Archive for March, 2008

Is urban ecology an oxymoron? Not at all. The sooner we recognize that cities, people, and nature are inextricably linked, the better off we will all be. In order to broaden our focus from fixing what’s broken, we can treat this city as a design problem, as a system of interrelated parts, and begin to look for connections. Just by looking, we will surely find them.

As part of the 2008 Urbanite Project, I saw firsthand the critical connections between urban fishing, water quality, and public health. (“Fishing for Solutions,” March 2008 Urbanite.) Our proposal is to convene a diverse commission that would tackle the complex problem of Baltimore’s storm-water and waste-water with an ecological mindset.

The urban ecosystem is a system of networks and relationships, using nature as a mentor for how to foster healthy connections and environments. We can together consider both natural systems and human systems, for the benefit of both. Natural systems include sunlight, rainwater, clean air, wind, gardens, trees, and wildlife. Human systems include housing, stores, schools, jobs, history, arts and culture, and infrastructure.

The magic lies in the connections between these elements. Continued

“Just yesterday, someone sent me an email with a quote attached that caught my attention. It was attributed to Eamon Kelly (president of Tulane University from 1981 to 1998), and read “My success resulted from moving from one failure to another failure with enthusiasm.” This got me thinking about failure, and how I view it in my own life.

When I was in my mid-20’s, I once had a job interviewer who asked me to tell him about my failures and how I handled them. I was quite unprepared for this line of questioning but was able to come up with a list of what I then saw as failures, starting with my unsuccessful bid for Student Council President in high school and continuing on through my decision not to attend law school (or rather, to not apply to law school) as my father the attorney had always hoped I would. In the past 25 years, I’ve certainly experienced failures in my life. But I’ve never thought of myself as a failure. There is a big difference. Continued

The amount of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere has raised about 35% since the Industrial Age, which would be just another boring statistic if it wasn’t for the fact that the gas plays a crucial role in climate change. The levels of CO₂ have been climbing, due in large part to what is often unnecessary human activity, and raising the global temperature all the while. In addition to these emissions, we’re also responsible for producing mass amounts of wasteful electricity and the burning of other fossil fuels like coal and natural gas. But whereas these actions once had practically imperceptible effects on our environment, our Earth is now starting to tell us otherwise, and it may not be too late to undo some of the damage. And fortunately for all of us, there are people out there that can help us do just that, whether you’re 20 years young, 80 years old, or somewhere in-between. Continued

Biodiesel University, a non-profit organization affiliated with the University of Maryland, focuses on educating students, teachers and consumers about renewable energy and environmental stewardship, while also inspiring students to pursue careers in science and technology. Using biodiesel as a tangible example of a renewable energy technology, they offer middle and high school students hands-on sensory experiences encompassing the entire lifecycle of a biofuel, believing that these fun and technology-rich experiences will gain America a higher output of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) graduates.

On March 18, 2008, the metro (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority) announced it would donate four of its dirtiest emissions transit buses to the university to be recycled into mobile teaching laboratories that will travel to schools, colleges and public events in the DC area and beyond. University founder and executive director Dan Goodman says the mobile labs will be “part classroom, part hands-on science center, and part theme park ride.” They will serve in part to educate visitors on the sustainability issues of food versus fuel, the carbon cycle, economic consequences, pollution, and land and water use. Continued

The Riverdale Park Farmer’s Market, situated just north of Washington, DC in a historic region of Prince George’s County, is open every Thursday from March to November. As a “producers only” market, everything is locally grown or made. To expand on “everything”, the market offers organic and conventionally-grown fresh vegetables and fruits, award-winning honey, European-style baked goods, pasture-fed meat, bedding plants, artisan breads, hand-made soaps, pottery, jams and jellies, fruit syrups, fresh cut flowers, as well as talented local artisans and musicians. Its site offers subscribers a list of vendors, market dates, and special events.

Few people dispute that America’s current energy sources create high levels of pollution that we’re all forced to live with. The vulnerability of traditional power plants, coupled with our reliance on foreign oil to generate electricity, has been enough for many businesses and residents to seek alternate energy options. By instead relying on electricity powered by large wind turbines scattered across the country and thereby offsetting electricity that would otherwise come from traditional sources, one is both helping to improve the region’s air quality and stabilize the future price of electricity, all while helping America nudge closer toward energy independence.

Based in Baltimore, Maryland, WindCurrent is a business committed to bringing renewable wind-generated energy to the Mid-Atlantic region, providing Renewable Energy Certificates, or Green Tags, to some of America’s largest Green Power buyers. In contrast to large power plants centrally-situated from state to state, their renewable power projects can be distributed across the state and country. Utility companies appreciate this because “it puts the power generation closer to the end-user, which reduces the need for expensive transmission lines” required by the power plants. Their website offers extensive information on how WindCurrent operates, as well as a video that gives an in-depth look at energy sources and how they differ.

Clean Currents, based in Rockville, Maryland, is a clean energy broker/ aggregator that also offers low-cost, renewable energy to businesses, homes and institutions. Clean Currents offers clients a new carbon neutral electricity option, “Chesapeake-Green”, or “C-Green”, which combines standard electricity from the Mid-Atlantic grid with Renewable Energy Credits from wind farms situated across the United States. In addition to supplying earth-friendly electricity, Clean Currents also takes great measures to see that their own business is environmentally responsible, purchasing energy-efficient computers, lights and office equipment, and recycling all possible materials.

With an attainable source of electricity that creates zero pollution, a decreased reliance on foreign energy, and an increase of jobs in rural areas with high unemployment rates, doesn’t it just make sense?

Strategic Sustainability Consulting works with organizations, like microenterprises and social entrepreneurs for example, to help them actively manage their social and environmental impact. They offer sustainable solutions usually reserved for large, multinational companies to under-resourced organizations in particular. Their services include supply chain management, stakeholder engagement, and sustainability planning, reporting and disclosure. They also help organizations identify their carbon footprint and work towards going “carbon neutral.” They also utilize a blog highlighting various news, events, and people.