Gwinnett County Farmers’ Markets

Suwanee Farmers’ Market

address:370 Buford Highway  Suwanee, GA 30024

contact:Amy Doherty phone:770-945-8996

website:Suwanee Farmers Market

“Get it fresh in Suwanee! The Suwanee Farmers Market offers in-season produce, herbs and plants, free-range eggs and meat, baked goods, fresh flowers, and jams and jellies. The market is open at Town Center Park from 8 am-noon every Saturday from approximately early May to mid-October (except for the third Saturday in September).

“May-October, Town Center Park Every Saturday, early May – mid October (except third Saturday in September) 8 am – noon”.

Norcross Farmers’ Market

address:72 Park Drive  Norcross, GA 30071

contact:William Shipley phone:404-824-4350

website:Whistle Stop Farmers Market of Historic Norcross

The Whistle Stop Farmer’s Market is a group of organized citizens of Norcross, Georgia whose mission is to bring locally fresh produce, organic produce, meats/cheeses, baked goods, homemade sundries, sauces, spices and other items from across our region as an open air market to the thriving historic area of Norcross.

June-October, Tuesday’s from 4-8PM, June 2nd-Oct 27th 2009.

Located along side Thrasher Park on Buchanan Street in Historic Norcross.

Lawrenceville Farmers’ Market

185 West Crogan Street  Lawrenceville, GA 30045

contact:Rebekah Cline phone:678-226-2639

website:Lawrenceville Farmers’ Market

“The Annual Lawrenceville Farmers’ Market on the Square is held every Saturday from June 6th through September 26th. Each week the Lawrenceville Farmers’ Market will open from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. in historic downtown Lawrenceville in the parking lot behind the Crogan Street fountain directly across from the Historic Courthouse front entrance. The market draws a host of farmers, home canners, and individuals who grow their own products. Whether you’re coming downtown for your weekly, fresh produce or visiting our historic shopping district, the Lawrenceville market has become a Saturday morning treat to pick up not only fresh fruits, vegetables, grass fed beef, eggs, herbs and flowers but also unique baskets, soaps, honeys, and jams.

“June-September, Every Saturday from June 6th until September 26th 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Historic Downtown Square Lawrenceville, GA (Across from Historic Courthouse behind Crogan St. fountain)”

Dacula Farmers’ Market

2225 Givens Rd. Dacula, GA 30019

Anthony Stokes phone:678-863-9612

website:Dacula Farmer’s Market email:stokesfarm@bellsouth.net

This Farmers’ market takes place on a private farm in Dacula, where local farmers bring their naturally grown vegetables, fruit, and eggs to sell. Several farmers also offer beef, pork and chicken, which you can pickup at the slaughter house or on their farms. The Dacula Natural Buyer’s Club provides boxes of organic produce from around the world to augment what is locally available. The market is also a drop point for Johnston Family Dairy. They graze their cattle on pasture to produce some of the most delicious milk you’ll ever taste. It is un-homogenized and only lightly pasteurized.

Green In Gwinnett Area – Keeping Gwinnett Green and Sustainable

~ James Chronicle

Home | Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation

Open Heart = Gwinnett

Check out the link below for their OFFICIAL BLACK EYED PEAS VIDEO the Open Heart Campaign created!

Thanks to an incredible outpouring of support, GMC has secured approval to launch its open heart program in Gwinnett County. Now the real work has begun!

A dedicated 40,000 square foot facility is in development. This $33 million investment will ensure that the people of our community have access to a complete range of cardiac services. When it opens in early 2012, the Heart and Vascular Center at Gwinnett Medical Center–Lawrenceville will be state-of-the-art. While the advanced technologies are impressive, they won’t be what make the Center truly special. It will be the devoted professionals and their world-class capabilities that make the difference.

You, too, can help make a difference. We are approaching our goal of $8 million in charitable giving to directly support the development of the program, but there is still a ways to go. With your help, we’ll reach that goal.

via Home | Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation.

