Let's Make Some Change

The team at Local Planet and I have been out and about meeting a lot of wonderful and interesting people, and we can’t wait to tell their stories.  We started with the inaugural stories about Malcolm, Stephanie, Andrew, Lewis and all the folks down at Serenbe. I think most would agree, they are great examples of people doing the right thing and making a difference.

We’re also doing our part, just as we promised: I just dropped off two donation checks, one to the Clean Air Campaign and another to the Atlanta Food Bank. On Monday, July 12th, I’ll be at the Atlanta Children’s Shelter.  Making these donations – and seeing firsthand how they are being put to good use – serves as a powerful reminder for what our goal is here at Local Planet: to develop an online platform that informs, educates, fosters community and connects the businesses that are helping the planet and our community with like-minded people.

Working together, each of us can make small changes in our daily lives that, combined, make a huge impact. I realized an example of this just this week.  Brian Carr, Director of Communications at the Clean Air Campaign, and I somehow came to talk about the prevalent, real and actually quite actionable issue of pollution caused by idling cars here in Atlanta.  He mentioned it in passing and I told him that, as an avid cyclist, this had long bothered me as well.  Then, as I walked back to my car, I began to notice.  Within one block I encountered five people with their windows up, just sitting there with their cars running.  Expect more on that topic – and how we can all do our part to reduce it – in our Stories section soon.

We partnered with these three groups because we feel that they are leading organizations aligned with our interests in healthy food, the environment and social responsibility. They aligned perfectly with our mission of connecting socially responsible and environmentally sustainable businesses with like-minded people.  Access to healthy, nutritious food is a central aspect of the environmental movement and the Atlanta Community Food Bank is an institution that is second to none (and in a LEED facility; they, too, realize that these issues are all linked).  Fostering a positive environment and breaking the cycle of homelessness for children, the Atlanta Children’s Shelter strikes a very particular chord.  I toured their downtown facility and saw firsthand how they are making a difference in children’s lives every day.  Seeing this is inspiring and enlightening, and quickly serves to remind one that our most precious resource of all, our leaders of tomorrow, are all to often in a fragile state.  From an environmental perspective (as a LEED AP and cyclist this is, quite obviously, one of my strongest personal interests), the Clean Air Campaign is committed to improving air quality and reducing traffic congestion.  Need I say more?  I think we can all relate.  Who hasn’t felt the oppressive heat while sitting in their car for 30 minutes to drive just two miles?  It’s a complex problem, but one that can be solved. By working together.  Maybe not overnight, but eventually, if we all make small changes.

If you have gotten this far and are still reading, you get it. You’re engaged, informed, invested and care. You want to help and be part of the solution. You’re exactly why we created Local Planet.  We hope that you’ll find more than a few things that are helpful and will make your life more enjoyable and rewarding.  In turn, we have faith that you’ll do your part as well, help to spread the word, and lend a hand when presented with the opportunity.  We are all in this together.  Join us.
 

-Patrick Vrana
LEED AP
Founder of Local Planet