{"684415":{"#nid":"684415","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Digital Dashboard Helps Everyone Find Accessible Climate Solutions in Georgia","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EElectric vehicles. Rooftop solar. Cycling to work. Knowing where to start when reducing your personal carbon footprint can be daunting. But a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.drawdownga.org\/solutions-tracker\/#solutions-tracker\u0022\u003Enew tool\u003C\/a\u003E from Georgia Tech makes it easier for anyone to figure out how they can help\u0026nbsp;address\u0026nbsp;climate change.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;Drawdown Georgia Solutions Tracker\u0026nbsp;is a digital dashboard that enables everyday Georgians to see how effective various technologies could be for each county. The tracker analyzes public data for 16 solutions \u2014 from planting trees to public transit \u2014 that can lower greenhouse gas emissions. The tracker is equally essential for policymakers and business leaders, enabling them to identify opportunities to propose legislation or adjust operations to reduce carbon emissions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo use the tracker, viewers click on a solution to see its impact. Then, they specify a particular county, and the data is tailored to the most relevant metric. For example, if someone picks \u201cplant-based diet\u201d as a solution, they can see how many vegan restaurants are already in their county. The tracker also contrasts the climate solution with a relevant area that might benefit if the solution is implemented. For the plant-based example, the tracker compares it to urban density.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis tracker is one of the\u0026nbsp;many initiatives of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.drawdownga.org\/\u0022\u003EDrawdown Georgia\u003C\/a\u003E, one of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.raycandersonfoundation.org\/\u0022\u003ERay C. Anderson Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E\u2019s key funding initiatives based on research\u0026nbsp;conducted by Georgia Tech, Georgia State University,\u0026nbsp;the University of Georgia,\u0026nbsp;and Emory University.\u0026nbsp;Drawdown\u0026nbsp;Georgia\u0027s goal is to reduce Georgia\u2019s\u0026nbsp;carbon\u0026nbsp;impact\u0026nbsp;by 57% by 2030 and to accelerate Georgia\u2019s progress toward net-zero greenhouse emissions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDrawdown Georgia also\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/news\/2022\/04\/15\/carbon-tracker-lets-georgians-monitor-emissions\u0022\u003Edeveloped\u003C\/a\u003E a carbon emissions\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.drawdownga.org\/climate-solutions-trackers-and-tools\/ghg-emissions-tracker\/\u0022\u003Etracker\u003C\/a\u003E that shows carbon emission levels by county. The dashboard was a success, but the Drawdown Georgia team wanted to create\u0026nbsp;a more\u0026nbsp;proactive tool. The Solutions Tracker was designed so that anyone\u0026nbsp;could make smalldaily changes to improve the climate \u2014 not just track it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe began the Drawdown Georgia project with the goal of cutting state pollution significantly,\u201d said\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/marilyn-a-brown\u0022\u003EMarilyn Brown\u003C\/a\u003E, Regents\u0027 Professor and the Brook Byers Professor of Sustainable Systems in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/spp.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Public Policy\u003C\/a\u003E. \u0022To get Georgians involved, we decided to focus on local and regional opportunities to reduce emissions.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDrawdown Data\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe data combines federal and state sources from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the Department of Agriculture. Some solutions may seem obvious, like planting trees, but others are more niche. For example, decomposing trash often produces methane gas, which means that landfills contribute to greenhouse gas emissions \u2014 important information for policymakers to consider when developing carbon reduction strategies.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers hope everyone will use the tracker. Politicians and policymakers can find new ideas for legislation or the adoption of these solutions. Business leaders can find opportunities to hit their decarbonization goals. Georgians can use the tracker to figure out which solutions are most sustainable for their lives. Even scientists can learn which methods to home in on for their research. Since the tracker is available via Creative Commons,\u0026nbsp;anyone can use the data to build their own tools or models.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe tracker is already having a real-world impact. Brown and the Drawdown Georgia team\u0026nbsp;have\u0026nbsp;collaborated with the state of Georgia and the 29-county metro Atlanta area on their carbon action plans. They\u2019ve also partnered with 75 businesses\u0026nbsp;on carbon action plans and other solutions\u0026nbsp;through\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.drawdowngabusiness.org\/\u0022\u003EDrawdown Georgia Business Compact\u003C\/a\u003E, managed by the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scheller.gatech.edu\/centers-and-initiatives\/ray-c-anderson-center-for-sustainable-business\/index.html\u0022\u003ERay C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business\u003C\/a\u003E in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scheller.gatech.edu\/index.html\u0022\u003EScheller College of Business\u003C\/a\u003E. As these stakeholders ask questions about different climate solution impacts, the team has expanded the tracker accordingly. They\u2019ve also recently redesigned the user interface to make it even more accessible for everyday users.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFrom improved public health to business opportunities, the state requires reduced greenhouse gases, and Georgia Tech is not only tracking emissions but helping to fix the problem, too.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe climate solutions tracker features a county-by-county breakdown of which technologies could most benefit the environment.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The climate solutions tracker features a county-by-county breakdown of which technologies could most benefit the environment. "}],"uid":"34541","created_gmt":"2025-09-04 18:11:33","changed_gmt":"2025-09-04 18:15:50","author":"Tess Malone","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-09-04T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-09-04T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677911":{"id":"677911","type":"image","title":"Screenshot-2025-09-04-at-1.59.45-PM.png","body":null,"created":"1757009701","gmt_created":"2025-09-04 18:15:01","changed":"1757009701","gmt_changed":"2025-09-04 18:15:01","alt":"Drawdown dashboard","file":{"fid":"261867","name":"Screenshot-2025-09-04-at-1.59.45-PM.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/04\/Screenshot-2025-09-04-at-1.59.45-PM.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/04\/Screenshot-2025-09-04-at-1.59.45-PM.png","mime":"image\/png","size":2581267,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/09\/04\/Screenshot-2025-09-04-at-1.59.45-PM.png?itok=TjGlKbkM"}}},"media_ids":["677911"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"},{"id":"188360","name":"go-bbiss"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETess Malone, Senior Research Writer\/Editor\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003Etess.malone@gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}