Q: Why have the lights on the “king” and “queen” buildings been green? They are usually pink for [the fight against] breast cancer and then go to white most of the time. Why green and why for so long?

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Q: Why have the lights on the “king” and “queen” buildings been green? They are usually pink for [the fight against] breast cancer and then go to white most of the time. Why green and why for so long?

— Anita Mullins, Milton

A: The green lights on the Perimeter area towers are part of an effort to reduce unnecessary waste, said David Shope with Cousins Properties, which manages the Concourse Corporate Center. “The green lighting on the towers is symbolic of this effort, much as our pink crowns in the spring are a way to show our support for breast cancer awareness,” he said. “While showing our support for recycling by lighting the towers in green, we were able to reduce the number of fixtures burning all night.”

Other efforts include replacing existing fixtures with higher efficiency ones and recycling nearly 50 percent of trash generated by tenants. It also has moved to day cleaning for custodial services, cutting the need for the office lights in the evening.

Q: When crime statistics are announced for Atlanta, do they include the metro area or only incorporated Atlanta?

— Denton Harris, Atlanta

A: The statistics for the city of Atlanta, released periodically by the FBI, are only for the areas covered by the Atlanta Police Department. Statistics for other cities in the metro area are released separately.

Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).