While federal climate funding shrinks, Metro Atlanta shows up
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2026
As Federal Climate Funding Retreats, Metro Atlanta Communities Show Up
My Green Earth and Root Local Celebrate Four Years of Local Climate Action and Invite the Community to Join the Movement at the 5th Annual Climate & Cocktails Happy Hour
METRO ATLANTA, Georgia. June 26, 2026 – While federal investment in environmental programs is shrinking, two Metro Atlanta nonprofits are showing that meaningful climate action doesn’t wait for Washington. My Green Earth (MGE) and Root Local have each spent more than four years leading community-driven environmental impact. This July, they're inviting the public to celebrate, connect, and recommit at the 5th Annual Climate & Cocktails Happy Hour on July 23 at El Azteca Perimeter in Sandy Springs.
Local Work, Real Results: What Four-Plus Years of Grassroots Action Looks Like
Since their founding, MGE and Root Local have each carved out distinct and complementary roles in Metro Atlanta's sustainability landscape, and together, they represent what collective impact can accomplish when organizations work toward a common goal.
My Green Earth brings sustainability into the places people live, learn, and gather. Through K-12 programming that reaches Title 1 schools and Spanish-speaking families, community food forests and gardens in underinvested neighborhoods, and engagement programs that work with congregations and local businesses, MGE has spent four years making environmentally responsible living accessible to people who don't always see themselves reflected in the sustainability movement. Recent milestones include the Mableton food forest developed in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, the inaugural Hummingbird Festival in the City of Austell, and a professional clothing drive in partnership with Cox Enterprises that diverted more than 300 garments from landfills while supporting students at Spelman and Morehouse Colleges.
Root Local has spent those same years building the connective tissue of Metro Atlanta's green economy. As the region's environmental collective impact backbone organization, Root Local brings together residents, businesses, and ideas across six focus areas: sustainable products, air, water and land, food waste, green buildings and infrastructure, and green transportation. Through EMMA, their Eco-Map of vetted sustainable businesses, Root Local has made it easier for Atlantans to make greener choices in their everyday lives.
Climate Action at the Local Level Has Never Mattered More
With national climate programs facing cuts and rollbacks, cities and neighborhoods are increasingly on their own to protect the environment and build resilience. It is becoming increasingly clear that when communities invest in green infrastructure, sustainability education, and civic engagement, the results are measurable: cleaner air, cooler streets, stronger food systems, and residents who feel more connected to each other and to the natural world.
What's harder to measure is what happens when people show up for each other around a shared set of values. Community belonging is a climate strategy. When people feel rooted in a place and responsible to their neighbors, they make different choices. That's what Climate & Cocktails is built on, and it's why this event has become a fixture of Metro Atlanta's sustainability calendar for five years running.
Plastic Free July: Show Up, Bring Something Back
This year's Climate & Cocktails falls during Plastic Free July, the global movement challenging people to refuse single-use plastics for the month. MGE and Root Local are marking the occasion with a simple, practical ask: bring your used plastic planting pots to the event.
Rather than landfilling those containers, donate them to local growers who will put them back to work, including Woodlands Garden (www.woodlandsgarden.org) and Wylde Center (www.wyldecenter.org), two Metro Atlanta organizations dedicated to connecting people with nature through urban green spaces, hands-on education, and community gardening programs.
About the 5th Annual Climate & Cocktails Happy Hour
This free evening brings together people throughout Metro Atlanta who care about where things are headed and want to be part of the solution. Attendees will enjoy:
On-site sustainability experts covering native and invasive plants, recycling and composting, sustainable landscaping, walkable cities, housing density, green schools, gardening, clean energy, and more.
Delicious vegetarian eats available for purchase
Exciting giveaway prizes
A welcoming, energetic atmosphere to connect with neighbors who share your values
Date: Thursday, July 23, 2026
Time: 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM EDT
Location: El Azteca Perimeter, 6115 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd., Sandy Springs, Georgia 30328
Cost: Free and open to the public
Register today at https://mygreenearth.org/events
About My Green Earth
My Green Earth is a Metro Atlanta-based nonprofit with a mission to inspire and empower individuals to live more sustainably. Through School Impact, Roots of Resilience, and Community Engagement programs, MGE brings sustainability education and community building to schools, neighborhoods, and businesses across the region. MGE is guided by a vision of environmental equity and accessible sustainable living for all. Learn more at www.mygreenearth.org.
About Root Local
Root Local is a leading advocate for sustainable living in Metro Atlanta. With their Eco-Map of Metro Atlanta, or EMMA, platform and through educational, collective impact events, they are providing opportunities to learn, grow, and lower the carbon footprint of all Atlantans and beyond. For more information about Root Local, please visit www.rootlocal.org.
Media Contacts:
Bethany Mashini, bethany@mygreenearth.org
Lee Dalton, lee@rootlocal.org
