Hi! My name is Sherryn Lo, currently a freshman at Oxford College of Emory University. I’m an Oxford Service Leader, helping Sustainable Newton out wherever support is needed. I got to learn about the organization and its different committees, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to see how much thought and care go into making Newton County a more sustainable place to live. I wanted to use this post to share a little about who I am, where I’m from, and why sustainability matters to me!

I grew up in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, a coastal city that feels alive all the time, from early morning to late at night. Going around the city, you can see tree-lined streets run alongside busy roads, and it’s normal to see parks, public bikes, night markets, and apartment buildings all sharing the same space. The weather is very warm most of the year, so people spend a lot of time outside. We love walking, eating, talking, and just being around each other. The city is very lively; neighborhoods feel close, and daily life happens in public and shared spaces. Growing up there made me used to paying attention to my surroundings and the people around me, because everything, such as nature, city life, and community, all exist side by side.

This time of year, thoughts turn naturally to what to make of the new year ahead.  But perhaps I'm not the only one still struggling with what to make of the year just passed?  Has it really even passed?

It's been a tough 12 months for those of us committed to forging concern about the climate crisis into productive climate action.  It's not that we aren't making progress -- the trend lines and momentum on the clean energy transition are extremely positive.  But across the climate movement, we've been buffeted and battered by political headwinds emanating from Washington, DC, making every ounce of progress hard-earned.

Yet, I have faith the market advantages of clean energy (faster & cheaper than fossil fuels) and electric vehicles (beloved by their owners) will prevail.  Where our future feels less certain and our anxiety most intense is locally -- where a proliferation of data center projects stand poised to erase much of the progress our state and local community have made on improving air quality, reducing climate pollution, conserving water, and controlling growth.  The energy, water, and land demands of explosive AI data center growth are one of the biggest issues of our time, and we can't simply turn the page to a clean start.  Indeed, we've spent the closing days of 2025 joining other concerned organizations to inject some reasonableness into data center plans, while our Environmental Hazards Committee is working to surface all of the potential projects and assess the community risks of each.

All of this has me thinking not about new resolutions for 2026, but instead about an old resolution adopted -- but never fully operationalized -- by the Covington City Council for Earth Day in April of 2020.  First a little background, and then I'll explain the connection to our current data center crossroads in Covington and Newton County...

This Saturday, June 21, is "Show Your Stripes Day" -- an annual, global event calling attention to our changing climate and the urgent need for action to slow global warming.  The "warming stripes" were developed in 2018 by climate scientist Professor Ed Hawkins at the University of Reading in England, who has published a new edition every year since.  Each stripe represents the average global temperature for one year, going back to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in 1850. The colors transition from cool blues to warm reds to reflect the increases in average temperatures experienced over time.  Darker reds are the warmest, while darker blues are coolest.

In the video below, Climate Central meteorologist Shel Winkley explains the warming stripes and describes how they depict in a visual manner the warming of our planet, a particular country, or a specific city.  As he says, "These warming stripes turn climate science into art, helping to spark conversations about climate change's impact to the places we love."​

Recycling everyday consumable materials such as cardboard, paper, plastic, aluminum, and glass isn’t only great for the environment. It also helps bolster the economy by creating well-paying jobs throughout the entire resource conservation value chain. In fact, companies in Georgia are trailblazing the future of recycling in the US with the help of The Center of Innovation Energy Technology, which is a division of the state government that provides industry expertise and connections to all types of Georgia businesses who are looking to strengthen the state’s sustainability ecosystem. According to the Georgia Center of Innovation’s website focused on recycling and sustainability:

Thinking about climate solutions, no technology comes to mind quicker than electric vehicles.  And for good reason.  We’re seeing more EVs on our roads, and charging stations are popping up in parking lots in larger cities -- and even in towns like Covington.
 
But there's a larger reason transportation solutions are a big deal these days.  Nationwide,  vehicles moving people, freight, and goods contribute 29% of the total greenhouse gas emissions entering our atmosphere each year to warm our planet.  Thanks to researchers with the non-profit Drawdown Georgia, our state is blessed with robust data on emissions in Georgia and the most effective solutions to lower them here.  That data shows transportation emissions represent

• 41% of  total emissions statewide and
• 53% right here in Newton County.

"Brighten the corner where you are."

It's a line Ray Anderson internalized from Sunday school as a boy, and he used it often to lift up those around him and inspire them to make a difference.  Even though cancer took Ray from his family and his life's work in 2011, that same spirit was ever-present for those of us who assembled Sunday for the Ray C. Anderson Foundation's RayDay celebration at Serenbe.

On Tuesday, November 7, voters in the cities of Covington and Porterdale will elect new mayors and fill multiple city council seats.  Advanced in person absentee voting starts Monday, October 16.  To help you make informed choices, we asked candidates in each contested race to respond to five questions about sustainability.

We're sharing the answers we received below and noting which candidates did not respond.  We encourage you to consider this information before casting your ballot.