Athens Land Trust Expands Energy Efficiency and Community Revitalization with Drawdown Georgia Grant
Members of a Georgia-based philanthropic collaborative recently stopped by the Athens Land Trust (ALT) as part of a statewide tour highlighting Drawdown Georgia Climate Solutions & Equity Grant recipients. In 2023–24, ALT was awarded a two-year, $200,000 grant to enhance energy efficiency and expand workforce development programs in historically underinvested neighborhoods across Athens-Clarke County, Georgia.
The Athens Energy Opportunity Project builds upon two of ALT’s cornerstone initiatives launched in the Historic West Broad community: the West Broad Neighborhood Sustainability Project and the Young Urban Builders (YUB) workforce training program.
The West Broad Neighborhood Sustainability Project tackles barriers faced by low-income and historically marginalized residents in accessing energy-efficient technologies, weatherization programs, and renewable energy solutions. By pairing these efforts with community capacity building, ALT has empowered residents to take leadership roles in implementing and managing sustainability initiatives within their own neighborhoods. Through collaboration with YUB, these projects have also created career pathways for local youth in sustainable construction, energy efficiency, and solar energy.
In 2024, with support from the Drawdown Georgia grant, ALT expanded the West Broad initiative into North Athens and East Athens.
Young Urban Builders (YUB) is a paid training program for Athens youth ages 16 to 25, launched in 2018 to address youth unemployment while rehabilitating homes for owner-occupants. The program provides hands-on experience in construction and community revitalization projects, helping participants gain practical job skills while improving their neighborhoods.
Through its broader mission, ALT ensures permanent land protection and develops affordable housing opportunities, enabling first-time homebuyers from disinvested areas to achieve homeownership. This effort also helps preserve the social and cultural fabric of communities in West Broad, North Athens, and East Athens, countering trends of gentrification and displacement.
Homebuyers working with ALT not only gain access to affordable, energy-efficient EarthCraft-certified homes, but are also encouraged to become advocates and mentors within their neighborhoods—sharing knowledge and promoting collective action. These homes, designed with comfort, efficiency, and style in mind, are made affordable through careful coordination of federal, state, and local grants and rebates, allowing buyers to purchase quality homes at a fraction of their true cost.
ALT’s work also extends to existing homes, where the organization provides energy-efficiency retrofits and weatherization upgrades. However, during these projects, ALT found that many older homes required extensive repairs—such as roof replacements, structural fixes, or mold and asbestos remediation—beyond what their weatherization budget could cover.
The Drawdown Georgia Climate Solutions & Equity Grant bridged this funding gap by enabling ALT and its contractors to make crucial health and safety repairs before weatherization work. This funding has often made the difference between families keeping their homes or losing them. Typical repairs include fixing flooding issues, rotting beams, holes in roofs and floors, and adding accessibility features like ramps or central HVAC systems where none existed before.
Community Farming in the Heart of Athens
Beyond housing, ALT manages community agriculture initiatives within the city. One example is Williams Farm, a property permanently protected through a conservation easement. When the Williams family ceased farming operations, they entrusted ALT to transform it into a community farm. Managed by ALT staff and supported by the Young Urban Farmers (YUF) program and community volunteers, the farm produced over 9,000 pounds of fresh produce in 2024, benefiting more than 40 food-insecure families identified through local elementary schools.
Looking Ahead
ALT continues to face challenges as development pressures grow around Athens’ legacy neighborhoods. With federal funding expected to tighten, the organization is actively pursuing new funding sources from private foundations, corporations, and individual donors. Given the rising frequency of extreme weather events and the aging housing stock in its service areas, ALT anticipates an increasing need for electrical system upgrades, HVAC installations, and weatherization work to protect residents from heat, storms, and flooding.
The Drawdown Georgia Climate Solutions & Equity Grant was made possible through the support of several philanthropic partners, including The Kendeda Fund, The R. Howard Dobbs, Jr. Foundation and its Dobbs Fund, The Ray C. Anderson Foundation, The Sapelo Foundation, and The Wilbur & Hilda Glenn Family Foundation.
