Atlanta City Councilmember Aaron Watson is taking his community-wide initiative, Living Smarter, to the airwaves. On June 3, 2011 he launched the TV series “Living Smarter with Aaron Watson” on ATL 26—the city of Atlanta’s public access station.
The series’ first segment features recycling in Atlanta. Watson tours a local recycling facility that processes curbside recyclables. He also talks with an Atlantan who is committed to recycling. The three-minute segment is broadcast daily in rotation with City Council meetings and public affairs programming on ATL 26.
The Living Smarter show profiles Atlantans and organizations that are involved in helping the city become a more physically active, healthy and eco-friendly place in which to live. In July, the show will focus on “Growing local…Eating healthy.” Watson will tour one of Atlanta’s farmers markets and talk with the East Atlanta Village and Grant Park Farmers market managers and a local farmer from the Brown Middle School and Patchwork Gardens.
Watson’s Living Smarter initiative was created in March to energize and engage citizens in making Atlanta a more active, healthier and safer place to live and work. He started by inviting Atlantans to get more active and join him on a series of bike rides.
The Bike Ride series took cyclists to neighborhoods across the city. They made stops at local farmers markets and a community garden to foster growing fruits and vegetables and using them to make healthy meals.
Conducted in partnership with the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition (ABC), the Bike Ride Series enlisted youth from area high schools as well as more veteran cyclists. The Atlanta Police Department’s Bike Patrol has been an enthusiastic escort detail for all of the Watson Bike Rides.
Councilmember Watson introduced the Living Smarter initiative following a series of conversations with Atlantans over the past year. “I have learned that many of us share the same sentiment for our city,” Watson said. “Through the Bike Ride series and the new television show -- I want to energize citizens to think, move and connect with others to achieve this goal of Living Smarter collectively.”
This fall, Watson anticipates expanding the show to a half-hour as he and partners in the Living Smarter movement unveil additional activities to engage citizens in healthier lifestyles. In addition to the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, those partners include Sodexo with Jackmount Hospitality, Lanier Parking, and AM1690.
Check out the June show on recycling at ATL 26.