Location: Nationwide
arch
Website: archfoundation.org
The American Architectural Foundation (AAF) is dedicated to the vibrant social, economic, and environmental future of cities. In the past decade alone, AAF has worked directly with local leaders through more than 500 city engagements. During this time, AAF has served every major metropolitan region and most second-tier cities in the United States. All told, it has provided design leadership training and technical assistance to hundreds of elected officials, public-private partnerships, education leaders, business leaders, and other key local decision makers in the design process.
These engagements are based on real-world challenges and opportunities from the participants’ cities, which provide the focus for intensive, collaborative design leadership programs. The overarching goal is to equip these leaders with the knowledge, inspiration, and resources that they need to lead their communities to transformative change through design.
To inform its efforts, AAF leverages its extensive network of city leaders and design innovators. Their collective experience and expertise is rich in depth and diversity, spanning such key sectors as building design and construction, urban planning, landscape, transportation, infrastructure, finance, and communications. Underlying all these concerns is a commitment to advancing the cause of sustainability.
The impact of AAF’s efforts is visible in the local design leadership behind hundreds of projects across the United States, ranging from brownfield remediation to waterfront redevelopment to downtown corridor revitalization.
Showing posts with label Environment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Environment. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Monday, December 21, 2015
Cape Action for People and the Environment (CAPE)
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Website: capeaction.org.za
Cape Action for People and the Environment (CAPE) is a 20 year partnership of government and civil society aimed at conserving and restoring the biodiversity of the Cape Floristic Region and the adjacent marine environment, while delivering significant benefits to the people of the region.
The rationale of the CAPE partnership is to create linkages between government, the private sector and civil society so that we all work together with a common strategy, avoiding duplication, addressing gaps and uniting to leverage resources and to tackle agreed common priorities in terms of a shared vision. During the first phase of implementation (2001 – 2010), the CAPE programme enabled donor funding to be channelled into new areas of work and exciting new approaches to conservation including landscape initiatives, conservation stewardship, business and biodiversity, fine-scale planning, catchment management, conservation education and strengthening institutions.
During 2011, the programme undertook a review of the CAPE strategy which resulted in a revised strategy being formulated for the period 2011 - 2020. The CAPE programme is co-ordinated through the CAPE Coordination Unit which is hosted by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and its Fynbos Programme. The CAPE Co-ordination Unit (CCU) is located at the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town.
Website: capeaction.org.za
Cape Action for People and the Environment (CAPE) is a 20 year partnership of government and civil society aimed at conserving and restoring the biodiversity of the Cape Floristic Region and the adjacent marine environment, while delivering significant benefits to the people of the region.
The rationale of the CAPE partnership is to create linkages between government, the private sector and civil society so that we all work together with a common strategy, avoiding duplication, addressing gaps and uniting to leverage resources and to tackle agreed common priorities in terms of a shared vision. During the first phase of implementation (2001 – 2010), the CAPE programme enabled donor funding to be channelled into new areas of work and exciting new approaches to conservation including landscape initiatives, conservation stewardship, business and biodiversity, fine-scale planning, catchment management, conservation education and strengthening institutions.
During 2011, the programme undertook a review of the CAPE strategy which resulted in a revised strategy being formulated for the period 2011 - 2020. The CAPE programme is co-ordinated through the CAPE Coordination Unit which is hosted by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and its Fynbos Programme. The CAPE Co-ordination Unit (CCU) is located at the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Pacific Institute
Location: Worldwide
Website: www.pacinst.org
We envision a world where the basic needs of all people are met, where resources are managed sustainably and the natural world protected, and where conflicts over resources are resolved in a peaceful and democratic fashion.
The Pacific Institute works to create a healthier planet and sustainable communities. We conduct interdisciplinary research and partner with stakeholders to produce solutions that advance environmental protection, economic development, and social equity—in California, nationally, and internationally.
Our aim is to find real-world solutions to problems like water shortages, habitat destruction, global warming, and environmental injustice.
Based in Oakland, California, we conduct research, publish reports, recommend solutions, and work with decision makers, advocacy groups, and the public to change policy. Since our founding in 1987, we’ve become known for independent, innovative thinking that cuts across traditional areas of study. Our interdisciplinary approach not only helps us make connections that others miss, it also enables us to bring opposing groups together to forge effective real-world solutions.
Website: www.pacinst.org
We envision a world where the basic needs of all people are met, where resources are managed sustainably and the natural world protected, and where conflicts over resources are resolved in a peaceful and democratic fashion.
The Pacific Institute works to create a healthier planet and sustainable communities. We conduct interdisciplinary research and partner with stakeholders to produce solutions that advance environmental protection, economic development, and social equity—in California, nationally, and internationally.
Our aim is to find real-world solutions to problems like water shortages, habitat destruction, global warming, and environmental injustice.
Based in Oakland, California, we conduct research, publish reports, recommend solutions, and work with decision makers, advocacy groups, and the public to change policy. Since our founding in 1987, we’ve become known for independent, innovative thinking that cuts across traditional areas of study. Our interdisciplinary approach not only helps us make connections that others miss, it also enables us to bring opposing groups together to forge effective real-world solutions.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
San Francisco Estuary Partnership
Location: S.F. Bay Area, CA
Website: www.sfestuary.org
San Francisco Estuary Partnership is a coalition of resource agencies, non-profits, citizens, and scientists working to protect, restore, and enhance water quality and fish and wildlife habitat in and around the San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary.
Working cooperatively, we share information and resources that result in studies, projects, and programs that improve the Estuary and communicate its value and needs to the public. The Association of Bay Area Governments is the home agency for Partnership staff and finances.
Website: www.sfestuary.org
San Francisco Estuary Partnership is a coalition of resource agencies, non-profits, citizens, and scientists working to protect, restore, and enhance water quality and fish and wildlife habitat in and around the San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary.
Working cooperatively, we share information and resources that result in studies, projects, and programs that improve the Estuary and communicate its value and needs to the public. The Association of Bay Area Governments is the home agency for Partnership staff and finances.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
C40CITIES
Location: International
Website: www.c40.org
Acting both locally and collaboratively, C40 Cities are having a meaningful global impact in reducing both greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks.
Through a partnership with the Clinton Climate Initiative, C40 brings together a unique set of assets and creates a shared sense of purpose. C40 offers cities an effective forum where they can collaborate, share knowledge and drive meaningful, measurable and sustainable action on climate change.
"While international negotiations continue to make incremental progress, C40 Cities are forging ahead. Collectively they have taken more than 4,700 actions to tackle climate change, and the will to do more is stronger than ever. As innovators and practitioners, our cities are at the forefront of this issue – arguably the greatest challenge of our time."
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
Website: www.c40.org
Acting both locally and collaboratively, C40 Cities are having a meaningful global impact in reducing both greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks.
