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It is rare to have a standing ovation for a speaker, but that is exactly what happened when Katharine Wilkinson, Atlanta native and co-author of Drawdown (edited by Paul Hawken) recently spoke at our club about the New York Times bestseller and Project Drawdown, the related efforts that stem from the book. Drawdown consists of eight sections of solutions and specific details regarding efforts toward implementation; it sheds light on the carbon impact of each solution for the next 30 years and the prospective monetary value or savings. The following solutions jumped out at me because of the weight of their potential impact, the probable ease to administer them on local and global levels, and some of the interconnectedness between solutions that could produce an even greater effect. Similar efforts that cities and citizens can make is given in the recent National Geographic documentary “Paris to Pittsburgh,” where cities have become empowered to diminish past environmental wrongdoings to produce a greater future for their residents and ultimately worldwide.

The charitable evening recognizes extraordinary environmental stewardship and change-making and raised $500,000 for the Foundation’s mission to support hands-on environmental projects and environmental learning strategies through grant giving and Foundation programs. Presenting sponsors are Atlanta magazine; Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed; Jane Smith Turner Foundation; and Turner Foundation, Inc. Sustaining partners are Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation; Dole Packaged Foods, LLC; Drummond; Eventologie; Spanx; Ted’s Montana Grill; The Coca-Cola Company; and Voya Financial. CPF has brought together public agencies, non-profit organizations, corporations and foundations to help youth develop into environmental stewards and active global citizens: individuals who think critically and collaborate nationally and internationally, in projects that benefit their health, schools and communities. In addition to its Grants Program, the Captain Planet Foundation also operates Project Learning Garden, with more than 360 school gardens in metro Atlanta and across the lower 48 states; Project Hero, which is challenging kids to save endangered species across the country; and the Institute at CPF, which is training Georgia educators in science-based outdoor learning strategies and lessons.

As for large-scale action from government, we must switch to clean energy, sustainable agriculture and programs to support electric vehicle transportation like tax credits for EV cars and trucks and the switch to electric buses for public transportation. Over 15 years ago Stephanie Blank and I co-founded Mothers and Others for Clean Air, a unique organization that brings together leading public health and child advocacy organizations. Together, we have created no-idling zones at schools, helped to clean up dirty diesel school buses by making emission control devices possible, given countless testimonies at hearings to support clean air issues like the Clean Power Plan, and trained young pediatricians how to protect their patients from air pollution. We also advocate for strong public health protections by cleaning dirty emissions from coal-burning power plants, promoting clean energy production, and increasing energy-efficient measures and electric vehicle transportation.

C&NN also announced a partnership with the National League of Cities and the city of Atlanta for the Cities Connecting Children to Nature Program. The recycling levels averaged an increase of 30 percent with some schools seeing over 40 percent increases in recycling levels. Because of the lack of government-agency resources to properly monitor the water quality of our rivers, the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (CRK) started the Neighborhood Water Watch (NWW) program to monitor and test the water quality of the Chattahoochee River. We can all play a part in making Atlanta number 1 by supporting programs like standardized labeling to reduce contamination in our recycling stream, connecting kids to nature, getting involved with urban agriculture or becoming a citizen scientist to protect our watershed.