This post was created to help spread the message and gain support for our Gwinnett Open Heart campaign.  Green In Gwinnett Area is pleased to be able to contribute to this worthy cause.

– James Chronicle

Green In Gwinnett Tip Nov 4th 2009

Green and Sustainable

When you landscape use native plants.  Native plants typically cost less, use less water, and are easier to care for.  Plus, your yard will look right at home.

Did you know that if every U.S. household replaced just one light bulb with an Energy Star bulb, we’d save enough energy to light three million homes for over a year?  Pretty amazing huh? Simple.  So let’s make some simple changes Gwinnett!  The prices on CFL bulbs have come way down.  The Lowe’s in Suwanee sells them for a very reasonable price and they seem to have frequent sales there.

Reduce your carbon footprint and energy bill next summer by using a table, ceiling or whole-house fan which will extend the typical human comfort range, usually between 72 and 78 degrees F,to around 82 F by simply adding a breeze of about 1.9 mph. So when the heat becomes unbearable reach for a fan before the thermostat. A typical fan uses about the same amount of energy as a 100-watt light bulb, which is dramatically less than any air conditioning unit.

 

Think Green In Gwinnett

-James Chronicle

Green In Gwinnett Area & The Green Chamber of The South

Please take some time to learn about Green In Gwinnett Area’s partner “The Green Chamber of The South“:

Whether you are aiming to reduce your environmental footprint, strengthen your relationship with consumers, streamline your operating costs, or gain market share. Developing a sustainable business strategy makes good business sense not just to a company’s bottom line, but also to employees, partners and the community.

The Green Chamber of the South is a place where you can meet others who share your interests, do business, profit and gain the satisfaction of supporting efforts to promote the growth of sustainable economies in the Southeast.

About The Green Chamber of The South:

Founded in 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia, the Green Chamber of the South supports the growth and success of sustainability in businesses and encourages innovation and adoption of clean technology. We are a non-profit organization.

The Green Chamber of Commerce facilitates connections and collaboration between companies, government, NGOs and the community, supporting the growth of green companies. Our vision facilitates the success and growth of green businesses and establishes a hub for green commerce in the Southeast.

Our members comprise businesses and organizations in the Southeast.  They are engaged in diverse industries including energy, education, manufacturing, government, trade, communications and marketing.

Business leaders recognize the rapid growth of the Southeast green business movement and their long-term growth opportunities are tied with the region’s environmental challenges.  Some of the key issues facing businesses today revolve around water scarcity, transportation, and energy costs.   An increasing number of businesses understand meeting growing environmental challenges requires adopting new sustainability strategies.  Furthermore, a growing number of businesses require partners and vendors to engage in the sustainability process and develop their own green initiatives.

Please visit their website at: www.greencs.org

Sincerely,

James Chronicle (Executive Director) GIGA

BrandsMart USA Grand Opening of LEED Retail Store this Friday Aug 21st – Buford, Georgia

, an environmentally friendly store is having their Grand Opening in Gwinnett County this Friday, August 21^st. I had the pleasure of touring the facility with Larry Levine who is the Vice President of Corporate Operations for BrandsMart. This store is the first Commercial LEED building in North Georgia. Beginning with the construction of the store and continuing through it’s daily operations the main focus has been to reduce negative impact on the environment and promote conservation.

During the construction phase, recycled materials were used as much as possible. The

floor tile, the sheet rock, even the concrete was poured using a minimal amount of raw materials. The store’s roof consists of white neoprene which reflects heat to reduce the amount of time the air conditioning runs. Each AC unit has it’s own compressor that dramatically reduces power needs and the condensation water from the units is recycled. On hot days this can result is as much as 150 gallons of water.