Through a partnership with the Clinton Climate Initiative, C40 brings together a unique set of assets and creates a shared sense of purpose. C40 offers cities an effective forum where they can collaborate, share knowledge and drive meaningful, measurable and sustainable action on climate change.
"While international negotiations continue to make incremental progress, C40 Cities are forging ahead. Collectively they have taken more than 4,700 actions to tackle climate change, and the will to do more is stronger than ever. As innovators and practitioners, our cities are at the forefront of this issue – arguably the greatest challenge of our time."
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Copenhagen Climate Adaption Plan
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Website: subsite.kk.dk/sitecore/content/Subsites/CityOfCopenhagen/SubsiteFrontpage/LivingInCopenhagen/ClimateAndEnvironment/ClimateAdaptation/CopenhagenClimateAdaptionPlan.aspx
We cannot get away from it: the climate is changing, and in the future we will get more rain, higher sea levels and warmer weather.
This presents Copenhagen with a number of challenges. If we wait to deal with them, it will become expensive, and coming generations of Copenhageners will have to use a lot of resources in order to avoid seriously damaging our city.
With this plan, we are meeting the challenges now. Doing this in good time will help us to keep expenses down as well as offering us a number of exciting possibilities. Climate adaptation can contribute to giving us a greener city as well as more growth and more jobs.
In other words, we must exploit the climate challenges positively, by acting in a way which will please both citizens and businesses – not just in 50 years time, but here and now.
Amongst other actions we take, we must cope with the larger quantities of rainwater and ensure a pleasant climate by means of green roofs and facades and more trees as well as green and blue areas.
We have already had excellent experiences with using the challenges we face to provide more opportunities for Copenhageners. The popular harbour swimming pools are the result of persistent efforts to deal with rain water, so that it does not contaminate the harbour waters along with the waste water. The cleanliness of the water in the harbour has attracted international attention and by focusing on climate adaptation, we will gain even more experience in the future about how to develop and adapt solutions which will benefit other cities as well as putting Copenhagen on the map.
This plan is our starting point for incorporating the necessary climate adaptation into our thinking in all areas of the city’s development in good time. So, climate adaptation and the development of an attractive and green major city will become two sides of the same coin.
Website: subsite.kk.dk/sitecore/content/Subsites/CityOfCopenhagen/SubsiteFrontpage/LivingInCopenhagen/ClimateAndEnvironment/ClimateAdaptation/CopenhagenClimateAdaptionPlan.aspx
We cannot get away from it: the climate is changing, and in the future we will get more rain, higher sea levels and warmer weather.
This presents Copenhagen with a number of challenges. If we wait to deal with them, it will become expensive, and coming generations of Copenhageners will have to use a lot of resources in order to avoid seriously damaging our city.
With this plan, we are meeting the challenges now. Doing this in good time will help us to keep expenses down as well as offering us a number of exciting possibilities. Climate adaptation can contribute to giving us a greener city as well as more growth and more jobs.
In other words, we must exploit the climate challenges positively, by acting in a way which will please both citizens and businesses – not just in 50 years time, but here and now.
Amongst other actions we take, we must cope with the larger quantities of rainwater and ensure a pleasant climate by means of green roofs and facades and more trees as well as green and blue areas.
We have already had excellent experiences with using the challenges we face to provide more opportunities for Copenhageners. The popular harbour swimming pools are the result of persistent efforts to deal with rain water, so that it does not contaminate the harbour waters along with the waste water. The cleanliness of the water in the harbour has attracted international attention and by focusing on climate adaptation, we will gain even more experience in the future about how to develop and adapt solutions which will benefit other cities as well as putting Copenhagen on the map.
This plan is our starting point for incorporating the necessary climate adaptation into our thinking in all areas of the city’s development in good time. So, climate adaptation and the development of an attractive and green major city will become two sides of the same coin.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Eckocenter
Location: International
Website: http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/a-pilot-the-first-ekocenter-in-action#TCCC
Today, more than 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and approximately 2.5 billion don’t have adequate sanitation, making billions of people around the world vulnerable to disease and other development challenges.
To help provide communities in need with access to safe drinking water and other basic necessities, The Coca-Cola Company, together with DEKA, and other critical partners including development banks, NGOs and companies, launched EKOCENTER™ - a downtown in a box - with the Slingshot™ water purification system housed within the community center. The EKOCENTER project aims to improve the holistic well-being of developing communities around the world, focusing on those within the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP), the largest, poorest socio-economic group. Globally, this represents nearly 4 billion people who live on less than US$2 per day.
Coca-Cola Company has been committed to making a positive, lasting difference in the local communities in which we operate. Through EKOCENTER, we are striving to continue this commitment. The project, which began as a pilot in South Africa in August 2013, will not only help deliver safe water and other necessities to some of the most remote and distressed areas of the world but also empower community members, especially women, through entrepreneurship and employment opportunities.
EKOCENTER is a modularly designed kiosk with Slingshot at its core, transformed from a 20-foot shipping container into a hub of community activity, offering clean, safe drinking water, alongside other services, such as access to wireless communication, electricity, vaccination storage, and more tailored to address community needs. EKOCENTER strives to help communities thrive— each and every community member—from the people using EKOCENTER to the local entrepreneur operating it.
By 2015, we will place between 1,500 and 2,000 units in the form of EKOCENTERs, “downtowns in a box,” or Slingshot water purification systems to deliver further services beyond clean water, in Africa, Asia, Latin America and North America. Through this commitment, we aim to deliver 500 million liters of safe drinking water, while promoting greater local development in communities that need it most.
What is Slingshot technology? Each EKOCENTER is equipped with Slingshot technology. The Slingshot water purification system—developed in partnership with DEKA R&D—uses vapor compression distillation (VCD) technology to turn any source of dirty water—river water, ocean water and even raw sewage—into safe, clean drinking water. The technology, invented by inventor and DEKA R&D President Dean Kamen, delivers approximately 800 liters of clean water daily at the hourly electricity cost of less than a standard handheld hair dryer (1kWh).
In 2012, our Company announced a partnership with DEKA at the Clinton Global Initiative to deliver stand-alone Slingshot water purification systems to schools, community centers and health clinics in rural communities in countries throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America, and as an expansion of this partnership, Slingshot will be a key component of the EKOCENTER project.
In 2013, we are deploying units in Africa and Latin America. Building on current pilot work initiated in Paraguay, Mexico and South Africa by The Coca-Cola Company and DEKA, the project will expand in early 2014 to additional markets.
Community participation and support are essential to the success of EKOCENTER, which is why we envision EKOCENTER being operated by local female entrepreneurs, complementing our initiative, and with support from technology, development, and financial partners.
