Nothing verifies the arrival of a glorious Southern spring like the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, which is now firmly and thankfully back in its rightful Piedmont Park home, following Drought Scare 2007. The estimated 200,000 yearly festival patrons aren't the only ones taking notice of the 'wood.
At a convention and expo in Denver, the Dogwood Festival bagged the prestigious Gold IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Award for the Best Environmental Program. What's more, Dogwood leaders say their Green Event Initiative has earned kudos from festivals around the world. The initiative includes efforts like an onsite Eco-Village (a one-stop classroom for all things sustainability) and simpler measures, like those Girl Scouts who point out which items to pitch, recycle or compost. The 77th incarnation of the festival is coming April 19 to 21.
· We're the "Greenest!" [dogwood.org]
—Josh Green