. These are different from the new beds being installed same day. Donate hose, pistol grip nozzle, hose reel, garden tools, wheel barrow or garden cart, paper yard debris bags, money for supplies, etc.

Saturday May 28 – 1 PM – 3 PM
Tuesday May 31 – 9 AM – 3 PM
Wednesday June 1 - 9 AM – 3 PM
Hand deconstruct and salvage materials from 2 city owned properties scheduled for demolition. Prepare best items for sale at the Pre-Demolition, Salvage Pickin' and Porch Party on Saturday June 4 from 10 AM – noon. Other materials will be recycled or repurposed. Some may be used in a public art creation. Be a part of this innovative community project. Bring work gloves, hand tools, cleaning supplies.

Saturday June 4 – 10 AM – Noon – Help with this fun event and sale of salvaged materials from 2 early 1900’s houses and out buildings, 1960’s office building and other goodies owned by the city. Bid on a piece of Norcross history. Proceeds from the Pre-Demolition, Salvage Pickin' and Porch Party used to offset costs of the project.

Saturday June 11 - 10 AM Water Saver Rain Barrel Class at NCACC - see right sidebar.

Imagine yourself an active part of the greater Norcross community. And smile…you may be on camera.

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Let's Hear It For The Girl Scouts! And...You?

Friday nine second grade Girl Scouts from Simpson Elementary School planted veggies at the Norcross Community Garden. The area was a buzz with activity as girls excitedly set to work clearing out the weeds and winter cover crops and got down to business. In no time squash, tomatoes, peppers and basil had been planted, watered, mulched and were happily basking in the late afternoon sun. The plants had even been sung to as the girls spontaneously broke into song a few times between planting tips offered by leader Jennifer Bonacci.

Saturday the happy scene repeated itself when Girl Scout Troop 3317 tackled the remaining two beds. The eight first graders, also from Simpson, chose sweet potatoes, onions, 2 types of tomatoes, strawberries, and beans that they started from seeds.

Leader Anila Ballerstedt organized this service project after meeting Connie Weathers of Sustainable Norcross while picking up at the Peachtree Corners CSA sponsored by Sustainable Peachtree Corners co-founder Robin Montri. Talk about perfect timing.

According to Laura Laszlo, founder of Norcross Charity Garden, they lost their space after two years of operation and were at a loss how to carry on. Relocating to the campus of Norcross Cultural Arts and Community Center was a natural.

Originally a project of Comcast Cares in 2009, employee volunteers had installed and planted four wooden raised garden beds beside the Latin American Association. Last summer Pattie Baker, a/k/a Sustainable Pattie, founding member of Dunwoody Community Garden, visited the site and saw the beds languishing. Pattie promptly recruited fellow volunteer Bob Lundsten to help plant and water the beds, keeping the veggies and the concept of a community garden alive.

Now Peachtree Corners Girl Scouts have breathed life back into the little garden. But they will not be tending the beds over the summer. That’s where YOU come in.

Ideally a community garden would have a small group of volunteers to manage the process, make a few decisions about how the garden will function and dig in to make it happen. That group could include you. Lend a hand to weed, water and watch veggies grow. Gardening is great exercise and can be a fun social outing to boot.

Not the play-in-the-dirt kind of person? First, you do not need a green thumb to be a successful gardener. Come join the fun and learn by doing. Seven to nine year old Girl Scouts can do it, and so can you.

Still not convinced to get your hands dirty? You can always donate money or materials. Here’s a partial wish list: 100 foot garden hose, pistol grip nozzle that shuts off when not squeezed, hose reel, watering cans, hand tools, work gloves, garden cart, paper lawn debris bags, gift cards to garden or home stores, seeds, plants, …oh, and did I mention money? Or writing an application for a grant?


Girl Scouts have blazed the trail for us. Now who will step forward to guide us on the journey?

New Community Garden is Eagle Scout Project That Attracts A Village of Volunteers

Local Boy Scout Kam and his dad Jeff lay out the location of new raised wood garden beds Kam will make and install as part of his Eagle Scout project. At a recent work session volunteers from Wesleyan High School coordinated by Atlanta Community Food Bank and Sustainable Norcross assisted in clearing the area. After a good morning of old fashioned work, the bed locations are taking shape and the area has been cleared of a truck load of weeds and undergrowth.
Thanks to these volunteers for getting the community garden project off to a great start! If you would like to assist in the next work days, rent a raised garden bed to "farm" or be on the Community Garden committee contact sustainablenorcross@gmail.com.