We recognize that partnership with other companies, NGOs and government partners is key to leverage collective thinking, experience, innovation, products and financial support to execute EKOCENTER in a thoughtful manner with long-term viability in mind. Working with business, government and civil society – what we call the “Golden Triangle” – is key to making a positive difference on global challenges.
With help from DEKA, we have developed a partnership to support the EKOCENTER project. Their expertise enables us to do far more than we could alone.
EKOCENTER represents an investment in the future prosperity and progress of some of the most fragile and at-risk communities we serve,” said Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company. “Through EKOCENTER we have the ability to change lives by offering access to safe drinking water and other needed resources, all while empowering local entrepreneurs. What started as an aspiration is now becoming a reality as we welcome our partners across the golden triangle of business, government and civil society to scale and improve this innovation.
Today, more than 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and approximately 2.5 billion don’t have adequate sanitation, making billions of people around the world vulnerable to disease and other development challenges.
To help provide communities in need with access to safe drinking water and other basic necessities, The Coca-Cola Company, together with DEKA, and other critical partners including development banks, NGOs and companies, launched EKOCENTER™ - a downtown in a box - with the Slingshot™ water purification system housed within the community center. The EKOCENTER project aims to improve the holistic well-being of developing communities around the world, focusing on those within the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP), the largest, poorest socio-economic group. Globally, this represents nearly 4 billion people who live on less than US$2 per day.
Coca-Cola Company has been committed to making a positive, lasting difference in the local communities in which we operate. Through EKOCENTER, we are striving to continue this commitment. The project, which began as a pilot in South Africa in August 2013, will not only help deliver safe water and other necessities to some of the most remote and distressed areas of the world but also empower community members, especially women, through entrepreneurship and employment opportunities.
EKOCENTER is a modularly designed kiosk with Slingshot at its core, transformed from a 20-foot shipping container into a hub of community activity, offering clean, safe drinking water, alongside other services, such as access to wireless communication, electricity, vaccination storage, and more tailored to address community needs. EKOCENTER strives to help communities thrive— each and every community member—from the people using EKOCENTER to the local entrepreneur operating it.
By 2015, we will place between 1,500 and 2,000 units in the form of EKOCENTERs, “downtowns in a box,” or Slingshot water purification systems to deliver further services beyond clean water, in Africa, Asia, Latin America and North America. Through this commitment, we aim to deliver 500 million liters of safe drinking water, while promoting greater local development in communities that need it most.
What is Slingshot technology? Each EKOCENTER is equipped with Slingshot technology. The Slingshot water purification system—developed in partnership with DEKA R&D—uses vapor compression distillation (VCD) technology to turn any source of dirty water—river water, ocean water and even raw sewage—into safe, clean drinking water. The technology, invented by inventor and DEKA R&D President Dean Kamen, delivers approximately 800 liters of clean water daily at the hourly electricity cost of less than a standard handheld hair dryer (1kWh).
In 2012, our Company announced a partnership with DEKA at the Clinton Global Initiative to deliver stand-alone Slingshot water purification systems to schools, community centers and health clinics in rural communities in countries throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America, and as an expansion of this partnership, Slingshot will be a key component of the EKOCENTER project.
In 2013, we are deploying units in Africa and Latin America. Building on current pilot work initiated in Paraguay, Mexico and South Africa by The Coca-Cola Company and DEKA, the project will expand in early 2014 to additional markets.
Community participation and support are essential to the success of EKOCENTER, which is why we envision EKOCENTER being operated by local female entrepreneurs, complementing our initiative, and with support from technology, development, and financial partners.
We recognize that partnership with other companies, NGOs and government partners is key to leverage collective thinking, experience, innovation, products and financial support to execute EKOCENTER in a thoughtful manner with long-term viability in mind. Working with business, government and civil society – what we call the “Golden Triangle” – is key to making a positive difference on global challenges.
With help from DEKA, we have developed a partnership to support the EKOCENTER project. Their expertise enables us to do far more than we could alone.
EKOCENTER represents an investment in the future prosperity and progress of some of the most fragile and at-risk communities we serve,” said Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company. “Through EKOCENTER we have the ability to change lives by offering access to safe drinking water and other needed resources, all while empowering local entrepreneurs. What started as an aspiration is now becoming a reality as we welcome our partners across the golden triangle of business, government and civil society to scale and improve this innovation.
Located on the ground of Coca-Cola ’s Valpre natural spring water bottling plant, the EKOCENTER pilot elevates our Slingshot initiative by introducing a training facility for bottling partners, women and young entrepreneurs as we test this program for future expansion. The project supports our global commitment to replenish the water used in our beverages and their production, and to empower people and communities through employment.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Clean Water Action
Location: Colorado
Website: www.cleanwateraction.org
Clean Water Action is a one million member organization of diverse people and groups joined together to protect our environment, health, economic well-being and community quality of life.
Our goals include clean, safe and affordable water; prevention of health threatening pollution; creation of environmentally safe jobs and businesses; and empowerment of people to make democracy work.
Clean Water Action organizes strong grassroots groups and coalitions and campaigns to elect environmental candidates and solve environmental and community problems.
Website: www.cleanwateraction.org
Clean Water Action is a one million member organization of diverse people and groups joined together to protect our environment, health, economic well-being and community quality of life.
Our goals include clean, safe and affordable water; prevention of health threatening pollution; creation of environmentally safe jobs and businesses; and empowerment of people to make democracy work.
Clean Water Action organizes strong grassroots groups and coalitions and campaigns to elect environmental candidates and solve environmental and community problems.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Campaign to Protect Rural England
Location: England, UK
Website: www.cpre.org.uk
We believe a beautiful, thriving countryside is important for everyone, no matter where they live. Millions of town and city dwellers recharge their batteries with a walk or a bike ride in the local Green Belt, spend weekends and holidays in our National Parks, or enjoy fresh local produce. People who live in rural areas keep our countryside beautiful and productive.
The countryside is unique, essential, precious and finite – and it’s in danger. Every year, a little more is lost forever to urban sprawl, new roads, housing and other developments. Rural shops and services are closing, and increasingly intensive farming is changing the character of the countryside. Climate change, too, will have serious impacts on the rural environment.
We work locally and nationally to stand up for the countryside: to protect it from the threats it faces, and to shape its future for the better.
CPRE has been standing up for the countryside for over 80 years. In that time, we’ve seen some remarkable successes. We’ve helped win protection as National Parks for some of our most remarkable landscapes, from the Lake District to the South Downs. We’ve helped to influence and apply planning laws that have, against the odds, preserved the special beauty and character of the English countryside.
Website: www.cpre.org.uk
We believe a beautiful, thriving countryside is important for everyone, no matter where they live. Millions of town and city dwellers recharge their batteries with a walk or a bike ride in the local Green Belt, spend weekends and holidays in our National Parks, or enjoy fresh local produce. People who live in rural areas keep our countryside beautiful and productive.