To learn more about the project’s impact, you can read about former U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s 2023 visit to the West Broad community, where she met Bennie Tillman, an ALT Community Advisory Board member and long-time resident who benefited from home repairs and upgrades funded through the Drawdown Georgia grant.
The Athens Energy Opportunity Project builds upon two of ALT’s cornerstone initiatives launched in the Historic West Broad community: the West Broad Neighborhood Sustainability Project and the Young Urban Builders (YUB) workforce training program.
The West Broad Neighborhood Sustainability Project tackles barriers faced by low-income and historically marginalized residents in accessing energy-efficient technologies, weatherization programs, and renewable energy solutions. By pairing these efforts with community capacity building, ALT has empowered residents to take leadership roles in implementing and managing sustainability initiatives within their own neighborhoods. Through collaboration with YUB, these projects have also created career pathways for local youth in sustainable construction, energy efficiency, and solar energy.
In 2024, with support from the Drawdown Georgia grant, ALT expanded the West Broad initiative into North Athens and East Athens.
Young Urban Builders (YUB) is a paid training program for Athens youth ages 16 to 25, launched in 2018 to address youth unemployment while rehabilitating homes for owner-occupants. The program provides hands-on experience in construction and community revitalization projects, helping participants gain practical job skills while improving their neighborhoods.
Through its broader mission, ALT ensures permanent land protection and develops affordable housing opportunities, enabling first-time homebuyers from disinvested areas to achieve homeownership. This effort also helps preserve the social and cultural fabric of communities in West Broad, North Athens, and East Athens, countering trends of gentrification and displacement.
Homebuyers working with ALT not only gain access to affordable, energy-efficient EarthCraft-certified homes, but are also encouraged to become advocates and mentors within their neighborhoods—sharing knowledge and promoting collective action. These homes, designed with comfort, efficiency, and style in mind, are made affordable through careful coordination of federal, state, and local grants and rebates, allowing buyers to purchase quality homes at a fraction of their true cost.
ALT’s work also extends to existing homes, where the organization provides energy-efficiency retrofits and weatherization upgrades. However, during these projects, ALT found that many older homes required extensive repairs—such as roof replacements, structural fixes, or mold and asbestos remediation—beyond what their weatherization budget could cover.
The Drawdown Georgia Climate Solutions & Equity Grant bridged this funding gap by enabling ALT and its contractors to make crucial health and safety repairs before weatherization work. This funding has often made the difference between families keeping their homes or losing them. Typical repairs include fixing flooding issues, rotting beams, holes in roofs and floors, and adding accessibility features like ramps or central HVAC systems where none existed before.
Community Farming in the Heart of Athens
Beyond housing, ALT manages community agriculture initiatives within the city. One example is Williams Farm, a property permanently protected through a conservation easement. When the Williams family ceased farming operations, they entrusted ALT to transform it into a community farm. Managed by ALT staff and supported by the Young Urban Farmers (YUF) program and community volunteers, the farm produced over 9,000 pounds of fresh produce in 2024, benefiting more than 40 food-insecure families identified through local elementary schools.
Looking Ahead
ALT continues to face challenges as development pressures grow around Athens’ legacy neighborhoods. With federal funding expected to tighten, the organization is actively pursuing new funding sources from private foundations, corporations, and individual donors. Given the rising frequency of extreme weather events and the aging housing stock in its service areas, ALT anticipates an increasing need for electrical system upgrades, HVAC installations, and weatherization work to protect residents from heat, storms, and flooding.
The Drawdown Georgia Climate Solutions & Equity Grant was made possible through the support of several philanthropic partners, including The Kendeda Fund, The R. Howard Dobbs, Jr. Foundation and its Dobbs Fund, The Ray C. Anderson Foundation, The Sapelo Foundation, and The Wilbur & Hilda Glenn Family Foundation.
To learn more about the project’s impact, you can read about former U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s 2023 visit to the West Broad community, where she met Bennie Tillman, an ALT Community Advisory Board member and long-time resident who benefited from home repairs and upgrades funded through the Drawdown Georgia grant.
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