Lights AND dogs.  They both pollute.  Decatur’s 2010 Strategic Plan Goal 13 addresses both…

Goal 13: Protect and restore natural resources, support environmental health, and increase ecological awareness

Task 13A: Create an urban forest management plan to assess Decatur’s existing tree canopy, recommend strategies for protection, maintenance, and new tree plantings, and revise the city’s tree ordinance.

Task 13B: Create an updated storm water management plan and continue to upgrade the storm water system.

Task 13C: Support educational programs to encourage individual support of environmental sustainability programs such as the Kilowatt Crackdown.

Task 13D: Adopt a long-range maintenance schedule for parks and greenspace to assure that facilities and fields are maintained and repaired, and that greenspace areas and trails are well managed.

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The for-profit, feminist bookstore Charis Books in Little Five Points has been teasing a big announcement for about a week now.  Daren Wang forwards this note from the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance …

Charis Books & More, the for-profit feminist bookstore, and Charis Circle, the store’s nonprofit arm, Atlanta, Ga., are planning to move into a larger location within a year, the Georgia Voice reported. The new location will be called the Charis Feminist Center and may be in Decatur, “where many of Charis’ customers live.” The new center will have a coffee shop, share space with other nonprofits and offer more programming.

To make the move, Charis is putting its current store up for sale and has begun a $1 million capital campaign, whose co-chair is the same woman who “gave Linda Bryant the seed money to open Charis 37 years ago.”

“We’re excited for change and to be in a space that is more accessible to more people,” Charis Books & More co-owner Angela Gabriel told the Voice. “We’ve been discussing and dreaming about this for 10 to 15 years and finally we have the right people on board to make that happen.”

The full article in the GA Voice states that Charis hopes to open its new location to the public about a year from now.

Feel free to use this post to ask questions and make comments about local issues not discussed here over the past week.

Comments close Monday.

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This week’s FFAF is brought to you by The Marlay House…

The Marlay House, Decatur’s authentic Irish-owned pub, is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day all week, in what looks likely to be glorious weather on the patio.

Saturday, March 12:

• The Mobile Marlay Fish-n-Chips Food Truck’s ‘Maiden Voyage’ at the Atlanta St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Atlanta at 12pm.
• Festivities at the pub include: Bagpipers 2 p.m.; Irish dancers 4:30 p.m.; live Irish music 6:30 – 9.30 p.m.; and more pipers, 8.30 p.m.

Tuesday, March 15:

• · World famous Uilleann piper, Paddy Keenan, join our Irish Music performers beginning at 7.30pm p.m. sample him HERE.
  

Wednesday, March 16

• ·St. Patrick’s Eve Irish beer-inspired pairing dinner 2 Beer 2 Food Courses

Thursday, March 17: Everyone is Irish at the Marlay House

• ·Live music, dancers, and a piano performance and sing-a-long to entertain patrons into the wee hours.