Live Well and Thrive: How Small Actions Create Big Impact
Sep 16, 2025 11:45 AM
Peggy Ratcliffe, Director, Live Thrive
Live Well and Thrive: How Small Actions Create Big Impact
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON. Registration closes THURSDAY, 9/11 at Noon.
To View on Zoom: Click Here.
Peggy Whitlow Ratcliffe is the Founder and Executive Director of Live Thrive, an Atlanta-based nonprofit dedicated to creating healthier communities and a cleaner environment through education and responsible material management. She launched Live Thrive in 2010 and, five years later, opened the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM) in Atlanta — the city’s first permanent drop-off facility for both traditional recyclables and hard-to-recycle or hazardous materials.
Under her leadership, CHaRM has grown to two locations, with a third planned for 2026, and has diverted millions of pounds of waste from local landfills and waterways. In 2024 alone, CHaRM processed more than 5.7 million pounds of materials and welcomed over 120,000 visitors. Live Thrive also leads community programs like the Corporate + Community Challenge, STE(A)M Grant Program, Kids Day, as well as expanded multifamily and school-based recycling initiatives.
Peggy’s vision for CHaRM was inspired by a personal experience — sorting through her parents’ home and realizing how many everyday items could be reused or needed safe disposal. This sparked a series of grassroots recycling events, which ultimately led to Live Thrive’s founding and its first citywide hazardous waste collection in partnership with the City of Atlanta.
Her leadership and environmental impact have earned numerous awards, including the GA Recycling Coalition’s Spirit of Green Award (2024), Southeast Recycling Development Council’s Non-Profit Recycling Champion (2023), U.S. Green Building Council’s Women to Watch (2020), and the Georgia Water Coalition’s Clean 13 Award (2020).
INTRODUCTION: Donna Barwick
INVOCATION: Dan Israel