The countryside is unique, essential, precious and finite – and it’s in danger. Every year, a little more is lost forever to urban sprawl, new roads, housing and other developments. Rural shops and services are closing, and increasingly intensive farming is changing the character of the countryside. Climate change, too, will have serious impacts on the rural environment.
We work locally and nationally to stand up for the countryside: to protect it from the threats it faces, and to shape its future for the better.
CPRE has been standing up for the countryside for over 80 years. In that time, we’ve seen some remarkable successes. We’ve helped win protection as National Parks for some of our most remarkable landscapes, from the Lake District to the South Downs. We’ve helped to influence and apply planning laws that have, against the odds, preserved the special beauty and character of the English countryside.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
League to Save Lake Tahoe
Location: Lake Tahoe, CA and NV
Website: www.keeptahoeblue.org
The League to Save Lake Tahoe is dedicated to protecting, restoring, and advocating for the ecosystem health and scenic beauty of the Lake Tahoe Basin. The organization focuses on water quality and its clarity for the preservation of a pristine Lake for future generations.
Keep Tahoe Blue" means a crystal clear Lake, protecting watersheds that support native plants and forests and abundant wildlife, an active and informed community of residents and visitors who act as stewards for the Lake, and communities and facilities within longstanding urban boundaries that harmonize with the natural environment, and provide low-impact outdoor recreational opportunities now and into the future.
The League is a solutions-based environmental watchdog. Our core focus is to protect Lake Tahoe’s inspiring water clarity, We advocate for strong environmental regulation and enforcement to protect Lake Tahoe for this and future generations and collaborate with stakeholders to address environmental issues. We support collaborative, innovative, and science-based solutions to environmental issues facing the Lake.
Website: www.keeptahoeblue.org
The League to Save Lake Tahoe is dedicated to protecting, restoring, and advocating for the ecosystem health and scenic beauty of the Lake Tahoe Basin. The organization focuses on water quality and its clarity for the preservation of a pristine Lake for future generations.
Keep Tahoe Blue" means a crystal clear Lake, protecting watersheds that support native plants and forests and abundant wildlife, an active and informed community of residents and visitors who act as stewards for the Lake, and communities and facilities within longstanding urban boundaries that harmonize with the natural environment, and provide low-impact outdoor recreational opportunities now and into the future.
The League is a solutions-based environmental watchdog. Our core focus is to protect Lake Tahoe’s inspiring water clarity, We advocate for strong environmental regulation and enforcement to protect Lake Tahoe for this and future generations and collaborate with stakeholders to address environmental issues. We support collaborative, innovative, and science-based solutions to environmental issues facing the Lake.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Communites for a Better Emvironment
Location: California
Website: www.cbecal.org
Founded in 1978, Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) is one of the preeminent environmental justice organizations in the nation.
The mission of CBE is to build people’s power in California’s communities of color and low income communities to achieve environmental health and justice by preventing and reducing pollution and building green, healthy and sustainable communities and environments.
CBE provides residents in blighted and heavily polluted urban communities in California with organizing skills, leadership training and legal, scientific and technical assistance, so that they can successfully confront threats to their health and well-being.
CBE’s vision embraces local transformation. But the CBE vision goes far beyond local as humanity now faces environmental crisis of global proportions.
The earth’s most vulnerable populations experience the greatest suffering from environmental degradation. Climate change has triggered deadly drought, water shortages and wildfires; air and water pollution threatens food supplies and ways of life. It’s the world environmental crisis can be solved only through a fundamental transformation of our society–from values based on profit-before-all to an approach based meeting people’s fundamental needs.
Lasting solutions happen from the ground up–with the participation and leadership of residents and workers most directly affected by pollution and environmental degradation. The struggle for environmental justice is intrinsic to movement for social justice–in the U.S. and throughout the world.
CBE envisions a society in which production and consumption are based on environmental and social sustainability, where it’s held as a basic human right to breathe clean air and drink clean water in the environment where we live, work, go to school, play, and pray—regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, culture, ability, nationality, or income.
Website: www.cbecal.org
Founded in 1978, Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) is one of the preeminent environmental justice organizations in the nation.
The mission of CBE is to build people’s power in California’s communities of color and low income communities to achieve environmental health and justice by preventing and reducing pollution and building green, healthy and sustainable communities and environments.
CBE provides residents in blighted and heavily polluted urban communities in California with organizing skills, leadership training and legal, scientific and technical assistance, so that they can successfully confront threats to their health and well-being.
CBE’s vision embraces local transformation. But the CBE vision goes far beyond local as humanity now faces environmental crisis of global proportions.
The earth’s most vulnerable populations experience the greatest suffering from environmental degradation. Climate change has triggered deadly drought, water shortages and wildfires; air and water pollution threatens food supplies and ways of life. It’s the world environmental crisis can be solved only through a fundamental transformation of our society–from values based on profit-before-all to an approach based meeting people’s fundamental needs.
Lasting solutions happen from the ground up–with the participation and leadership of residents and workers most directly affected by pollution and environmental degradation. The struggle for environmental justice is intrinsic to movement for social justice–in the U.S. and throughout the world.
CBE envisions a society in which production and consumption are based on environmental and social sustainability, where it’s held as a basic human right to breathe clean air and drink clean water in the environment where we live, work, go to school, play, and pray—regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, culture, ability, nationality, or income.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Capitol Riverfront
Location: Washington, DC area
Website: www.capitolriverfront.org
The river and its renewal are at the heart of the Capitol Riverfront, offering impressive vistas and unique opportunities for recreation and waterfront living. Rising from the foundations of its 19th-century heritage as a shipbuilding and maritime powerhouse, the Front today is leading the way in riverfront renewal and green innovation.
Here green is more than a color—it is a commitment evident in sustainable development, environmentally conscious businesses, mass transit access, walkability, and active public parks.
The Capitol Riverfront has 30+ LEED certified existing or planned buildings, the largest green roof in DC on the U.S. DOT building, the first LEED certified ballpark, a LEED Neighborhood Development project at The Yards, the largest LEED for homes project in the country at Capitol Quarter, four new parks including Canal Park designed to be a model of sustainability, and streetscape built with larger tree boxes and permeable pavers to collect storm water run-off and increase the green canopy. The parks are one of the most unique features of the Capitol Riverfront with Diamond Teague Park completed in 2009, the Yards Park on the riverfront completed in 2010 and Canal Park completed in 2012.
Unwind or recharge with nature in the Capitol Riverfront, a place for an active and healthy lifestyle. The 20-mile riverwalk trail will be a pedestrian/bicycle promenade with spectacular views of the river and the city’s skyline. With four new public parks and piers for boat docking, the Front will provide a variety of river access, open space, and recreational amenities.
