RCE Greater Atlanta - 2023

RCE Greater Atlanta Newsletter
Basic Information
Title of project : 
RCE Greater Atlanta Newsletter
Submitting RCE: 
RCE Greater Atlanta
Contributing organization(s) : 
The full list is much longer, but some of the organizations that promote their individual events through the RCE Greater Atlanta newsletter are USGBC Georgia, Drawdown Georgia, HDDC, and Emory University.
Focal point(s) and affiliation(s)
Name: 
Claire Horn
Organizational Affiliation: 
Marketing and Communications Lead, RCE Greater Atlanta
E-mail: 
chorn.comms@gmail.com
Format of project: 
Email newsletter
Language of project: 
English
Date of submission:
Thursday, August 3, 2023
Web link: 
https://rcega.org/news
Does this project link to any education and/or sustainable development policy or policies?: 
No
Geographical & Education Information
Region: 
Americas
Country: 
United States
Location(s): 
Greater Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Address of focal point institution for project: 
Center for Sustainable Communities Research and Education, Georgia Institute of Technology
Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems, 760 Spring Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30308
Ecosystem(s):
Urban/Peri-urban
Target Audience:
Community, Higher, Teacher Ed., Youth (Informal)
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area : 
Atlanta is currently a city riddled with wealth and income inequality. Many residents of color, especially children and youth, are being left behind. 80% of Atlanta’s African-American children live in communities with high concentrations of poverty, while only 6% of their white peers do. Histories of segregated housing markets, schools, and zoning have led to unequal opportunities in housing and education for marginalized residents.

Rapid development in Atlanta affects not only the social condition, but the environmental condition as well. Fast development can take away from the natural environment, reduce tree coverage, and cause more pollution, flooding, and soil erosion.
Description of sustainable development challenge(s) in the area the project addresses: 
The RCE Greater Atlanta newsletter supports our partners that do important groundwork in sustainability, like advocating for greener building practices, preserving local culture, or fighting rampant gentrification.

Lack of proper partnerships is also a challenge to sustainable development in Atlanta that the newsletter addresses by strengthening the local sustainability network and encouraging collaboration.
Contents
Status: 
Ongoing
Period: 
October, 2019
Rationale: 
The purpose of the newsletter is to keep RCE members up to date about events happening in the network and projects that other members are working on. This fosters communication and encourages members to participate in more opportunities that are available to them. It also maintains communication between members and allows for exchange of information and opportunities for collaboration.
Objectives: 
Each issue includes updates on important events and highlights the projects of network members. It includes Calls for Participation, Opportunities, and Resources. “Calls for Participation” are events happening in the community that members can attend. “Opportunities” are current jobs openings that may be relevant to members. “Resources” are more resources for members to learn more about RCE Greater Atlanta or get connected to the network.
Activities and/or practices employed: 
The RCE newsletter is sent out each month. Content is sourced from the RCE Google Group, but RCE Members can also send projects, events, and stories to include. A consistent style is used for the newsletter.
Size of academic audience: 
The RCE newsletter is sent to a group of 561 recipients.
Results: 
The newsletter updates members about events and opportunities every month, allowing members to remain connected to the network and encourage them to get more involved in opportunities. It also allows for members to share information about important events to the network and serves as a reminder about upcoming deadlines.
Lessons learned: 
One of the lessons learned is how to best reach our audience and the RCE Greater Atlanta network. We have learned what platforms for sending campaigns work best to engage people, and what opportunities they would like to learn about, always welcoming feedback from RCE members. We do still have challenges with reaching our full audience, and are trying to find ways to get engagement and open rates up. Changing the content of the newsletter may not increase open rates, but this may be an opportunity to revamp the membership function of RCE Greater Atlanta, and cross-promote the newsletter.
Key messages: 
The newsletter is a crucial method for sharing and delivering important information within the network. It helps the network remain connected and up to date about important events and highlights projects of network members so members can see the work that everyone is doing within the network.
Relationship to other RCE activities: 
The newsletter shares information about other RCE activities. One example is the upcoming RCE Americas conference, hosted by our RCE in Atlanta. The newsletter gives updates on registration status, shares the agenda, calls for help in planning, and calls for presentation submissions for the conference.
Funding: 
There is not relevant funding information, as contributions are largely made by volunteers.
References and reference materials: 
PDF icon RCE Newsletter July 2023.pdf
PDF icon RCE Newsletter May 2023.pdf
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) and other themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 
Direct
SDG 11 - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 
Indirect
SDG 17 - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development 
Direct
Theme
Arts 
Indirect
ESD for 2030-Priority Action Areas
Priority Action Area 4 - Mobilizing youth 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 5 - Accelerating sustainable solutions at local level 
state: 
Indirect
Update: 
No
I acknowledge the above: 
Yes