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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Because I know Grist readers love them
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David Roberts |
13 Sep 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Green mansions! |
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| Topics: green building, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Is eating local the best choice?
Strengthening community is an important benefit of eating locally |
David Morris |
12 Sep 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The following is a guest essay originally posted at AlterNet by David Morris, vice president of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Some 30 years ago NASA came up with another big idea: assemble vast solar electric arrays in space and beam the energy to earth. The environmental community did not dismiss NASA's vision out of hand. After all, the sun shines 24 hours a day in space. A solar cell on earth harnesses only about four hours equivalent of full sunshin ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, food, local food, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Something good grows around Ground Zero
Rebuilding the NYC financial district has resulted in a walkable residential community |
Jon Rynn |
11 Sep 2007 |
Gristmill |
| On this anniversary of that horrible morning six years ago, perhaps we are starting to see some good rising from the ashes. The southern part of the island of Manhattan, which used to turn into a ghost town after work, is starting to take on some of the characteristics of many of the other neighborhoods in New York City -- what University of Michigan architecture and urban design professor Christopher B. Leinberger calls 'walkable urbanism': From an urban planning point ... |
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| Topics: New York City, placemaking, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Our Jaw: Still Dropped
Wal-Mart's eco-initiatives turning Arkansas into sustainability hotspot |
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07 Sep 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 9:14 AM on 07 Sep 2007 Attention shoppers: we bring you news of the latest sustainability hotspot, none other than Fayetteville, Ark. Green start-ups are flocking to town, the University of Arkansas has established an Applied Sustainability Center, and the mayor rides an electric bike to work. Why? Because of a certain retail giant whose headquarters lies half an hour away. Say it with us no ... |
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| Topics: Arkansas, business, green living, greenish companies, news, placemaking, Wal-Mart (all these topics) |
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Stick It To 'Em
Vehicles sold in the U.S. will be outfitted with fuel-economy stickers |
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06 Sep 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 5:01 PM on 06 Sep 2007 This is spiffy: all U.S.-sold cars, trucks, and SUVs manufactured after Sept. 1 will feature a window sticker that announces the vehicle's expected miles per gallon, estimated annual fuel cost, and fuel economy compared to similar vehicles. Which will just make it all the more apparent that performance always trumps size. source: The Daily Green From ... |
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| Topics: cars, energy, fuel efficiency, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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EEStor Money
Startup says new technology will make gasoline obsolete |
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06 Sep 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 11:30 AM on 06 Sep 2007 A battery-replacing invention that allows you to plug in your car for five minutes, then drive 500 miles without using gasoline? It sounds too good to be true, but Austin-based startup EEStor says they've done it. While the doubters are many, we'd have to agree with Georgia Tech researcher Joseph Perry: "I am skeptical, but I'd be very happy to be proved wrong." source: Associated Pr ... |
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| Topics: cars, innovation, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Nerd on nerd communiqué
The real deal on hybrid bike technology |
biodiversivist |
05 Sep 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Got an email yesterday from fellow hybrid bike enthusiast, Larry Blakely. He built a front-wheel drive version of my bike -- and just for kicks, a solar charger to go with it: Things have come together. A Crystalyte 408 front hub motor, a 36-72 volt 40 amp controller, and 6 intact DeWalt batteries (2S3P) get me to town to do errands and return home on about 60% of the battery capacity. A big tip of my helmet to biodiversivist for showing how well this combo works! ... |
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| Topics: bikes, electric vehicles, hybrids, innovation, placemaking, tech (all these topics) |
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Schwarzengreener, or Transit Terminator?
How green is California? |
Jon Rynn |
05 Sep 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The State of California just passed a budget that, thanks to Governor Schwarzenegger and the Republicans in the Assembly, removes $1.3 billion from the public transit budget. Yes, this is the same state and governor that passed a cap-and-trade bill that seeks to cut carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2020. But so far, the only thing being cut is the one way to get cars off of the roads. But let me tell you about this car-pool lane ... Photo: house.gov You kno ... |
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| Topics: Arnold Schwarzenegger, California, cars, placemaking, public transportation (all these topics) |
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Post-Labor Day link dump, the second
Exploring the tubes so you don't have to |
David Roberts |
04 Sep 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Mo' links! Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland Ohio recently passed a renewable portfolio standard that falls prey to the worst pitfalls of that particular policy mechanism: Gov. Ted Strickland wants to require that 25 percent of the electricity sold in Ohio by 2025 come from alternative energies, such as fuel cells, solar panels, windmills, nuclear and hydroplants. Half of that would have to come from renewable energy while the other half would come from n ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, climate, energy, placemaking, politics (all these topics) |
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A win for buses in L.A.