Lighting in the store is optimized by the implementation of large skylights, enabling the fluorescent lighting to be reduced. These skylights open, close and direct light for optimal efficiency. Sensors installed within store lighting automatically turn off the power as the sunlight increases. LED lighting is also used throughout the store. These produce far less heat (almost none), produce superior lighting, and use less electricity to operate. They also use these neat tubes to direct light into the store from the roof called “Sola Tubes”. You could use these same tubes in your home.

Outside the store the parking lot is white instead of black reducing the heat usually generated and allowing better control of the area’s climate. Additionally, less lighting is required at night because of the reflective surface. The plants surrounding the store are drought resistant and labeled so that customers can easily identify them. Once the plants have been established (estimated six months) irrigation will no longer be necessary. Rainwater will be channeled from the slight slope of the parking lot into a retention pond behind the store for future utilization. There is also a preserved wetland behind the store.

You will find trash containers along with recycle containers for employees and customer’s to recycle their sodas, etc!

In the near future, BrandsMart plans to have an educational program directed to children at the fourth grade level with the goal of educating them on sustainability. Great forward thinking!

The construction of this store and it’s operations are a credit to BrandsMart’s and Gwinnett County’s “green” point of view.

What is LEED?

LEED is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

Green In Gwinnett Area is a Gwinnett nonprofit located in Suwanee Georgia.

The new BrandsMart Store in Buford, GA is located at:

2918 Buford Dr

Buford, GA 30519-6538

(770) 932-1088

Our Green In Gwinnett Area (GIGA) organization’s mission is to help make Gwinnett County a healthier, more environmentally friendly and socially responsible place to live by becoming a valuable resource for the residents and businesses in our community. This GIGA site is a place to share our passion with others by collecting educational information, and providing a repository for eco-friendly resources and products. Together we can make Gwinnett Greener

–James Chronicle

Green In Gwinnett Area hosts “Suwanee Cinema Under the Stars” June 27th

Green In Gwinnett Area

GIGA

“SUWANEE CINEMA UNDER THE STARS”

Family Movie Night At Suwanee Town Center Park, In The City of Suwanee, GA.

Come join your Gwinnett Community for an evening under the stars with family and friends to celebrate the summer on the green while learning about “green”.  Hosted by GIGA and featuring special guests like the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center.  Saturday June 13th, 27th, and July 11th.  Movies in order are: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Happy Feet, and Wizard of Oz.

Free recycling of computers and office electronics.  Please bring them to the event!

For more information, please email:
Green In Gwinnett

We would like to thank our Main Event Sponsor for making this possible:

Ameriprise Financial at Suwanee Town Center Park

“The Practice of Kevin O’Brien”

We would also like to thank the Board Member of GIGA for their hard work and dedication to the Green In Gwinnett Area “GIGA” organization and events.

GIGA Board of Directors:

James Chronicle – Chairman
james@greeningwinnett.org

Amy Bray
abray@atclawfirm.com
Andersen, Tate, and Carr

Nancy Martin
nancy@greeningwinnett.org
Coca-Cola Company

Tamela Adkins
tamela@greeningwinnett.org
Adkins Law

Lois Martin
lois@loismarketing.com
Lois Martin Marketing

Robert Mendez
rmendez@basisstaffing.com
Basis Staffing

Mark Thompson
mark@greeningwinnett.org
Southtrac

Bill Rosenberg
bill@greeningwinnett.org
Ameriprise Financial

Green In Gwinnett Area – Tesla Roadster 0-60mph in 3.9, 100% Electric! Available Now.

Green In Gwinnett Area GIGA

Ok, so I am a bit of a car freak. That is tough to be and be “green” at the same time. Tesla Motors however has released a car that is 100% electric and can go from 0-60mph in 4.0 seconds. That is about as fast or faster than a Dodge Viper or the quickest of Porsches… I have yet to see one of these electric sustainable supercars in Suwanee, Lawrenceville, Norcross, or anywhere in Gwinnett for that matter. If someone has or knows of someone who has one of these cars, please please let me know… below is a brief overview and press release from Tesla Motors…

James Chronicle – Green In Gwinnett Area GIGA

Tesla to Open Midwest Regional Sales & Service Center in Chicago
Tesla Motors Inc. is opening a Midwest regional sales and service center in Chicago, the first of seven retail facilities the electric vehicle manufacturer plans to launch this year.

