Local Hero
Livinggreenpage's
Peggy Whitlow Ratcliffe

When Peggy Whitlow Ratcliffe's mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Peggy dedicated her time and effort to care for her beloved mother. After her mother suffered complications from an adverse reaction to chemicals used by her dry cleaner, Peggy scoured the Atlanta area for a non-chemical dry cleaning service. What Peggy found was disheartening.

Peggy could not find a dry cleaner that participated in non-chemical dry-cleaning. Finally settling on a place outside of Atlanta, Peggy began to wonder... was it really this hard to find environmentally friendly resources like dry cleaners, restaurants, etc. in Atlanta? Hence, livinggreenpages.com, an all-inclusive resource guide of environmental businesses.

Beginning February 2009, livinggreenpage's executive director Ratcliff's first mission was to promote recycling. On earth day 2009, she hosted a recycling event. The response was overwhelming-almost 400 people turned up to recycle their items.

Afterwards, one common question she received from participants was how to dispose of their hazardous waste. Making this her next mission, Peggy pled for help in putting together a hazardous waste collection. Due to the cost, it took her almost a year to convince someone to fund it. City Council Member Carla Smith decided to step up to the plate as last September Peggy hosted the first hazardous waste collection. The event was again successful as she received electronics, medicines, paint, pesticide, herbicide, and even a bucket full of mercury.

As for this year, joining Peggy's team are Howard Shook and Yolanda Adrean, both Buckhead City Council Members who have lent their support to "Liveable Buckhead". "Liveable Buckhead" is an event that will take place March 25th and 26th. This event will offer businesses in Buckhead document shredding, paper collection, electronic recycling, and printer and cartridge recycling. Saturday the 26th, in addition to these services, a household collection will be offered to Buckhead residents.

An Atlanta native, Ratcliffe was inspired to create these events because she believes people need to be educated about the environment. She thinks that there is so much that needs to be done in our own city. She tells people that they can take small steps, such as recycling their plastic bags, and make huge differences.

Peggy's next goal is Livethrive, a website to be launched in late January, that "empowers all people to come together, sharing and exchanging ideas, opportunities and resources to make a positive, healthy change to their community's environment."

If she could say one thing about the environment, it would be: take care of it!