Category | Arts & Living

How do your gardens grow? Green.

Published on August 19, 2008 by The Sentinel

    In keeping with its idyllic name, The Gardens at Kennesaw Mountain
is going green.  In an effort to resize its footprint, the four-acre
Marietta facility for corporate and special events recently installed a
1.3-kilowatt solar power system on the roof of its Grand Ballroom.

  Though the system does not produce enough electricity to meet all of the facility’s needs, it will save the equivalent of three barrels of imported oil and 145 gallons of gasoline per year.

    Marc Sommers, who with his mother, Ellie, owns and operates The Gardens, explained that the reason for the movement toward a greener business is a desire to tread lightly—or lighter, at least.  “It’s important to us as an organization that consumes a lot of resources to find ways to lessen our impact on the environment,” he said.  If not properly managed, an event facility may take a high toll on the environment through significant electricity and water use and the generation of waste during the events. 

    The solar panels are only the latest way the Sommers have found to run a sustainable gathering place.  Since taking over The Gardens four years ago, the Sommers have made it a point to incorporate local food into their menu through their catering company, Parsley’s, located in Dunwoody.  As to how he found sources of local food, Sommers said, “We just got out there and knocked on farmers’ barns and really put ourselves out there.”  To keep customers aware of the dishes they may enjoy, the Parsley’s Web site includes a “Local and Organic” section detailing the availability of ingredients and from which local farm they originated.

    In their quest to transform The Gardens into a low-impact event facility, the Sommers also tackled the thorny question of water use. The event facility now has dual flush toilets, waterless urinals and low-flow sinks.

    Sommers stressed the importance of working with local companies as another way The Gardens reduces its  environmental impact.  Soenso of Marietta installed the new solar panel system, and Conex Recycling of Alpharetta manages the facility’s waste.  Sommers offered the use of Conex as an example of a simple step high-impact businesses can take toward sustainability; the recycling company offers a drop-off and pick-up bin service that allows customers to mix aluminum, glass and plastic that might otherwise have been destined for the landfill.

    On the state of green and sustainable business in Georgia, Sommers cited a statistic from the Georgia Green Service Alliance that ranks the state as the top recycler of plastic bottles in the country, thanks in large part to Calhoun-based Mohawk Industries, a manufacturer of residential and commercial flooring.  By its own estimates, Mohawk collects approximately 25 percent of all plastic beverage and food bottles in North America, which it turns into carpet fibers.  “People say Georgia is behind [on sustainability issues],” commented Sommers, “but we’re just new and still need to be exposed to all the good things out there.”

    As for the reactions all the changes to The Gardens at Kennesaw have garnered, Sommers said they have been entirely positive.  His future plans for the facility include a chef’s garden and an energy-efficient on-site kitchen.  “We hope to make these four acres a little piece of paradise up here in West Cobb,” he said.