What IS…

a group that:

has a Georgia Tech electrical engineer, a designer and charitable foundation board member, an environmental consultant, a retired EPA manager, and a Georgia Master Naturalist?

is only 2 1/4 years old?

is made up of volunteers appointed by their city’s elected leaders?

partners with others in the community to achieve common goals?

was nominated as Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful’s Best Green Government for 2010?

has been instrumental in achieving Green Communities certification at the Silver Level by the Atlanta Regional Commission and is currently Going for the Gold?

and is being honored by The Civic League for Regional Atlanta with their Regional Excellence Award at their What’s Right With the Region celebration?

It is the Sustainable Norcross Commission, of course. This five member citizen panel advises the City of Norcross on environmental and sustainability topics. Their primary objective is the development of a measured sustainable city plan and regular communication with the city leadership. Goals are in areas ranging from water and energy conservation, transportation and air quality to green building and land use. Heavy emphasis is on education and volunteerism.

Although a customized sustainability plan created for the city is a long term objective, the group embraced the turnkey program of the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) when it was first introduced in December 2008. This was only a month after the group was officially created by the city and only six months after the first public meeting to gauge interest in creating a group.

The program offered by the ARC includes a manual and other support to assist governments in the 10 county metro area in reducing their overall environmental impact. The governments in the program are leading the way to sustainable living.

And the folks advising the local government leaders are the hard working volunteers of the Sustainable Norcross Commission:
Chuck Cimarik
Kathy Nau
Heather Royston
Jim Scarbrough
Connie Weathers

Its Stream Clean Up Time

The annual Rivers Alive Stream Clean Up in cooperation with the City of Norcross is this Saturday October 16 from 9 AM to noon at the city-owned property on Mitchell St. Look for the signs at the gated entrance just east of the Shell gas station.



This event is part of the state wide annual water way clean up which helps keep our water supply clean and free flowing.



All participants must sign a release. Youth under age 18 must have the release signed by a parent or guardian.



Dress to get dirty. Wear sturdy close-toed shoes that you can get wet if you do not have wading boots.



Volunteers will collect litter and trash and remove invasive plants such as kudzu, English ivy, and Chinese privet.



Special t-shirts are available for volunteers. A credit on City of Norcross storm water utility fee may also be available for qualifying participants.



For more information contact sustainablenorcross@gmail.com.

Heart Healthy Eating

It's time for the Whistle Stop Farmers Market and plenty of fresh, local produce and other goodies. The market runs every Tuesday from 4 - 8 PM from June through October in Norcross between Thrasher Park and the railroad. In addition the CSA I participate in, Buffalo Lick Farm & Nursery is there with my prepaid bag of the fresh crop of the week ready for me to pick up.


Here is one of my faves - a mix of veggies oven roasted at 425 F until tender with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. After serving with some lean baked, grilled or broiled meat I use the leftovers in spaghetti with (or without) meat sauce. A new version involves quinoa.

See you at the market!

Signed, Sealed and Delivered

The application for Green Communities certification of City of Norcross is in the hands of the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC). Sustainable Norcross Commission has been working closely with City leaders (staff, elected and volunteer) over the past 18 months to meet the deadline. A team of subject matter experts will review the submission for the next three months and also conduct a site visit. They will evaluate whether the City will be awarded Green Communities certification for its efforts to lead the city by example towards a more sustainable, environmentally responsible way of living and doing business.

The City chose from over 60 recommended initiatives in the following areas:
• Green Building
• Energy Efficiency
• Green Power
• Water Use Reduction and Efficiency
• Trees and Greenspace • Transportation
• Recycling and Waste Reduction
• Land Use
• Education
• Innovation

Each initiative is worth 5 or 10 points with NO partial credit available. Awards are at 3 levels:
• Level 1 - Bronze: 175 – 229 points
• Level 2 - Silver: 230 – 279 points
• Level 3 - Gold: 280 – 400 points

The ARC will notify the city in the Fall. Already the community is benefiting from the implementation of the initiatives. Additional ones are in the works, such as the upcoming process which will include public input to create the first citywide, comprehensive master plan for parks, green spaces and trails. This project championed by the Parks and Green Space Commission in conjunction with the City.

Read more about the ARC Green Communities Program, view the manual. And watch for more info about the Norcross specific aspects of the program or contact us.

For now, way to go Norcross, truly a place to imagine.