December 2018 – Digital Storytelling

Reuse Store Saves Teachers Hundreds in Impoverished Communities

December 11, 2018May 13, 2019 Charlotte NorsworthyEducation, low income, poverty, recycle, reuse, school, sustainable0 comment

ATHENS, Ga. — Athens-Clarke County Recycling Division seeks to reduce the cost of school supplies for public school teachers through its Teacher Reuse Store, a facility that offers recycled school materials to local teachers for free. The store, now in its thirteenth year, is housed in the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials, and is now open three times a week. “In the first year, we collected over eight tons of material,” Stacee Farrell, executive director of Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful and leader of the team that managed the reuse…

Government News

Girtz’s Environmental Plan Sparks Concern for Low-Income Families

December 10, 2018May 13, 2019 Caitlin Jettcommunity, Environmental Awareness, Plastic Bags0 comment

ATHENS, Ga. — Some residents of Athens-Clarke County fear that a plan on plastic bags could cause a negative impact on low-income families. Kelly Girtz, mayor-elect of Athens-Clarke, released an environmental plan that includes a ban or fee on plastic bag use in the county. While Girtz mentioned that he will ensure that low-income families will not be burdened by this plan, there are still concerns lingering among Athens-Clarke residents. Asynaka Willis, business account manager at Haven, a company that offers services such as document printing to web hosting, in Athens, Georgia, an…

Experts: Five Minutes of Meditation Per Day Enough

December 5, 2018May 13, 2019 Donovan HarrisAthens, barre, meditation, mental health, Mental Health Awareness, Millennials, mindfulness, stress, therapy, yoga0 comment

ATHENS, Ga- Those who practice daily meditation say they reap the benefit of having fewer stressful days, even with just a couple of minutes of daily dedication. Becky Smith, the owner of Above Barre Athens, started incorporating a few minutes of meditation into the barre classes at her studios to help gym-goers de-stress. For about two to five minutes at the end of class, women are encouraged to meditate and clear their minds. “We have such busy lives. It’s just good to have those few moments to yourself,” Smith says. Above…

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Athens Farmers Market Helps Combat Local Food Desert

December 4, 2018May 13, 2019 Eleanor CashAthens, farmers market, local, sustainability0 comment

ATHENS, GA- Combatting the food desert in Athens has become a goal of the Athens Farmers Market, which has led to the establishment of two major programs to help curb the issue. The first program, Double SNAP, is an extension of the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program program which provides monthly supplements for qualifying members who purchase nutritious food. At the farmers market, the SNAP dollars are doubled, meaning that participants will receive double what they have spent on food in market tokens. The second program, the Fruit and Vegetable…