IMPACT

Environment Sandy Springs is an environmental nonprofit that seeks to serve all our communities by connecting with nature and each other. Our mission is to preserve the environment for generations to come by restoring ecosystems today.

Results of ESS programs:

• Education of the community via our Wild in the City podcasts, which feature environmental changemakers from across the nation, including Doug Tallamy, author of Nature’s Best Hope and Sally Bethea, Founding Director of Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. Podcast episodes alert urban citizens to the gravity of our environmental situation and what we can do about it.

• Advocacy at City Hall that helped reverse rear setback grading on private land (preserving old-growth forest soil).

• Community engagement and learning through our ESS Speaker Series, which features free talks with local environmental changemakers. Talks align with ESS projects and local issues.

Success stories:

Claire Adair – volunteer and board member: “Working with and learning from ESS has been a growing joy in my life. From conversations that sprout from species identification games at ESS’s Saturday Farmers’ Market booth, to pulling privet while sharing stories with new friends in one of the city’s remnant old growth forests, ESS brings people together in spaces of true connection, care and shared goodwill. Through my growing interactions with ESS’s members and community, I’ve even noticed the positive influence ESS’s lived values and energetic presence have had on my own mindset and environmental endeavors. The friends I have met through ESS—and the community it magnetizes—have shown me how much lighter and more collaborative our collective ecological work can be with kind persistence, sincere curiosity, love of nature and people, and a spirit of fun!”

Jackson Newbury – volunteer: “Your first notion of an ideal Saturday morning may not be waking up to yank plants out of the ground, but, after volunteering with ESS, you may reconsider. My time at Chestnut Oak Ridge was fulfilling and energizing. Being outdoors, working with my hands, getting some exercise, and meeting interesting people: it’s hard to beat that combo. Admiring the invasive-less areas where we pulled and the piles of uprooted privet and cherry laurel at the end of our session was extremely gratifying. I left with a sense of accomplishment and camaraderie, excited for the next opportunity to volunteer.”

Karen Meinzen McEnerny – supporter, donor and advisory board member: “ESS serves the community in which I live. But their reach is much wider. We are a true grassroots group of native plant advocates working with both volunteers and the city government professionals that recommend the policies that affect our natural world despite the challenges of growth in Sandy Springs. Changemakers. Together we address deficiencies, educate on best practices and make an ecological difference. That is why I am an enthusiastic ESS supporter late in my “career” of environmental advocacy. Check out our Wild in the City Podcasts. Terrific information as you consider how to make a difference…one little piece of ground at a time.”

Tori Tanenbaum – volunteer and ESS board member: “My introduction to local conservation efforts started with Environment Sandy Springs. From attending dynamic guest speaker presentations given by members of our community, to volunteering in city greenspaces with fellow nature enthusiasts, this organization has connected me with inspiring changemakers who are committed to preserving our immediate ecosystem. We’ve had a rewarding collaboration with EcoAddendum and the City of Sandy Springs that aims to teach and facilitate responsible forest restoration for eco-stewards. Given that much of our city’s tree canopy exists on privately-owned land, we’ve learned valuable information about caring for our forests as residents. My enthusiastic involvement with ESS can be attributed in equal parts to our worthwhile projects and compelling people.”