Cleaning the river is a task that will take years to complete but is already underway and progress continues to be made. While 83% of the Anacostia River's Watershed is in the state of Maryland, the District with DC Water have begun their "Clean Rivers Project" which upon completion will eliminate 98% of the pollution resulting from an inadequate combined sewer overflow (CSO) system in DC.
Website: www.capitolriverfront.org
The river and its renewal are at the heart of the Capitol Riverfront, offering impressive vistas and unique opportunities for recreation and waterfront living. Rising from the foundations of its 19th-century heritage as a shipbuilding and maritime powerhouse, the Front today is leading the way in riverfront renewal and green innovation.
Here green is more than a color—it is a commitment evident in sustainable development, environmentally conscious businesses, mass transit access, walkability, and active public parks.
The Capitol Riverfront has 30+ LEED certified existing or planned buildings, the largest green roof in DC on the U.S. DOT building, the first LEED certified ballpark, a LEED Neighborhood Development project at The Yards, the largest LEED for homes project in the country at Capitol Quarter, four new parks including Canal Park designed to be a model of sustainability, and streetscape built with larger tree boxes and permeable pavers to collect storm water run-off and increase the green canopy. The parks are one of the most unique features of the Capitol Riverfront with Diamond Teague Park completed in 2009, the Yards Park on the riverfront completed in 2010 and Canal Park completed in 2012.
Unwind or recharge with nature in the Capitol Riverfront, a place for an active and healthy lifestyle. The 20-mile riverwalk trail will be a pedestrian/bicycle promenade with spectacular views of the river and the city’s skyline. With four new public parks and piers for boat docking, the Front will provide a variety of river access, open space, and recreational amenities.
Cleaning the river is a task that will take years to complete but is already underway and progress continues to be made. While 83% of the Anacostia River's Watershed is in the state of Maryland, the District with DC Water have begun their "Clean Rivers Project" which upon completion will eliminate 98% of the pollution resulting from an inadequate combined sewer overflow (CSO) system in DC.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Metropitan Policy Program
Location: Nationwide
Website: www.brookings.edu/about/programs/metro
The Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings is redefining the challenges facing metropolitan America and identifying assets and promoting innovative solutions to help communities grow in more productive, inclusive, and sustainable ways. They are the heart of the American economy. They are also our hubs of research and innovation, our centers of human capital, and our gateways of trade and immigration. Metropolitan areas drive the economy, and American competitiveness depends on their vitality.
More than ever, this is a national imperative as our global competitors move aggressively down this path — boosting exports, investing in innovation, scaling up clean technology, and embarking on large scale transformative projects. In its fifteen years, the Metro Program has become the nation's go-to organization for chronicling the dynamic demographic, economic, and social forces sweeping our country and interpreting what these forces mean for metropolitan areas. It has worked closely with states and metropolitan areas to design a new metropolitan agenda that matches the pace and intensity of demographic change and economic restructuring. It has partnered with corporate, civic, community, environmental, and political leaders to implement this agenda, either in whole or in part through the enactment of meaningful initiatives and fundamental change.
This includes work in a diverse array of states such as Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, and a diverse array of metropolitan areas such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Miami, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. While the Metro Program conducts most of its work outside of the Beltway, it led a successful federally-focused initiative known as the Blueprint for American Prosperity, which promoted an economic agenda for the nation that built on the assets and centrality of its metropolitan areas.
The Blueprint’s research (Metro Nation)and policy ideas (Metro Policy and the Blueprint Policy Series) informed over ten federal initiatives since 2009. Over the past few years, the Metro Program has continued to influence policy and practice across the country.
Anticipating the toll that the Great Recession would take on metropolitan areas and states, as well as the shifts necessary to move from a consumption-oriented economy to a more productive and sustainable economic growth model, the program realigned its research, policy ideas, practice development, and network-building activities in service of the next economy. This is an economy that is fueled by innovation, powered by low carbon, driven by exports, rich with opportunity, and fundamentally metropolitan in form and function.
It will also produce more jobs and better jobs, as well as more accessible jobs and opportunities for more metropolitan residents. It will also build smarter and more sustainable places that embrace demographic change, technological progress, and a better quality of life for all citizens. Led by co-directors and founders Bruce Katz and Amy Liu, the Metro Program helps metropolitan leadership apply the next economy framework by:
- economically empowering metropolitan areas through rigorous trend and empirical research on the top economic, social and demographic issues
- innovating locally through co-designing metropolitan economic development strategies that build on distinct assets,
- advocating nationally by producing state and federal policy ideas and platforms that are in service of metropolitan areas; and,
r- networking globally by linking decision makers to a global network of trading metropolitan areas.
Website: www.brookings.edu/about/programs/metro
The Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings is redefining the challenges facing metropolitan America and identifying assets and promoting innovative solutions to help communities grow in more productive, inclusive, and sustainable ways. They are the heart of the American economy. They are also our hubs of research and innovation, our centers of human capital, and our gateways of trade and immigration. Metropolitan areas drive the economy, and American competitiveness depends on their vitality.
More than ever, this is a national imperative as our global competitors move aggressively down this path — boosting exports, investing in innovation, scaling up clean technology, and embarking on large scale transformative projects. In its fifteen years, the Metro Program has become the nation's go-to organization for chronicling the dynamic demographic, economic, and social forces sweeping our country and interpreting what these forces mean for metropolitan areas. It has worked closely with states and metropolitan areas to design a new metropolitan agenda that matches the pace and intensity of demographic change and economic restructuring. It has partnered with corporate, civic, community, environmental, and political leaders to implement this agenda, either in whole or in part through the enactment of meaningful initiatives and fundamental change.
This includes work in a diverse array of states such as Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, and a diverse array of metropolitan areas such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Miami, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. While the Metro Program conducts most of its work outside of the Beltway, it led a successful federally-focused initiative known as the Blueprint for American Prosperity, which promoted an economic agenda for the nation that built on the assets and centrality of its metropolitan areas.
The Blueprint’s research (Metro Nation)and policy ideas (Metro Policy and the Blueprint Policy Series) informed over ten federal initiatives since 2009. Over the past few years, the Metro Program has continued to influence policy and practice across the country.
Anticipating the toll that the Great Recession would take on metropolitan areas and states, as well as the shifts necessary to move from a consumption-oriented economy to a more productive and sustainable economic growth model, the program realigned its research, policy ideas, practice development, and network-building activities in service of the next economy. This is an economy that is fueled by innovation, powered by low carbon, driven by exports, rich with opportunity, and fundamentally metropolitan in form and function.
