Via Solutions

Full with a lesson on the basics of David Ricardo’s Comparative Advantage theory to a discussion of the vision for a more sustainable Appalachia, this article outlines how it came to be that Appalachia became synonymous with mountain top mining, rapid environmental destruction and risk with limited return, that somehow gives the allusion of infinite return, and of course, how this place can be and is being saved. The key concepts from the piece are below, but I would highly recommend a full reading.

via huffington post.

We know that sustainability as a concept has remained nebulous. Save for the idea that it implies an equitable distribution and consumption of resources, that will not compromise future generations use of said resources, we have little else to agree on about what sustainability looks like in action, in day to day existence.

I recently read an essay in Grist, Environmentalism’ can never address climate change, written by David Robert, who literally opens his piece by saying, “I’m not an environmentalist and these aren’t environmental challenges.” It made me think about what exactly the challenge is then. What kind of challenge is the climate change (and related sustainability) challenge then?  The idea that framing matters is not new; communication scholars have long been studying the fallout—both positive and negative—from the way in which we talk about certain issues.  Somehow though, we in the climate movement seem to have thought we were exempt from this phenomenon for far too long; that somehow data would speak for itself.  Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of people thinking about how to talk about this stuff before; artists, scientists, policy makers, students, but to make an impact, to have a critical mass, we all need to have a shared vocabulary and clear vision about what we want, when we want it, how we get there and most importantly how we talk about it.

I see the new blog as an opportunity to showcase and discuss living proof of sustainability, of people working towards a clear vision, and not always through novel technology (although, yes, sometimes we will discuss this), but more importantly, a reading between the lines of where we are and where we want to be. In Robert’s essay, he argues that if we succeed at the sustainability challenge (a big if, he points out), it will be a groundbreaking, revolutionary new model. “…it will be a tidal shift in human history on par with the agriculture, industrialization, or democracy itself.”

The difference is, those that lived through these histories only had a slight understanding of the massive impact they were about to have on the physical and social operating systems of the planet. We, on the other hand, with our science and blogs (and science blogs), living in the data explosion era, know better, maybe.  So, let’s get to it. We have a lot of re-making to do.

I took some of our fabulous CISC interns on a kayaking voyage up the Bronx River a few weeks ago. And this is what they had to say about it.

“New Yorkers tend to think inwards and underground about their city: Central Park and the subway. But lately, this has been changing.  Boating organizations and environmental groups have sprung up in the past half-century to increase awareness of the waterways critical condition and importance to the City.  As summer outreach and planning interns, we decided to take a kayak trip with one of these organizations, the Bronx River Alliance, to experience hands on the effects of the City on our waterways.

The Bronx River, New York City’s only freshwater river, runs 23 miles long from the Kensico Dam in upper Westchester County through 13 Westchester municipalities to where the East River converges with Long Island Sound. This once beautiful and thriving body of water is now a contaminated conduit for industrial and residential wastes.

The Bronx River Alliance formed in 1974, has taken remarkable strides in trying to restore this river back to its original serenity. This organization develops community outreach initiatives, conducts research on the River’s ecology and serves as an advocate for the River and its surrounding community. BRA’s work illustrates how dedicated citizens who are adamant about preserving our environment can and do make a difference.

However, their hard work is not immediately evident upon emerging from the Hunt’s Point subway station. We had never been to Hunts Point, but we were aware of the controversial developments of Robert Moses and their devastating toll it  had on the Bronx.  As we walked toward the Bruckner Expressway overpass, it wasn’t hard to see that the area is plagued with social ills. In a city as wealthy as New York, the hard truth is that poor communities bare the brunt of environmental ravages. The built environment of Hunts Point is a veritable death trap. The expressway is at least 5 lanes across, with no pedestrian walkway to be spoken of; truck after truck barrel down the road, amidst incessant car honking and exhaust fumes. Walking up the crumbling steps to cross the gritty overpass, was not welcoming. In lieu of shrubs and flowers, the overpass offered only concrete and graffiti.

Crossing the bare concrete overpass, we entered Concrete Plant Park. With parched grass, a lack of trees and no real social gathering point, the “park” falls desperately short of being an inviting public space. It would be hard to imagine a similar scene anywhere in Manhattan. In Hunt’s Point and other parts of the Bronx, the environmental inequity that exists between those communities that receive waste and those that produce it – those that dump and those that get dumped on – is hard to miss.

As we set off in our kayaks, we saw a garbage dump, a scrap metal recycling center, and parking lots lining a good portion of both riverbanks.  As we passed, we noticed a certain stench.  It would be simple to conclude that the smell originated from these concrete yards of the industrial age.  However, even in areas where trees line the river, the smell lingered.  Why?  The smell didn’t come from the dump; it came from the water itself.