Los Angeles City Council OKs a peak-hour bus-only lane |
Eric Mann |
31 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| An update from me and my colleague Francisca Porchas of the Labor/Community Strategy Center: For the first time in L.A., the car capital of the world, a bus-centered public-transportation system has been given priority over the auto -- a big victory for environmental justice and the reduction of auto-based air toxins and greenhouse gases. On Aug. 15, the Strategy Center and Bus Riders Union secured an important environmental and public-health victory at the Los Angel ... |
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| Topics: environmental justice, placemaking, politics, public transportation (all these topics) |
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No Looking Back
Los Angeles Times series looks at NOLA's rebuilding effort two years later |
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30 Aug 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| No Looking Back Los Angeles Times series looks at NOLA's rebuilding effort two years later The two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is a largely grim occasion, but a Los Angeles Times series has found cause for inspiration. In a 10-story installment, the paper appraises the rebuilding effort in New Orleans and the innovation it has sparked -- particularly in ... |
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| Topics: green building, innovation, Louisiana, news, placemaking, severe weather, urban planning (all these topics) |
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The perfect dorm
College residence halls trending toward green ... and not-so-green |
Sarah van Schagen |
30 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| I'm excited about this new trend toward green dorm design and decor, such as the Green Campus Program in California wherein new students can tour a dorm room pimped out with, for example, "hemp towels, organic cotton sheets, a reusable elephant grass shopping basket, and bed frames made of recycled train tracks." But I'm bummed that it's basically negated by another "trend" in college dorms these days: deluxe consumerism of the not-so-eco kin ... |
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| Topics: education, green living, placemaking, shopping (all these topics) |
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Welp, Back to Swimming
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29 Aug 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 12:07 PM on 29 Aug 2007 Two days after it began, service on the muchly protested Hawaii Superferry has been suspended indefinitely, for environmental-impact and protester-safety reasons. sources: Associated Press, WTAE TV, Kauai World From the Archives News You Already Knew. Attack of the Helpful Tomatoes. Radiation breeding of plants is way better than it sounds. Feel the Glass Between Your Toes. News Archives |
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| Topics: Hawaii, news, placemaking, public transportation (all these topics) |
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Hybrid wars
Honda fights to regain green car company mantle |
David Roberts |
29 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Honda entered the hybrid market before Toyota, but over time it made a fateful mistake: it failed to visually distinguish its line of hybrids. The Prius' distinct shape is like peacock feathers -- it signals your identity to the world. Who wants to be virtuous if nobody knows about it? Now Honda's gotten the message and it's returning to the fight: [Honda is] working on a new high-profile hybrid -- a Prius fighter that analysts expect will have the highest mileage ... |
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| Topics: business, cars, electric vehicles, green living, hybrids, placemaking, Prius (all these topics) |
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The Best Defense Is a Good ... Marsh
Two years after Katrina, New Orleans is still succumbing to water |
Wayne Curtis |
29 Aug 2007 |
Dispatches |
| is a freelance writer who's written for The New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, American Scholar, Preservation, and American Heritage, and is the author of And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails. He recently traded Maine winters for New Orleans summers. Dispatch: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Wednesday, 29 Aug 2007 NEW ORLEANS, La. Katrina left these boats high and dry -- b ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, Big Oil, Dispatches, Louisiana, Mississippi River, placemaking, severe weather, urban planning, water pollution, wetlands (all these topics) |
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Ferry Ferry, Quite Contrary
Hawaii's first-ever inter-island ferry service comes under protest |
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28 Aug 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Ferry Ferry, Quite Contrary Hawaii's first-ever inter-island ferry service comes under protest Hawaii's first-ever inter-island passenger ferry service set off this weekend amidst protests that it could harm marine life, spread invasive species, and worsen pollution. The docking of the ferry's second voyage was delayed by a dozen steamed surfers, while hundreds more protesters stood on the island seawall s ... |
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| Topics: Hawaii, news, placemaking, public transportation (all these topics) |
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'Eco cities' easier said than done in today's China
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David Roberts |
28 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Remember architect Bill McDonough's much-ballyhooed "eco-cities" in China? Mara Hvistendahl points to troubling signs that the projects are falling apart. |
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| Topics: Bill McDonough, China, placemaking, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Gardens in the hood
Urban agriculture does more than provide healthy food for those who need it |