It will also produce more jobs and better jobs, as well as more accessible jobs and opportunities for more metropolitan residents. It will also build smarter and more sustainable places that embrace demographic change, technological progress, and a better quality of life for all citizens. Led by co-directors and founders Bruce Katz and Amy Liu, the Metro Program helps metropolitan leadership apply the next economy framework by:
- economically empowering metropolitan areas through rigorous trend and empirical research on the top economic, social and demographic issues
- innovating locally through co-designing metropolitan economic development strategies that build on distinct assets,
- advocating nationally by producing state and federal policy ideas and platforms that are in service of metropolitan areas; and,
r- networking globally by linking decision makers to a global network of trading metropolitan areas.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Help Save Knowland Park!
Location: Oakland, CA
Website: www.saveknowland.org
Knowland Park is a 500-acre wildland park in the Oakland hills, deeded to the city in the 1970s under the condition that it would always remain a park. Located above the Oakland Zoo, which sits on a portion of the property, it is the largest and most pristine of Oakland’s parks, a thriving hotspot for rare native plants and wildlife. But it has never been listed on the city’s Parks website, despite repeated requests.
Thus its amazing natural resources remain relatively undiscovered by the public.
In 2011, the City approved a major “conservation” theme park expansion of the Oakland Zoo into more than 50 acres of sensitive wildlife and rare plant habitat in the undeveloped area of the park. The development would include an aerial gondola ride with 60-foot towers and a three-story ridgetop visitor center, restaurant and gift shop, all approved without a full Environmental Impact Report and over the protests of numerous environmental and citizens’ groups.
Two of these groups, the Friends of Knowland Park and the East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, have filed a lawsuit aimed at forcing the City to complete a full environmental review as required under the California Environmental Quality Act.
A full EIR would require thorough consideration of other alternatives to this destructive and expensive project.
0ur goals are to save the park’s precious habitat for existing wildlife and to protect the remainder of Knowland Park from further development, specifically:
- Ensure preservation of the largest remaining piece of open space owned by the city of Oakland for wildlife habitat, native plants and free public access.
- Dissuade the Zoo from its current ill-conceived expansion plan and work toward a more modest plan that serves an authentic conservation goal: preserving wildlife habitat.
- Reduce or mitigate traffic congestion, noise/light and air pollution impacts on surrounding communities and wildlife.
- Increase community awareness of the threats to open space and wildlife habitat in the South Bay hills and the relationships between the fight to protect Knowland Park and other community concerns.
- Require the City to complete a full Environmental Impact Report.
Website: www.saveknowland.org
Knowland Park is a 500-acre wildland park in the Oakland hills, deeded to the city in the 1970s under the condition that it would always remain a park. Located above the Oakland Zoo, which sits on a portion of the property, it is the largest and most pristine of Oakland’s parks, a thriving hotspot for rare native plants and wildlife. But it has never been listed on the city’s Parks website, despite repeated requests.
Thus its amazing natural resources remain relatively undiscovered by the public.
In 2011, the City approved a major “conservation” theme park expansion of the Oakland Zoo into more than 50 acres of sensitive wildlife and rare plant habitat in the undeveloped area of the park. The development would include an aerial gondola ride with 60-foot towers and a three-story ridgetop visitor center, restaurant and gift shop, all approved without a full Environmental Impact Report and over the protests of numerous environmental and citizens’ groups.
Two of these groups, the Friends of Knowland Park and the East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, have filed a lawsuit aimed at forcing the City to complete a full environmental review as required under the California Environmental Quality Act.
A full EIR would require thorough consideration of other alternatives to this destructive and expensive project.
0ur goals are to save the park’s precious habitat for existing wildlife and to protect the remainder of Knowland Park from further development, specifically:
- Ensure preservation of the largest remaining piece of open space owned by the city of Oakland for wildlife habitat, native plants and free public access.
- Dissuade the Zoo from its current ill-conceived expansion plan and work toward a more modest plan that serves an authentic conservation goal: preserving wildlife habitat.
- Reduce or mitigate traffic congestion, noise/light and air pollution impacts on surrounding communities and wildlife.
- Increase community awareness of the threats to open space and wildlife habitat in the South Bay hills and the relationships between the fight to protect Knowland Park and other community concerns.
- Require the City to complete a full Environmental Impact Report.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
100 Resilient Coties
Location: International
Website: www.rockefellerfoundation.org/100-resilient-cities
As natural and man-made shocks and stresses grow in frequency, impact and scale, with the ability to ripple across systems and geographies, cities are largely unprepared to respond to, withstand, and bounce back from disasters.
With more than 75 percent of people expected to live in cities by 2050, public and private sector leaders are expressing an increasing desire to build greater resilience, yet many have neither the technical expertise nor the financial resources to create and execute resilience strategies on a city-wide scale, in a way that addresses the need of the poor or vulnerable people.
To enable 100 cities to better address major 21st century challenges, the Rockefeller Foundation is inviting cities from around the world to apply.
In August, cities can be nominated through a formal application process. Winning cities will be announced in three rounds over the next three years, with the final round of winners named in 2015.
Each winning city will receive:
- Membership in the 100 Resilient Cities Network which will provide support to member cities and share new knowledge and resilience best practices.
- Support to hire a Chief Resilience Officer to oversee the development of a resilience strategy for the city and be part of a learning network of other CROs.
- Support to create a resilience plan, along with tools and resources for implementation.
Now is the time for action to ensure our cities remain places of opportunity for the next 100 years.
Website: www.rockefellerfoundation.org/100-resilient-cities
As natural and man-made shocks and stresses grow in frequency, impact and scale, with the ability to ripple across systems and geographies, cities are largely unprepared to respond to, withstand, and bounce back from disasters.
With more than 75 percent of people expected to live in cities by 2050, public and private sector leaders are expressing an increasing desire to build greater resilience, yet many have neither the technical expertise nor the financial resources to create and execute resilience strategies on a city-wide scale, in a way that addresses the need of the poor or vulnerable people.
To enable 100 cities to better address major 21st century challenges, the Rockefeller Foundation is inviting cities from around the world to apply.
In August, cities can be nominated through a formal application process. Winning cities will be announced in three rounds over the next three years, with the final round of winners named in 2015.
Each winning city will receive:
- Membership in the 100 Resilient Cities Network which will provide support to member cities and share new knowledge and resilience best practices.
- Support to hire a Chief Resilience Officer to oversee the development of a resilience strategy for the city and be part of a learning network of other CROs.
- Support to create a resilience plan, along with tools and resources for implementation.
Now is the time for action to ensure our cities remain places of opportunity for the next 100 years.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Terrain.org
Location: International
Website: www.terrain.org
Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built + Natural Environments is a quarterly journal publishing online since 1997 that searches for the interface — the integration — among the built and natural environments that might be called the soul of place.
It is not definitely about urban form, nor solely about natural landscapes. It is not precisely about human culture, nor necessarily about ecology. It is, rather, a celebration of the symbiosis between the built and natural environments where it exists, and an examination and discourse where it does not.
The literary, journalistic, and artistic works contained with Terrain.org are of the highest quality, submitted by a variety of contributors for a diverse audience, including some of the finest material previously appearing in Terra Nova: Nature & Culture.
