In the new series From Harm to Healing, Capital B is putting a spotlight on how pollution and environmental dangers are threatening Black communities, and the people who are working to fight back against these threats to health. For longtime resident Tristain O’Donnell, who has lived in the southwest Atlanta neighborhoods of Capitol View and […]
Environmental Justice
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Politics & Policy
South DeKalb Residents Protest Data Center Plan, Delay Vote
A vote on new data center regulations in DeKalb County has been postponed to Dec.16 after a heated zoning meeting Thursday where residents shouted grievances, demanded answers, and some were removed from the chamber. The deferral underscores the growing frustration of South DeKalb communities — particularly Black neighborhoods like Ellenwood, where a large-scale data center […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice
West Atlanta Turns Flood Zone Into a Park That Protects Homes
In the new series From Harm to Healing, Capital B is putting a spotlight on how pollution and environmental dangers are threatening Black communities, and the people who are working to fight back against these threats to health. For decades, flooding in the West Atlanta neighborhoods of Vine City and English Avenue had been more than […]
Posted inEducation, Extreme Weather, HBCUs, Higher Education
Caribbean Students Gather for AUC Prayer Vigil as Hurricane Melissa Continues Path of Destruction
Atlanta may feel distant from the impact of Hurricane Melissa, but for some Caribbean students at Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Clark Atlanta University, the storm is impossible to escape as they balance classes with news updates and missed calls and messages from home. Reports after the hurricane made landfall Tuesday were devastating, with news […]
Posted inEconomic Development, Environmental Justice, Politics & Policy
Georgia’s Data Centers Are Multiplying Fast — and Largely Untracked
Georgia’s data center expansion is rapidly transforming the state’s economic and physical landscape, from metro Atlanta to rural counties. Major tech companies like Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft are investing heavily in the Peach State, buying up land and building massive server farms to power the digital age. Rising utility bills and environmental impacts caused by […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice
How One Woman Turned a Polluted River Into a Protected Community Treasure
In the new series From Harm to Healing, Capital B is putting a spotlight on how pollution and environmental dangers are threatening Black communities, and the people who are working to fight back against these threats to health. In 2010, DeKalb County officials actively discouraged residents from getting too close to the South River. Signs were […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Politics & Policy
Black Community in South Fulton Fights Georgia’s Data Center Boom
When Yvonne Cole Boone bought her home in South Fulton in 2018, she envisioned a peaceful retirement surrounded by family and friends, spending her days planting new flowers and fruit in her front-yard garden. Her house, nestled in an expansive residential community called Oakley Township, is in a neighborhood Boone says her family naturally fits […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Health, Politics & Policy
Atlanta Neighborhood Says City Failed to Protect Them From Unwanted Gas Station
When Amber Burks became the first person to move into Aviary Park, a new townhome complex on Greenbriar Parkway, she was excited to see how the community would transform and grow over time. But what she didn’t expect three years ago was for the neighborhood to be in an ongoing feud with the city over […]
Posted inEconomic Development, Environmental Justice, Money, Politics & Policy
Amazon’s $270 Million Land Deal Sparks Data Center Concerns in Georgia
Last month, Amazon purchased around 1,000 acres of land south of Atlanta for possible data center development as the state continues to be at the forefront of the fast-growing industry of digital storage space. The deal was between a subsidiary of Amazon called Amazon Data Services and High Falls 75 LLC, the developer behind the […]
Posted inClimate Change, Environmental Justice, Politics & Policy
New Tree Rules Bring Higher Removal Fees and Help for Seniors
The Atlanta City Council has approved revisions to the city’s long-standing tree protection rules, marking the most significant update in over two decades. The unanimous decision by the council introduces increased fees for tree removal and establishes a new senior citizen tree assistance program. Despite these changes, some council members and environmental advocates express concern […]