In theory, the water shouldn’t be polluted.  The City’s fourteen water purification centers can process all the water used and release a purified form back into its estuaries.  So why is there sewage in the water?  Because of NYC’s antiquated sewage planning.  The city uses a combined sewage overflow system (CSO) to handle both human waste and regular runoff water.  This type of system accounts for 70% of the NYC sewage system according to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP). On a normal, rainless day, the system is able to collect and process all of the fluids running through the system.  However, when it rains, there is too much water for the system to handle, and thus the overflow water is redirected straight to the estuaries, untreated.  That means raw sewage –shoots straight into the river.  To contextualize, Hunt’s Point’s largest CSO, CSO 007, collects an estimated 1.7 million floatables (garbage and solid matter) each year.

Despite the smell, and the murky water filled with human biproducts, we paddled along. Our guide Miguel began pointing things out to us, that the river is an ecological home, not a deserted wasteland and that there is a vibrant ecological community regenerating along the Bronx River in Hunt’s Point. The contaminated and brackish waters are home to unusual species of edible plants and a host of wildlife. Along the banks of the river rare conifers, fruit trees and medicinal plants such as Mugwort thrive.  Japanese Knotwood grows rampant-a vestige of a naturalist’s planting from the 1850s and indicative of the rich biological history of the area.

We saw Egret and Heron that nest along the river. Striped Bass and Blue Fish are indigenous, and although not advisable to eat, neighborhood fishermen cannot be dissuaded.  We witnessed a gentleman bathing en plein air just a stone’s throw from the ominous CS007, and a rope swing was rigged up in a tree where kids jump into the river to swim. Community youth were also exploring the River along with us. Miguel introduced them as youth from, Rock the Boat - an organization that trains youth in traditional boat building and water ecology.

Wrapping up the three and a half hour trip, we emerge tired and with mixed feelings.  On one hand, it’s pretty depressing to see the state of the river due to the lack of foresight when creating the sewage system, and how we haven’t moved to significantly clean up the area.  Also, people shouldn’t have to live around these conditions. But on the other hand, organizations like the Bronx River Alliance and Rock the Boat increase exposure to these issues so that they don’t go unnoticed.  And at the same time, young people out on the water are gaining valuable skills while they hopefully, become more engaged in solutions and the restoration of  these important places.

Hydroponics and the City: New Food for a New Age
1-3:30PM, Saturday June 26th, 2010

Creating sustainable local food systems might mean changing how we grow food. Learn how some New Yorkers are growing local food with local resources. See The Science Barge — the only fully-functioning demonstration of renewable energy supporting sustainable hydroponic agriculture in NY — and all its green glory. Hear about Gotham Greens, the first commercial hydroponic greenhouse in NYC. Make a Window Farm so you can Research and Do It Yourself.

Featuring:
Jenn Nelkin-Greenhouse Director, Gotham Greens
Ted Ullrich- Window Farmsand DoTank: Brooklyn

Location:
The Science Barge, 99 Dock Street, Yonkers,
located on the Hudson River, just north of the Yonkers Pier.
Take the MetroNorth Railroad to Yonkers station.
Limited metered parking is available as well.
1PM, Saturday June 26th, 2010
This event is free but you must RSVP
to cmolnar@hunter.cuny.edu Limited to 30 People!!!!!

But what about the small scale tiny cracks in the concrete jungle that serve as brief reminders of the benefits and beauty of these other elements that often seem to evade us? How can we all play a role in finding space for those cracks? Two words: seed bombs. Last year, the Bed Stuy Meadows project worked as an intervention in this vein. And this year, the good people at DoTank in Brooklyn, are running an urban agriculture Do It Yourself workshop to teach the art of the seed bomb (as well as home composting and window farming. Full disclosure, I am helping out with compost skill share component.)

But this intervention, the GreenAid Change for Change seed bomb dispenser is just fabulous. What if this were in every store where chicklets and runts and gum balls were sold? What if children nagged their parents for a quarter so they could throw this gum ball shaped object onto the ground outside their house and see what came up in the cracks of asphalt or in the street tree bed? It could inspire wonder in younger urban children who are not necessarily exposed to the rites of spring in the same way as those outside of a city are.  And going back to the idea of beauty as utility, would it benefit everyone in the space–not just youngens–by creating spaces that promote a higher quality of life? Again, more research is critical. But this intervention takes a product that we are already used to as a consumer and retrofits it for the public good. I like it. Now, just to make them.

