Open Door Community » News Releases

The Open Door Is Going Green!

heather — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:05:49 +0000

In an effort to be good stewards of our resources, responsible citizens of Atlanta and the world, The Open Door Community has engaged in the process of making our operations as green as possible. At the same time, the difficult decision was made to provide a “cooling zone” for our guests and volunteers in the dining room, kitchen and (for other reasons) the office. The challenge is to add air conditioning and still either hold steady or, ideally, reduce our utility bills.

In order to proceed responsibly in this effort, we first had an energy audit performed by Southface Energy Institute. Their audit produced a list of specific recommendations, which we immediately began implementing. The air conditioning has been installed, and all of the light bulbs at both 910 and Dayspring Farm have been replaced with either compact fluorescent or LCD bulbs. We have also gone entirely to low-flow water fixtures and installed plexiglass insulation to eliminate heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. We have taken several measures to reduce heat gain in the kitchen and are looking at a new stove that will not pour heat into the kitchen and waste gas by constantly-burning pilot lights.

To assist us in these efforts, The Open Door Community received a grant from the Community Partnerships Committee of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. The Community Foundation works directly with donors and their families to educate them about issues in the community and support their personal philanthropic goals. The foundation also provides support to nonprofits through grants and guidance to help them better serve those in need. For more information about the Foundation’s programs and initiatives, visit www.cfgreateratlanta.org.

The specific program involved is the Grants to Green program. Grants to Green is a collaborative partnership between The Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta, Southface and Enterprise Community Partners. Launched earlier this year, Grants to Green provides knowledge and funding to nonprofits to help green their building structures and become more environmentally sustainable. By participating in Grants to Green, nonprofits can not only save more on operational expenses in the long-term, but they can also dedicate those saved dollars to better meet their mission. More information about Grants to Green can be found on the individual partners’ websites at www.cfgreateratlanta.org, www.southface.org and www.enterprisecommunity.org.

July 2010 Hospitality Available Online

calvin — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:40:38 +0000

The July issue of Hospitality can be accessed here. To view back issues of Hospitality, click here.

We need a farmer or two!

Kyle Lambelet — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:07:22 +0000

The Open Door Community of Atlanta has a small, underused farm, and is looking for a couple of persons to live at it (an 88 mile drive from Open Door Community) and help develop it with them as a big garden as part of the green revolution. If you are interested please email Eduard Loring: edloring@opendoorcommunity.org!.

2010 Fast for Justice in Washington D.C.

heather — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:05:35 +0000

On January 11, the eight year mark of the opening of detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, over 100 people including Chuck Harris of the Open Door Community began an 12-day fast and vigil in Washington D.C. to demand the closing of Guantanamo and an end to torture. Click here to view a flyer about the fast and vigil.

November-December 2009 Hospitality Available Online

calvin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:02:00 +0000

The November-December 2009 issue of Hospitality can be accessed here. To view back issues of Hospitality, click here.

We remember Curtis Osborne

Kyle Lambelet — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:57:34 +0000

Curtis Osborne was executed by the State of Georgia on June 4, 2008. View this film documenting the racism of Curtis’ public defender, who did not tell Curtis that the prosecution had offered a life sentence if Curtis would plead guilty. This film was presented to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole in an appeal for mercy prior to Curtis’ execution.

(This film and link are provided by the Death Penalty Information Center, www.deathpenaltyinfo.org.)