The Chicago store — which will open this spring — is at 1053 W. Grand Ave., near the Kennedy Expressway in the River West neighborhood. The site is visible from the Ohio Street off-ramp and offers convenient access from the suburbs and further afield. The location gives prospective customers the opportunity to experience Tesla’s best-in-class performance under a range of driving conditions, including highways and urban streets.

Tesla’s first showrooms opened last summer in Los Angeles and Menlo Park, Calif. After Chicago, Tesla plans to open a store in London, U.K. It is finalizing site selection in Manhattan, Miami and Seattle and is scouting sites in Washington, D.C. and Munich, Germany.

“People in Chicago will soon see how the Tesla retail experience is vastly different from that of a traditional dealership,” said Michael van der Sande, Tesla’s Senior Vice President of Global Sales, Marketing and Service. “Tesla’s cars are unique, and the look and feel of our stores reinforce the close connection we have with our customers.”

Tesla is the only production automaker selling highway-capable EVs in the United States. The Tesla Roadster beats nearly every other car for acceleration yet is twice as energy efficient as a Toyota Prius. With an EPA-estimated range of 244 miles per charge, it costs roughly $4 to refuel and can be completely recharged in as little as 3.5 hours.

The Tesla Roadster has far fewer moving (and breakable) parts and requires less maintenance than an internal combustion engine vehicle. Tesla requests that owners bring in the car – which never needs oil changes or exhaust system tune-ups, among other costly repairs — every 12,000 miles or once a year for a diagnostic check and software upgrade.

Tesla will unveil a prototype sedan March 26. The Model S will be an all-electric, zero-emission four-door with an anticipated base price of $57,400. After a federal tax credit of $7,500, the effective price should be less than $50,000. Because of tax incentives and relatively inexpensive maintenance and refueling, the lifetime ownership cost will be much lower than luxury cars with similar sticker prices.

“Tesla has no intention of being a niche automaker,” said Tesla CEO, Chairman and Product Architect Elon Musk. “The Chicago store will introduce the company to even more people in the United States and position us to launch a more affordable sedan for mainstream drivers.”

About Tesla Motors

San Carlos, Calif.-based Tesla Motors Inc. designs and manufactures electric vehicles with exceptional design, performance and efficiency, while conforming to all North American and European safety, environmental and durability standards. The Roadster, which has a 0-to-60 mph acceleration of 3.9 seconds and a base price of $109,000, is the only highway-capable production EV for sale in North America and Europe. Tesla expects to begin producing the all-electric, zero-emission Model S sedan in late 2011. Please visit http://www.teslamotors.com.

Who owns those organic companies anyways Gwinnett?

Do you know what companies own the organic food lines that you are currently or may be consuming in the future?  Go to the link at the bottom of this article to find out.  You may be surprised!  You are probably buying one or more of these brands currently.  I would be surprised if you aren’t.

Where are the best deals for organic foods in Gwinnett?  Let us know about organic shopping in Suwanee, Lawrenceville, Norcross, Lilburn, Duluth, or whatever part of Gwinnett you are from.  Comment on this blog.

Is eating green always the sustainable way?  Look for more information soon from GIGA Green In Gwinnett Area concerning this topic and many others.

Find GIGA Green In Gwinnett Area on Facebook and Linkedin!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Green-In-Gwinnett-Area-GIGA/31363412243?ref=ts

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=119817&trk=hb_side_g

Thanks

James Chronicle

Click here to see who owns these organic companies:

http://awesome.goodmagazine.com/features/009/009buyingorganic.html