By now, it’s impossible to deny that, unlike passions mobilized around other types of pollution or facility siting with all the anthropological overtones of defilement and threats to health which register at a personal level, climate change has remained just an intellectual threat for the public. However, if the public health consequences of this CO2 dome research pan out, the threat becomes personal, visceral if you will.

Read more…

The map is interactive so get into it.

Connecting Carbon

Image Courtesy Argentina Greenpeace

 Today I would like to share a few links to stories that you may have missed amongst all the health-care coverage of this past weekend.  First up, did you know that yesterday was World Water Day?  If you happened to be passing through Buenos Aires (or keeping close tabs on Treehugger in your RSS feed) you might have been reminded of the event by the latest artistic adventure of Nicolas Garcia Uriburu.  The fluorescent dyes he used are harmless for one of the most polluted rivers in the world but they certainly look toxic! 

In other news, commentators are already beginning to forecast the next big issues for capitol hill and at the top of the list is energy / environmental policy.  The Grist has a nice piece on the brewing tension between Kerry and Bingaman in the Senate.  The question seems to be whether efforts will be made to pass a comprehensive bill which includes carbon pricing measures or if legislative efforts will be aimed solely at an “energy only” bill.   

Finally, a neighborhood in the South Bronx has been the first NYC community to achieve LEED Certification.  Not only does this help to bolster some home-town pride for the Big Apple, but it’s also a great example of how grassroots demands for affordable housing can be tied directly to sustainable urbanism.     

How to feed the world ? from Denis van Waerebeke on Vimeo.

This video deals with two issues that have occupied the folks here at the Institute lately: food systems and education.  I think it’s worth a quick watch because, on the one hand, the video effectively covers a number of complex processes that underpin the uneven nature of the global food system.  The director, Denis van Waerebeke, touches on land tenure, commodity markets, and international food aid all while sticking to a narrative which helps to keep things comprehensible.  On the other hand, I like this video simply for the way that it communicates information.  As Fast Company explains, the short animation was created for a science show for 12 year-old children in Paris.  Now, I’m not convinced that this would make sense to a classroom of elementary students, but I would definitely feel comfortable showing it to high-schoolers and I bet that the graphics would hold the attention of both groups!

Bing’s proposal is based, in large part, on a study produced by Data Driven Detroit.  Pasted below is text from an NPR interview with Kurt Metzger, director of Data Driven Detroit.

Downsizing is a word you hear a lot in these economically troubled times. It usually applies to tight budgets or lost jobs. In Detroit it also now describes a controversial plan from the mayor’s office.

Mayor Dave Bing wants to reshape the city by getting rid of buildings that are vacant or in shambles. He also wants to transplant residents who live in neighborhoods that are desolate and dilapidated beyond repair. He says it’s too expensive to provide city services in areas that are much like urban deserts.

Much of the proposal is based on data collected by Kurt Metzger. He’s a demographer and the director of Data Driven Detroit, an organization that collects data for the city and for nonprofits. It’s also called D3.

Mr. Metzger, welcome to the program.

Mr. KURT METZGER (Director, Data Driven Detroit): Thank you so much. It’s great to be on.

NORRIS: You undertook a block-by-block study of Detroit, 139 square miles. What did your study find?

Mr. METZGER: We had surveyors go out and actually collect information in every single parcel in the city of Detroit. And just to give you the real quick analysis, we found better than a third of the land – and that’s of 139 square miles – we estimate better than a third of the land in the city of Detroit is either vacant land right now or contains buildings that need to be torn down. It’s amazing. I mean, New Orleans is about 70 square miles. We’re talking that better than 40 square miles, better than half of New Orleans is vacant land.

Now, of course its interspersed around the city, so that’s where the issues about going into neighborhoods where there’s a lot of vacant land. But a lot of one or two homes still left on streets. These are neighborhoods that are going to have to be gone into and trying to think about how do we start to move people into other areas.

NORRIS: When you were doing this survey, what did you hear from people who are in the neighborhoods? I imagine that some of the homeowners have been there for a very long time and have watched their beloved neighborhood slowly deteriorate. And they’re probably worried about finding themselves now on some sort of relocation hit list. When you were working on the survey, what did you hear from people?

Mr. METZGER: There is a general fear that I’m going to be uplifted and put someplace else. I’m really comfortable in my home regardless of what’s happened to the neighborhood. What are you going to do to me?

NORRIS: But they are going to be uplifted…

Mr. METZGER: Well…

NORRIS: …and moved someplace else.

Mr. METZGER: Yes. Yes. But I think there’s a way to work with them and help them to understand that this will be better for them in the long run.

NORRIS: How do you compensate people who have to move? Because as I understand it, they’re entitled to 125 percent of taxable value for their property. But their property values have plummeted; have deteriorating along with the surrounding property, so how do you make them whole?