{"id":7233,"date":"2017-06-12T13:39:54","date_gmt":"2017-06-12T17:39:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.atl.com\/?p=7233"},"modified":"2017-06-13T11:01:34","modified_gmt":"2017-06-13T15:01:34","slug":"atl-delta-environmental-group-seek-to-change-the-course-of-waterways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.atl.com\/atl\/atl-delta-environmental-group-seek-to-change-the-course-of-waterways\/","title":{"rendered":"ATL, Delta, environmental group seek to change the course of waterways"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Airport General Manager Roosevelt Council, Jr., Director of Asset Management and Sustainability Michael Cheyne, and dignitaries from Bonneville Environmental Foundation and Delta Air Lines perform a ribbon-cutting at the Change the Course press conference Wednesday, June 7. \u00a9 Delta Air Lines<\/p><\/div>\n

By\u00a0Rachel Deloach
\nOffice of Public Affairs\u00a0Intern<\/em><\/b><\/p>\n

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Representatives from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Delta Air Lines and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation gathered Wednesday, June 7 to launch Change the Course, an initiative that aims to restore 30 million gallons water to Georgia\u2019s ecosystem over the next year.<\/p>\n

The campaign, which kicked off as part of press conference in the Domestic Terminal atrium, seeks to educate and raise awareness to support the health and vitality of the state\u2019s waterways. That includes the Flint River, which flows underneath the world\u2019s busiest airport.<\/p>\n

The river is a vital resource for agriculture, manufacturing and wildlife. But stormwater runoff, pollution and drought conditions have taken a toll on the animal population and diminished economic opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis Airport is taking steps to address these concerns through our sustainability initiatives \u2014 part of a broader effort to become one of the greenest airports in the world,\u201d said Airport General Manager Roosevelt Council, Jr.<\/p>\n

Council was joined Wednesday by John Laughter, senior vice president for Delta Air Lines; Calvin Farr, assistant commissioner with the Department of Watershed Management; Stephanie Stuckey, chief resilience officer with the City of Atlanta; and Val Fishman, chief development officer with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation.<\/p>\n

Hartsfield-Jackson and Delta are two of the 38 corporate sponsors that support Change the Course. Together, these sponsors will help replenish more than 8 billion gallons of water.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis partnership with our hometown airport to provide a clean source of water in the region will benefit the customers who live and work here, and beyond, while fostering long-lasting environmental stewardship,\u201d Laughter said.<\/p>\n

Every person who texts “ATL” to 474747 or refills a water bottle at a specially marked station will help restore 1,000 gallons of water.<\/p>\n

As of June 8, Airport officials said, more than 1.4 million gallons of water have been restored just from text messaging.<\/p>\n

Change the Course corporate sponsors support 35 restoration projects across 11 states and Mexico, but the movement is far from over.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur human story over the coming decades … is being written every day by the choices we make about how we use, manage, value and think about freshwater,\u201d Fishman said.<\/p>\n

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