Those who travel East College Avenue or South Candler Street (including “tiptoe” in the FFAF Comments) may have noticed something interesting this week: Pedestrian islands! Why interesting? Because, while we may think of these thoroughfares in townie-terms like “avenue” and “street,” the Georgia Department of Transportation sees them as highways — 278 and 155 respectively — and, as far as they’re concerned, you don’t go encouraging people to walk across a highway.

In short, they’re not big on context. That’s why getting DOT engineers to make pedestrian-friendly design modifications that favor lower speeds inside our city limits is a tall order. Tall enough that most communities would simply write-off such aspirations as impossible.

Of course, Decatur’s not most communities, and we just so happen to have what it takes to make the seemingly impossible happen: Cooperation and tenacity.

According to Assistant City Manager – Public Works, David Junger, after years of calling, cajoling and kvetching instigated by Decatur resident and Agnes Scott professor Chris DePree, the city began formal efforts to improve both areas about 18 months ago. Multiple meetings and field studies were held, city commissioners lent their support, audacious ideas got tossed around and, to their credit, folks from the DOT kept showing up.

“Always operating by the book,” notes Junger, “but never saying no.”

Finally, concepts were approved and designs drawn up. Now being installed are mid-street islands designed to slow traffic through the perception of narrowed lanes and, in the case of East College Avenue, to provide mid-street refuge for pedestrian crossings. As a result, those crossing College will no longer have to navigate three lanes of moving traffic in one broad motion. Instead, they’ll cross one lane, be allowed to pause, then cross the other.

On top of that, Agnes Scott picked up the tab on a totally groovy, pedestrian-activated, rapid flashing beacon system for both crossings. Walkers press a button, flashing lights scare the bejeesus out of approaching motorists, everyone slows down and nobody dies.

So, what’s it take to get the mighty DOT moving in the right direction? Resident activists, city commissioners and staff, stake-holding partners and a willingness to stick with it. Nice!

What is “green?” Bamboo floors and photovoltaic roof panels? Sleek LEED buildings and EnergyStar appliances? Granola and weed?

That’s something the city’s looking to explore tomorrow by hosting Steve Mouzon, author of “The Original Green,” for a free public lecture at Agnes Scott. (Full disclosure: I helped with some of the organizing.)

Looking back through history, when people lived sustainably not because they chose to but because they had to, Steve offers a compelling alternative to the idea that high-tech solutions are the only path to sustainability.

As he puts it:

“Before the Thermostat Age, the places we built and buildings we built had no choice but to be green. Otherwise people would freeze to death in the winter, die of heat strokes by summer, starve to death, or other really bad things would happen to them. Today, as we are working to re-learn how to live sustainably, much of the focus is on the gadgetry of green: Gizmo Green. This notion that we can simply invent more efficient mechanisms, and throw in some bamboo to boot, is only a small part of real sustainability.”

Instead, Steve looks at the lessons of the past — sustainability practices that evolved, as opposed to being invented — and examines how they might be incorporated into our future.

What wisdom lies in pre-1900 design and building practices? Join us to find out, 11:30am to 2pm, at Agnes Scott’s Evans dining hall. Get lunch upstairs, then bring it downstairs for the lecture.

Green on!

I love bragging about my alma mater and fellow Scotties. And as a ukulele enthusiast, I love bragging about my fellow ukers. As it happens, these two worlds of mine collided in the September issue of Glamour, when Agnes Scott College student Tally Deushane was named one of the magazine’s “Top 10 College Women” for her YouTube-fueled fame. The adorably dorky Tally, a literature/creative writing major, has been writing original songs on her el cheapo ukulele from Amazon, videotaping them in her dorm room, and posting them on YouTube. She writes a lot of songs about television shows, and they are funny.

From the Glamour profile: “She didn’t think anyone would watch, but she started getting thousands of hits from viewers in the U.S., Australia, Germany, Italy, France and Brazil—among them the producers of CBS’s How I Met Your Mother, who included her tune about their show on their season-five DVD.”

Tally, who has her sights set on Tina Fey’s career trajectory, has more than 100 ukulele songs on her YouTube page. Here is the latest, which happens to be my very favorite:

(Note especially that black ring on her left hand!)

Read more here: http://www.glamour.com/magazine/2011/09/top-10-college-women-the-entertainer

What does Decatur mean to Agnes Scott?  (What Agnes Scott means to Decatur is a separate post!)

Here’s one very influential indicator (courtesy of an ASC press release)…

For the second year in a row, the college was No. 10 on Princeton Review’s “Best Quality of Life” ranking. The college also was once again included in the guide’s Best 376 Colleges list.

According to The Princeton Review’s student surveys, Agnes Scott boasts a “great location, gorgeous campus and superb academics.”

Great location?  Thanks Decatur!  And then there’s this other ranking…

No. 12 – Town and gown relations are great (ASC’s fourth consecutive year in the top 10)

Some may scoff at Princeton Reviews rankings, but I recall relying on them quite heavily when I was picking a school to give me a starting point for judging the intangibles of college life.

College Prowler recently released the weirdest ranking of institutions of higher education I have stumbled on in quite some time. According to what I’m sure was a highly scientific survey, it has determined that mine own beloved alma mater, Agnes Scott College, is numero uno in Georgia for “Friendliest Girls,” with a 6.57 ranking out of 7. (Kind of makes you wonder about the other .43, doesn’t it?)

According to the site, “Nothing makes a girl seem nicer than when she’s friendly and approachable. According to students across the U.S., you’ll find those types of girls” at Agnes Scott and the other institutions that topped the list.

ASC just squeaked by Wesleyan’s 6.46 ranking but totally blew all the friendly girls Emory University, at 5.58, out of the water. Huah!

Friendliest? More like baddassiest. (I know that’s not a word.)