I admit that I have not read Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. It is on my list of books and lying abandoned on my bookshelf. She has quite a reputation for changing environmental concern in the United States by bringing attention the effect synthetic pesticides have on our environment. Carson has been credited with beginning the ecofeminism movement which joins a woman's natural cycles to the cycles of the earth (Mother Earth to some), and the conjunction of the degradation of women and the degradation of nature in the Western world.
Last year I took Wilderness and the American Mind, an english course, with Dr. Gordon Johnston. We read literature from native creation stories, colonists and explorers, and many recent authors like Wendell Berry, Barry Lopez, Annie Dillard, and Henry David Thoreau. Some of my favorite passages came from Barry Lopez and Wendell Berry's many essays. If you're looking for something to occupy your time this summer, I'd suggest reading any of these authors.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Big Dig!
The Big Dig is a billion project in the heart of Boston changing the route of a major highway from elevated highways to a 3.5 mile tunnel. This project also built more tunnels throughout the city and was meant to decrease congestion on inner city streets that are not designed for quick travel. However there have been allegations of negligence in funding and selection of building materials.
Issues? While digging the tunnels excavators came across unexpected geological and archaeological sites like buried buildings and ships. Redirecting traffic while constructing the tunnels caused other traffic issues.
How does this relate to sustainability? By reducing congestion on inner city roads, we (governments) can minimize vehicle emissions and time spent in the car for each individual. By expanding downwards we can decrease the amount of surface area we use to commute. This can decrease surface land cover by asphalt, but it still has potential to disrupt ground water in the area.
This construction product sets a precedent for increasing transportation sustainability. Boston has a great mass transit system. According to Wikipedia, nearly a third of people in Boston use public transit to move about the city. Cities would be more benefited to invest in public transit as well as creating new roadways. Cities are more attractive when they have extensive public transit systems instead of congested roads.
Issues? While digging the tunnels excavators came across unexpected geological and archaeological sites like buried buildings and ships. Redirecting traffic while constructing the tunnels caused other traffic issues.
How does this relate to sustainability? By reducing congestion on inner city roads, we (governments) can minimize vehicle emissions and time spent in the car for each individual. By expanding downwards we can decrease the amount of surface area we use to commute. This can decrease surface land cover by asphalt, but it still has potential to disrupt ground water in the area.
This construction product sets a precedent for increasing transportation sustainability. Boston has a great mass transit system. According to Wikipedia, nearly a third of people in Boston use public transit to move about the city. Cities would be more benefited to invest in public transit as well as creating new roadways. Cities are more attractive when they have extensive public transit systems instead of congested roads.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Sustainable Cities
I "googled" sustainable cities and found a Wikipedia article referencing examples of sustainable cities around the world. Surprisingly, there are a handful listed in the United States, yet many of those are planned or in the works.
What is a sustainable city, and what does it entail? Wikipedia deems a sustainable city a city planned with the intention of limiting environmental impact through the lessening of carbon footprint, water and energy usage, and limited use of nonrenewable resources. A sustainable city should include reliable and efficient public transportation, mixed-use zoning to limit commutes, community gardens, shared living spaces, planned and purposeful growth, green spaces within city limits, and education resources for the community to encourage personal, sustainable changes. I think the educational portion is often overlooked in developing a community but of upmost importance; without resources for the citizens on how to live sustainably, the purposeful planning can and will be lost.
There are portions of many American cities that could make a close-to-perfect sustainable city. Take DC's metro system (expansive, efficient, cheap, easily understandable) + New York City's mixed-use zoning clumping residential, industrial, and commercial together + community gardens found in a growing number of cities + communal living of California + planned and purposeful growth found only in select cities (not that it's a difficult concept) + green spaces of Macon or Atlanta--maybe I'm stretching that one a bit, but I love our parks. That'd be one great combination.
Some of the poorest planned cities I've seen are located right here in Georgia. Both Macon and Atlanta have layouts that promote driving short distances. It's rare to find someone who walks to their job unless he/she lives on or very near Mercer's campus. It seems that very few post-collegiate residents are pedestrians instead relying on their vehicles to travel within city limits. This could be due to the set up of the city including safety issues or to our society's relatively recent dependence on motor vehicles. I'm willing to compromise: both are contributors.
Some day I hope to assist in the development of cities, so that we, as world citizens, may protect the earth we have been granted leaving precious resources for future generations.
I'm listening to something beautiful.
What is a sustainable city, and what does it entail? Wikipedia deems a sustainable city a city planned with the intention of limiting environmental impact through the lessening of carbon footprint, water and energy usage, and limited use of nonrenewable resources. A sustainable city should include reliable and efficient public transportation, mixed-use zoning to limit commutes, community gardens, shared living spaces, planned and purposeful growth, green spaces within city limits, and education resources for the community to encourage personal, sustainable changes. I think the educational portion is often overlooked in developing a community but of upmost importance; without resources for the citizens on how to live sustainably, the purposeful planning can and will be lost.
There are portions of many American cities that could make a close-to-perfect sustainable city. Take DC's metro system (expansive, efficient, cheap, easily understandable) + New York City's mixed-use zoning clumping residential, industrial, and commercial together + community gardens found in a growing number of cities + communal living of California + planned and purposeful growth found only in select cities (not that it's a difficult concept) + green spaces of Macon or Atlanta--maybe I'm stretching that one a bit, but I love our parks. That'd be one great combination.
Some of the poorest planned cities I've seen are located right here in Georgia. Both Macon and Atlanta have layouts that promote driving short distances. It's rare to find someone who walks to their job unless he/she lives on or very near Mercer's campus. It seems that very few post-collegiate residents are pedestrians instead relying on their vehicles to travel within city limits. This could be due to the set up of the city including safety issues or to our society's relatively recent dependence on motor vehicles. I'm willing to compromise: both are contributors.
Some day I hope to assist in the development of cities, so that we, as world citizens, may protect the earth we have been granted leaving precious resources for future generations.
I'm listening to something beautiful.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)