Atlanta Inner City Outings
Have you been longing to get outside but feel like you need to have more of a purpose? Check out our Inner City Outings Program! Since 1988, Atlanta Inner City Outings (ICO) has been bringing children from inner city settings to the great outdoors where they are surrounded by towering trees and pristine lakes. For kids used to hearing sirens and city buzz, the cheerful chirping of birds and serene sounds of nature is a refreshing escape; many of them have never set foot outside the communities they call home. ICO is one of the most fun parts of the Sierra Club mission to explore, enjoy and protect the planet.
The Atlanta chapter currently works with four agencies, including John Hope Elementary School, the Brookhaven and Warren Boys and Girls Clubs and the newest agency, Parkside Elementary Unity Club. These agencies all have one goal in mind; they all want to get their kids outside, in nature, but lack the resources to do so. That's where ICO steps in, providing the agencies with resources such as equipment, food and transportation, in addition to covering all expenses associated with the outing. With the goal of 8-10 trips per year per agency, this is no small feat, but comes easy to the team of dedicated volunteers that keep the Atlanta chapter of ICO running.
Recently, eight girls from the Warren Boys and Girls Club and three ICO volunteers started off their ICO season for 2010-11 with a trip to the Chattahoochee Nature Center, which was also part of the national day of service on September 11th called Serve Outdoors. Upon arrival, the group was greeted by a nature center volunteer with a red-shouldered hawk on her arm. She explained that this hawk, along with all birds kept at the Center, are ones who couldn’t survive in the wilderness for various reasons. After a lunch filled with interesting foods, the group visited the butterfly gardens, which were in full bloom. Following a hike on the trails, the group went to the amphitheater for a program about reptiles and amphibians. On their way to the Center to look through the giant microscope, the group saw some female hawks, who have distinctive white heads. Ayana was the first one to spot the male. The girls are looking forward to a trip to a corn maize in October and an overnight camping trip at Indian Springs State Park in November.
Atlanta ICO has organized trips to state parks, trails, nature centers and locations all over the state. Ranging from hikes on the Chattahooche Trails, to day trips to Amicalola State Park, to overnight trips to places such as Cloudland Canyon State Park, Atlanta ICO has introduced children to natural beauty in every corner of the state. Whether it is seeing a waterfall for the first time, or getting a glimpse of the ocean, or seeing a deer cross your path, the trips expose the children to sights and sounds that may have been foreign to them forever, if not for ICO.
Atlanta ICO is always looking for volunteers! If you are interested in volunteering, please visit http://atlantaico.org/ or email us at atlantaico@gmail.com for more information.
Atlanta ICO meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:30pm at the Sierra Club Offices. 743 East College Ave., Decatur, GA. (map)
Quick Links
Atlanta Falcons fullback Ovie Mughielli made a Public Service Announcement for the Sierra Club about Coal Ash Waste. Check it out here!
Click Here to watch Ovie's PSA about |
Sierra Club Meetings
Smart Energy Team Meeting, Monday, October 4th, 6:30p.m refreshments, 7p.m. start, Colleen Kiernan - colleen.kiernan@sierraclub.org or Erin Glynn - erin.glynn@sierraclub.org Wildlands & Wildlife Committee Meeting, Tuesday, October 19th, 7:00p.m., Phil Zinsmeister - Chair, pzinsmeister@oglethorpe.edu |
Environmental Events
October is Walk to School Month!
Did you walk to school when you were a kid? Uphill? In both directions? In the rain? October is International Walk to School Month and the Sierra Club is encouraging families to relive this definitive childhood moment -- walking to school. Check out our Back to School Headquarters, where we've got a special membership offer, a kids drawing gallery and green tips for everything from school supplies to lunch.
The Club is also teaming up with the makers of Green Works® and the National Center for Safe Routes to School for the Walk to School Challenge. During October, elementary and middle school students and their families can help their schools win one of five $5,000 grants -- simply by walking (or bicycling) to school. The five schools with the highest levels of participation will be eligible to win a $5,000 grant. Walking uphill not required.
Georgia Solar Tour
The Georgia Solar Energy Association will be hosting its second annual tour on October 2, 2010 from 9am – 2pm. There are three ways you can participate: 1) a virtual tour from your own desk! (free), 2) a self tour, or 3) a guided tour on a bus ($25). Check www.gasolar.org for detailed information about tour stops.
Second Atlanta Streets Alive
On Sunday October 17th, Atlanta Streets Alive is holding its second event from 1:00-6:00pm.
Modeled on tremendously successful events from around the world, including Bogotá, Colombia's Ciclovia; Paris, France's Paris Plage; and San Francisco’s Sunday's Streets, ASA is part bike tour, part block party, and a great time for getting active, supporting local businesses along the route, people watching, and enjoying our amazing city!
The Mountain Institute for Social Change Presents Janisse Ray
October 21-24
Highlands, NC
Inspiring Ourselves to Save the Planet. We will come together for inspiration to continue, broaden and deepen our work in defense of the environment. This workshop is for veterans of the environmental movement as well as for those new at protecting and defending the planet. The Mountain was voted by USA Today as one of the ten great places to renew the soul. Click here for more information.
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