WAWA Joins Community Partners to Co-Host EnvisonATL

WAWA is joining an A-list crowd of  other community-based organizations and non-profit partners to co-host EnvisionATL on Tuesday, December 7th. EnvisionATL is open to anyone interested in helping build an aspirational and shared vision for a more sustainable Atlanta. Based on the World Café conversation model, EnvisionATL will be formatted to promote conversations from diverse constituents in order to build consensus around Atlanta’s sustainability future. Discussions at this second EnvisionATL forum will center around community vitality, energy, transportation, and food. The event is presented by Sustainable Atlanta in conjunction with Mayor Reed and the City of Atlanta. EnvisionATL will be held from 3:00 - 5:30 pm at the Historic City Council Chambers at City Hall (55 Trinity Ave. SW). Registration is now open. For more information or to register for the event, click here.  

WAWA Highlighted in 2010 City of Atlanta Sustainability Plan

Atlanta Mayor Kasim and the City of Atlanta Division of Sustainability recently released the 2010 City of Atlanta Sustainability Plan to chart a course for efforts to make Atlanta one of the top 10 sustainable cities in the United States. The plan lists sustainability goals in the following areas: transportation, fleet fuels, climate change, water conservation, water quality, air quality, waste, greenspace, energy, and local food systems. Also included in the plan are a 2010 Atlanta Sustainability Inventory, current sustainability rankings, highlights of best practices research from peer cities, and an action plan to move Atlanta to the top tier of U.S. Cities. To read the plan, click here.  See WAWA's mention on page 28 under the heading: "5 Ways to Help us Make Atlanta More Sustainable".

WAWA was also previously featured in the 2008-2009 Sustainability Report for Atlanta, Our Path to Sustainability, for its pioneering work to save over 400 acres of greenspace in Southwest Atlanta, its success in leading a citizen-centered process to develop SW Atlanta's Hampton-Beecher Park, and its efforts to educate youth and other West Atlanta residents about environmental stewardship and sustainable practices. To view this report, prepared by Sustainable Atlanta, click here.

OAC Park Visioning off to a Great Start!

WAWA and Park Pride kicked of the Outdoor Activity Center (OAC) Park Visioning process earlier this month. The eight-month process will include community engagement in monthly Steering Committee meetings, design workshops, and public Meetings to help develop a new Master Plan for the use of the OAC greenspace over the next 20 years.

There are still remaining spaces for community stakeholders to serve on the Steering Committee, and all interested persons are invited to join in on the process right away!  Service on the Steering Committee requires a monthly commitment for the duration of the Visioning Process to attend monthly Steering Committee meetings as well as any scheduled design workshops and public meetings. Community involvement and support will ensure that the best ideas are implemented and that all community voices are heard as the physical footprint of the OAC is enhanced to help the OAC better meet its intended purposes. 

For more information on the Park Visioning Process, click here. The next OAC Park Visioning Steering Committee Meeting will be held on Thursday, December 9, 2010 at 6:30 pm at the Center (1442 Richland Rd. S.W., Atlanta, GA 30310).  For additional information on the OAC Visioning Process specifically, please call 404-752-5385.

Fall Service Days Prepare Outdoor Activity Center for the Winter

WAWA and community volunteers completed a series of four "Hands on the OAC" Service Days to prepare the Outdoor Activity Center for the Winter. These days included: the fall kick-off (October 2), a primarily teen-focused project held in collaboration with Hands on Atlanta's 20th Anniversary and the National Wildlife Federation's Earth Tomorrow Program for Atlanta teens; a second community-wide service day on November 13; and two days of service learning and environmental education with one hundred and fifty students from Atlanta's KIPP Strive Academy in West End.

Each service day focused on ridding the 26-acre Outdoor Activity Center urban forest of invasive plants including English Ivy, repairing weathered foot bridges on the property, trail maintenance, and cleaning and organizational tasks inside of the educational building.

Individual community volunteers joined the aforementioned groups and members of the Northwest Unitarian Universalist Church Earth Ministry, AMPS Atlanta Corps, the Clark Atlanta University CAUSE Project, and SEEED (Students Endeavoring for Enlightened Environmental Decisions) at Morehouse College to spruce up the OAC grounds. Project sponsors included Hands on Atlanta, the National Wildlife Federation Southeast Regional Center, and REI.

Hands on the OAC Day of Service Coming Up - Saturday 11/13/10

Calling all community volunteers....On this Saturday, November 13, 2010 from 11am - 3pm, we will work to restore overgrown trails, clear away invasive plants, clean out the garden beds for the winter, repair areas on the boardwalk, and spruce up the building at our headquarters, the Outdoor Activity Center (OAC). There will be free food and drinks for all volunteers. Please wear warm clothes that you don't mind getting dirty. Gloves will be provided. Come light rain or shine! For more information, contact Darryl Haddock or Evonne Blythers at 404-752-5385.

The WAWA Story

What began as a community struggle for environmental justice evolved into an organization that also fosters environmental stewardship. The West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) arose from community efforts to halt discriminatory waste water treatment practices in west Atlanta.

The West Atlanta Watershed Alliance is a community based, non-profit organization dedicated to improving and protecting the quality of life for the residents and environmental quality in the west Atlanta. WAWA is an advocate for preserving greenspace, protecting and improving water quality, and promoting good environmental health within the adopted watersheds of Proctor, Sandy and Utoy Creeks.

YouTube Video about WAWA

WAWA ABA - "Seed of the WAWA Tree" - Adinkra Symbol of hardiness, toughness, and perseverance

This West African symbol, WAWA ABA, is the "Seed of the WAWA Tree".  The seed of the WAWA tree is extremely hard. In the West African Akan culture, it is a symbol of someone who is strong and tough. It inspires the individual to persevere through hardship. 

Westside Story: Sites and Scenes from the West Atlanta Watershed