Kennesaw Is a Green City

The Atlanta Regional Commission today recognized Kennesaw and three other metro communities for their ongoing sustainability efforts.

It was the second consecutive year that Kennesaw received "Green Communities certification," a designation that is earned "by implementing practices and policies in 10 categories, ranging from energy efficiency and green building to transportation and water efficiency," the ARC this afternoon said in a news release.

Last year, Kennesaw achieved bronze certification. This year, it received silver status, which is one level higher.

In a statement, the ARC highlighted programs at Smith-Gilbert Gardens and the city's efforts to preserve greenspace.

Kennesaw earned silver certification after being recognized as a Bronze Green Community in 2011. “Gather ‘n’ Grow” plots at Kennesaw’s Smith-Gilbert Gardens are available for residents to cultivate as part of the garden’s 10-week veggie plot class series, an educational program about sustainable and responsible vegetable gardening. The city also supports the work of the Historic Kennesaw Community Garden, which in its first year of operation has sold out of its plots. The city adopted a complete streets policy to assure that roadway projects accommodate all users of the transportation systems, including pedestrians, bicyclists, users of mass transit, people with disabilities, the elderly, motorists, freight providers, emergency responders and adjacent land users. Kennesaw’s Adopt-A-Street Program allows an organization or group to adopt a segment of a city street. The city supplies the necessary refuse bags, safety vests and signage, and collects the trash bags once the pick-up is complete. As an official adopter of the 2000 Cobb County Greenspace Plan, the city has a goal of 20 percent of city land to be permanently protected greenspace and is providing connectivity between the parks and greenspace.

Kennesaw was the only municipality in Cobb County to earn Green Communities certification today. Douglasville, Milton and Gwinnett County rounded out the list of four jurisdictions that received recognition.