The works may be idealistic, technical, historical, philosophical, and more. Above all, they focus on the environments around us — the built and natural environments — that both affect and are affected by the human species.
Terrain.org strives to be both a resource and a pleasure, a compass and a shelter. Technical and journalistic works contained in the Nonfiction, Unsprawl, Reviews, Interview, and perhaps even Editorials sections are aimed at professionals and other interested individuals and groups.
These contributions can help communities develop and redevelop in a more sustainable manner. Literary and artistic works contained in the Poetry, Nonfiction, Fiction, Editorials, ARTerrain, and To Know a Place sections allow the reader to relax and enjoy the pieces for what they are. All work contained within Terrain.org is, we hope, accessible to all interested audiences.
While a case study may help a community planner in his or her job, it may also inform a banker, inspire a student, and educate a mechanic. While a poem may give joy to a teacher, it may also provide a brief sojourn for a scientist, give cause to reflect for a developer, and give hope to a housewife (or househusband). We are also seeking videos, and hope to build out that new genre over the upcoming issues.
The works contained within Terrain.org ultimately examine the physical realm around us, and how those environments influence us and each other physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
So brew up a pot of cybertea, rest your feet upon that favorite desk, and enjoy.
Website: www.terrain.org
Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built + Natural Environments is a quarterly journal publishing online since 1997 that searches for the interface — the integration — among the built and natural environments that might be called the soul of place.
It is not definitely about urban form, nor solely about natural landscapes. It is not precisely about human culture, nor necessarily about ecology. It is, rather, a celebration of the symbiosis between the built and natural environments where it exists, and an examination and discourse where it does not.
The literary, journalistic, and artistic works contained with Terrain.org are of the highest quality, submitted by a variety of contributors for a diverse audience, including some of the finest material previously appearing in Terra Nova: Nature & Culture.
The works may be idealistic, technical, historical, philosophical, and more. Above all, they focus on the environments around us — the built and natural environments — that both affect and are affected by the human species.
Terrain.org strives to be both a resource and a pleasure, a compass and a shelter. Technical and journalistic works contained in the Nonfiction, Unsprawl, Reviews, Interview, and perhaps even Editorials sections are aimed at professionals and other interested individuals and groups.
These contributions can help communities develop and redevelop in a more sustainable manner. Literary and artistic works contained in the Poetry, Nonfiction, Fiction, Editorials, ARTerrain, and To Know a Place sections allow the reader to relax and enjoy the pieces for what they are. All work contained within Terrain.org is, we hope, accessible to all interested audiences.
While a case study may help a community planner in his or her job, it may also inform a banker, inspire a student, and educate a mechanic. While a poem may give joy to a teacher, it may also provide a brief sojourn for a scientist, give cause to reflect for a developer, and give hope to a housewife (or househusband). We are also seeking videos, and hope to build out that new genre over the upcoming issues.
The works contained within Terrain.org ultimately examine the physical realm around us, and how those environments influence us and each other physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
So brew up a pot of cybertea, rest your feet upon that favorite desk, and enjoy.
Friday, March 22, 2013
County Health Rankings and Roadmaps
Location: Nationwide
Website:
www.countyhealthrankings.org
The County Health Rankings rank the health of nearly every county in the nation and show that much of what affects health occurs outside of the doctor’s office.
The County Health Rankings confirm the critical role that factors such as education, jobs, income, and environment play in how healthy people are and how long they live.
Published by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Rankings help counties understand what influences how healthy residents are and how long they will live.
The Rankings look at a variety of measures that affect health such as the rate of people dying before age 75, high school graduation rates, access to healthier foods, air pollution levels, income, and rates of smoking, obesity and teen births.
The Rankings, based on the latest data publically available for each county, are unique in their ability to measure the overall health of each county in all 50 states on the multiple factors that influence health.
Website:
www.countyhealthrankings.org
The County Health Rankings rank the health of nearly every county in the nation and show that much of what affects health occurs outside of the doctor’s office.
The County Health Rankings confirm the critical role that factors such as education, jobs, income, and environment play in how healthy people are and how long they live.
Published by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Rankings help counties understand what influences how healthy residents are and how long they will live.
The Rankings look at a variety of measures that affect health such as the rate of people dying before age 75, high school graduation rates, access to healthier foods, air pollution levels, income, and rates of smoking, obesity and teen births.
The Rankings, based on the latest data publically available for each county, are unique in their ability to measure the overall health of each county in all 50 states on the multiple factors that influence health.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Municipalities With Soil Volume Minimums for Trees
Location: Various cities
Website: www.deeproot.com/blog/blog-entries/municipalities-that-are-doing-more-for-trees
Adequate amounts of lightly compacted, good-quality soil are essential to healthy tree growth.
Nowhere are these conditions more challenging than in urban areas dominated by streets, sidewalks, buildings and parking lots. These surfaces are essential for urban living but require heavy soil compaction, which limits the development of large, healthy root systems.
The USDA Forest Service recently determined that U.S. cities are losing around 4 million trees annually — this at a time when average urban canopy cover in North America is still lower in most places than what is recommended by American Forests.
Still, it’s not all doom and gloom. Cities across North America recognize that in order to have healthy, vibrant urban forests, they need to plant trees in more soil.
Guidelines already exist that correlate tree size directly with available soil volume, so this isn’t a matter of guesswork. What these cities are doing is simple, but remarkable: They are literally changing their landscapes by mandating that all street trees (used here as a general term to mean any tree planted in a paved area) receive a certain minimum amount of soil.
We’ve identified the following communities for their ambitious policies that are redefining requirements for green utilities, specifically for trees, soil and stormwater management:
Toronto, ON –
Perhaps the most ambitious initiative we’ve yet seen, the City of Toronto calls for street trees to get a minimum of 15 m3 (529 ft 3)of high quality soil per tree if in a shared planter, and a minimum volume of 30 m3 (1,059 ft3) of soil per tree if in a single planter.
Oakville, ON –
this City requirement calls for 30m3 (1,059 ft3) of soil per tree, or 15 m3 (530 ft3) if in a shared trench.
Baltimore, MD –
This initiative sets an example for increasing the tree canopy as a way to preserve the environment and manage stormwater. Using permeable paving, landscaping, rain gardens, and green roofs, it asks for sites to filter more than 50 percent of stormwater runoff from areas and install at least 1,500 cubic feet of soil for tree pits using structural soils or suspended pavement for any new impervious surfaces or retrofit/redevelopment projects.
