[Amy Macon]

Athens has the opportunity to set itself apart from other places in the state by becoming more eco- and health-conscious.

-Add bike lanes and sidewalks throughout the city (especially to/from schools & the square)
-Develop community food forests
-Incentivize businesses to switch from single-use plastic to reusable/compostable materials
-Expand recycling program
-Expand farmers market
-Bring in businesses with environmentally sustainable goals/products or that encourage employee health
-Health Food Store
-Bicycle Shop
-Tool Library (e.g. https://www.torontotoollibrary.com/)
-Composting
-Butcher shop with locally-sourced meat products
-Use alternative energy sources to power street lights/public buildings (e.g. town hall)
-Keep the Grease Festival as an opportunity to “let loose” from healthy living

[Amy Macon]

I would love to see Athens begin a community food forest. This would be a good place to teach gardening skills and healthy eating habits to all age groups, provide volunteer opportunities, while also supplying some fresh produce to our community directly or by harvesting it for the local food pantry. Bloomington, Indiana has employed this concept successfully. Here is their website: https://bloomingtoncommunityorchard.org/site/

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