While exploring the urban landscape by bike, cruise through our historic city and discover how Atlanta has adopted sustainable practices and innovations that address environmental, economic, and social responsibilities. On this 3-hour, 11-mile experience, you’ll discover why Atlanta is increasingly praised for green building, trees and greenspaces, business vitality, water conservation, land use, innovation, and more. See learning objectives here.
Learning Objectives
- Learn why Atlanta is increasingly applauded for green building, tree canopy, water conservation, land use, innovation, and more.
- Explore beautiful nationally-recognized public parks that are at the cutting edge of watershed management.
- Explore the Kendeda Building, the first building in Georgia and the 28th in the world to earn the Living Building Challenge, the world’s most ambitious and holistic green building achievement.
- See firsthand how a city built with cars in mind can reshape itself to include more active transportation options by riding along protected bike lanes, the Atlanta BeltLine, and through pedestrian-friendly campuses.
- Learn about the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta’s LEED Platinum and TRUE Platinum Zero Waste certified stadium and home of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United.
Bike Options
This tour is best suited for individuals who are active in jogging, biking, hiking, or engaging in routine cardio, as it will make the challenging hills easier to navigate.
If you’re comfortable riding a bike but less comfortable with hills, consider reserving an electric bike. Availability is limited, so act quickly.
For your safety, only rental bicycles are permitted on this tour. You may not participate with a personal bike. Attendees will provide bike sizing information upon registration.
- Geared bike: $25
- Electric bike: $50
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Date and Time: Saturday, November 01, 2025
10:00 am - 1:00 pm -
Location: Bicycle Tours of Atlanta
659 Auburn Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30312 - Credits: 3 LU/HSW
- Provider: AIA Atlanta Committee on the Environment
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The Tour Guide
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Dr. Jairo Garcia
Subject Matter Expert
Bio
Georgia Institute of Technology Office of SustainabilityDr. Jairo GarciaDr. Jairo Garcia is an expert in sustainable urban development, carbon mitigation, and assessments of climate vulnerabilities and resiliency. Dr. Garcia’s main area of research is focused on elements of spatial data analysis for ecological assessments and to identify climate vulnerabilities and climate risk analysis including public health and food systems.
As the former Director of Climate Policies and Renewables with the City of Atlanta, Dr. Garcia developed the first Climate Action Plan and led a coalition of stakeholders to craft the application for Rockefeller’s100 Resilient Cities program, which the City of Atlanta was awarded in 2016. He represented the City of Atlanta at the COP23 Climate Summit of Local and Regional Leaders in Bonn, Germany, and participated as a U.S. Subject Matter Expert for the IPCC pre-scoping Special Report on Climate Change.
Dr. Garcia received the Individual Climate Leadership Award from the EPA in 2017, the Green Ring Award by Former Vice-President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project in 2018, and the Excellence in Climate Leadership Award by the American Public Health Association Center for Climate, Health, and Equity in 2023 for his demonstrated an exceptional commitment to climate change research, communications, and activism.
Dr. Garcia holds an engineering degree, an MSc in Management of Information Technologies from Syracuse University, an MSc in Sustainability Management from Columbia University, and a Doctoral degree in Educational Technology and Sustainability from Pepperdine University. He has held research and academic positions with the Earth Institute at Columbia University, UCLA, and presently teaches classes at Georgia Tech in Sustainable Urban Development, Urban Planning, Global Cities, Sustainable Systems, and Climate Change Policies.