David Roberts |
27 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Phoebe Connelly and Chelsea Ross have a detailed and incredibly heartening story on urban agriculture in In These Times. It focuses on urban ag projects that target inner city "food deserts," where liquor stores outnumber groceries 20-to-1 and the most easily available food is fried. It's not just about food, though: 'We are what most folks would consider organic, but we're not certified,' the Food Project's Burns says. 'That's not as important to us. We' ... |
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| Topics: food, gardening, health, placemaking, sustainable ag (all these topics) |
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Mmmm ... low-hanging fruit
Building professionals overestimate costs and underestimate benefits of green building |
David Roberts |
27 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| A new study (PDF) from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development finds that folks in the real estate and construction businesses overestimate the cost of building green by 300%. Specifically, the 1,400 professionals surveyed across the globe estimated that: green building costs 17% more than normal building, when the reality is 5%, and greenhouse gases from buildings are 19% of the global total, when the reality is 40%. Got that? People in ... |
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| Topics: green building, greenhouse-gas emissions, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Haiku Times on community gardens (with gorgeous photos)
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Roz Cummins |
26 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| There is a really nice issue of Haiku Times devoted to community gardens. The haikus are variously lovely, funny, and insightful, and the photos are absolutely beautiful. |
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| Topics: food, gardening, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Roads vs. transit
Seattle enviros face a Hobson's choice in November |
Erica Barnett |
23 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| This November, those of us who live in and around Seattle will vote on a $17.7 billion transportation package that would expand light rail (by 50 miles) but also include billions for road expansion -- including roads that will primarily serve sprawling developments to Seattle's south and east, making the package a Hobson's choice for environmentalists. (The state legislature tied the roads and transit votes together last year, on the theory that road supporters will on ... |
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| Topics: cars, placemaking, politics, public transportation, Seattle (all these topics) |
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Green goes the Lower Ninth
The Nation reports on sustainable revitalization of the New Orleans neighborhood |
Grist |
23 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| This article by Rebecca Solnit is reprinted from the Sept. 10, 2007 issue of The Nation, released today, which focuses on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, two years later. Solnit is the author of a dozen books, including, most recently, Storming the Gates of Paradise: Landscapes for Politics. ----- The word 'will' comes up constantly in the Lower Ninth Ward now; 'We Will Rebuild' is spray-painted onto empty houses; 'it will happen,' one organizer told me. Will itself ... |
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| Topics: energy, green building, Louisiana, placemaking, solar voltaic power, urban planning, wetlands (all these topics) |
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China and the long-distance runner
Will bikes or cars win? |
Jon Rynn |
22 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| China has an environmental problem. No, I'm not talking about weathering huge dust storms, opening one coal power plant a week, surpassing the U.S. as the largest emitter of carbon dioxide, or flooding ecosystems with huge dam projects. I'm talking about something serious: If pollution does not get better in Beijing in time for the 2008 Olympics, the long-distance track events may be canceled. According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, 'China's new middle cl ... |
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| Topics: bikes, cars, China, placemaking, public transportation (all these topics) |
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How bad is peak oil, really?
Would the biosphere care? |
Jon Rynn |
20 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Recently we've had a couple of discussions here at Gristmill concerning various aspects of peak oil; that is, the assertion that very soon (if it hasn't happened already) the global supply of oil will peak, and even though demand is going up, supply will start to come down, so prices will skyrocket. It seems to me that some of the contention in these discussions boils down to the question: would it really be so bad if the oil started running out? After all, we would ... |
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| Topics: biofuels, climate, coal, energy, oil, placemaking, public transportation (all these topics) |
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Speedy urban living is healthier
And New York City is the healthiest of all |
Gar Lipow |
20 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| As rural and suburban areas have grown, they have become more car dependent. Meanwhile, cities have reduced air pollution. As a consequence, the old urban health disadvantage has disappeared. City dwellers have higher life expectancies and better health on average [PDF] than people in suburbs or the country. And according to New York Magazine, New York City, probably the most urban of U.S. cities, has the greatest health advantage. The difference seems to boil down to ... |
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| Topics: health, New York, New York City, placemaking (all these topics) |
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