University of Florida (IFAS Extension) –
The project created an Urban Design for a Wind Resistant Urban Forest. Planners increased the soil and depth requirements to allow trees to mature and live longer using the following guidelines (soil area based on mature tree size, 3’ deep or greater):
• Small (shorter than 30’) = 10’x10’x3’ = 300 ft3
• Medium (Less than 50’ height or spread) = 20’x20’x3’ = 1,200 ft3
• Large (Greater than 50’ height or spread) = 30’x30’x3’ = 2,700 ft3
State of West Virginia –
The community created a municipal handbook to manage wet weather through specific green infrastructure and made the following soil recommendations based on those from Prince William County, VA:
• Large tree = 970 ft3,
• Medium tree = 750 ft3 and
• Small tree = 500 ft3
Athens-Clarke County, GA –
The community created best management practices for community tree planting and soil volume minimums:
• Small Canopy: 100 square feet x 2’ deep = 200 ft3,
• Medium Canopy: 225 square feet x 2’ deep = 450 ft3 and
• Large Canopy: 400 square feet x 2’ deep = 800 ft3
State of Minnesota –
Where trees are planted in hard surfaces, the community uses a structural soil media mix of minimum soil volume of 500 cubic feet (cf) per tree. If soil volumes cannot be met it is recommended that trees be planted in minimum 8′ wide by approximately 3′ deep trenches so that soil volumes are shared between trees.
Charlotte, NC –
Planners amended the planting area requirements and recommendations for commercial development to increase the absolute minimum soil volume and planting area to 274 square feet per tree. The minimum width of the planting area is 8’ at the trunk of the tree.
British Columbia -
Recommended minimum soil volume per tree of 6m3 (212ft3), and more is better.
Markham, ON –
These design guidelines make the following soil volume recommendations:
• Large stature tree in boulevard = 30 cubic meters/1,059 cubic feet (if single) or 15 cubic meters/530 cubic feet (if shared) of root space,
• Medium stature tree in boulevard = 23 cubic meters/812 cubic feet of root space,
• Small stature tree = 15 cubic meters/530 cubic feet root space
• Minimum soil volume for tree planting in a parking lot island is 15 cubic meters/530 cubic feet.
Aspen, CO –
The community amended its structural soils specifications so that soil area is now based on a targeted mature tree size, requiring 30 inches or more depth and a correcsponding increase in soil volume.
Soil area based on mature tree size, 30” deep or greater:
• Small (shorter than 30’) = 10’x10’x2.5’ = 250 ft3,
• Medium (Less than 50’ height or spread) = 20’x20’x2.5’ = 1,000 ft3,
• Large (Greater than 50’ height or spread) = 30’x30’x2.5’ = 2,250 ft3
Chicago, IL -
The city amended planting standards and now requires parkway trees to have a minimum depth of three feet of soil. Planting areas require a minimum of 24 square feet of surface area with no dimension less than three feet.
Denver, CO –
The city’s “Street Tree Plan Review Checklist” sets a soil volume minimum of 750 cubic feet of soil per tree and states that, “5’ x 5’ pit areas shall no longer be accepted, must use trenches, root paths, break out zones, structural cells, or other un-compacted soil technology.”
Emeryville, CA -
The community requires minimum rootable soil volumes for new trees planted in the public right of way by private developers. The minimum is based on the size of the tree at maturity:
• 600 cubic feet for a small tree,
• 900 for a medium tree and
• 1200 for a large tree.
Alexandria, VA –
The city’s Landscape Guidelines specify that street trees be provided with a minimum of 300 cubic feet of soil per tree and recommends that one tree be present for every ten spaces in parking areas.
Are any of these perfect? Probably not.
Certainly there are things we would change about almost all of them. Still, setting soil volume minimums for street trees tacitly enforces the message that business as usual as far as tree planting is concerned isn’t good enough.
We need to rethink how we plan for our urban forests and the role of green infrastructure in the built environment. The new game in town is high performance urban forestry.
Are you involved with making soil volume recommendations for trees? Hopefully you can use some of this information to help persuade your co-workers and clients of this important effort.
Should your city or town be on this list, or do you know of any others that we missed? We want to hear about your goals for growing healthy trees in your community.
(from Deep Root Corporation)
Website: www.deeproot.com/blog/blog-entries/municipalities-that-are-doing-more-for-trees
Adequate amounts of lightly compacted, good-quality soil are essential to healthy tree growth.
Nowhere are these conditions more challenging than in urban areas dominated by streets, sidewalks, buildings and parking lots. These surfaces are essential for urban living but require heavy soil compaction, which limits the development of large, healthy root systems.
The USDA Forest Service recently determined that U.S. cities are losing around 4 million trees annually — this at a time when average urban canopy cover in North America is still lower in most places than what is recommended by American Forests.
Still, it’s not all doom and gloom. Cities across North America recognize that in order to have healthy, vibrant urban forests, they need to plant trees in more soil.
Guidelines already exist that correlate tree size directly with available soil volume, so this isn’t a matter of guesswork. What these cities are doing is simple, but remarkable: They are literally changing their landscapes by mandating that all street trees (used here as a general term to mean any tree planted in a paved area) receive a certain minimum amount of soil.
We’ve identified the following communities for their ambitious policies that are redefining requirements for green utilities, specifically for trees, soil and stormwater management:
Toronto, ON –
Perhaps the most ambitious initiative we’ve yet seen, the City of Toronto calls for street trees to get a minimum of 15 m3 (529 ft 3)of high quality soil per tree if in a shared planter, and a minimum volume of 30 m3 (1,059 ft3) of soil per tree if in a single planter.
Oakville, ON –
this City requirement calls for 30m3 (1,059 ft3) of soil per tree, or 15 m3 (530 ft3) if in a shared trench.
Baltimore, MD –
This initiative sets an example for increasing the tree canopy as a way to preserve the environment and manage stormwater. Using permeable paving, landscaping, rain gardens, and green roofs, it asks for sites to filter more than 50 percent of stormwater runoff from areas and install at least 1,500 cubic feet of soil for tree pits using structural soils or suspended pavement for any new impervious surfaces or retrofit/redevelopment projects.
University of Florida (IFAS Extension) –
The project created an Urban Design for a Wind Resistant Urban Forest. Planners increased the soil and depth requirements to allow trees to mature and live longer using the following guidelines (soil area based on mature tree size, 3’ deep or greater):
• Small (shorter than 30’) = 10’x10’x3’ = 300 ft3
• Medium (Less than 50’ height or spread) = 20’x20’x3’ = 1,200 ft3
• Large (Greater than 50’ height or spread) = 30’x30’x3’ = 2,700 ft3
State of West Virginia –
The community created a municipal handbook to manage wet weather through specific green infrastructure and made the following soil recommendations based on those from Prince William County, VA:
• Large tree = 970 ft3,
• Medium tree = 750 ft3 and
• Small tree = 500 ft3
Athens-Clarke County, GA –
The community created best management practices for community tree planting and soil volume minimums:
• Small Canopy: 100 square feet x 2’ deep = 200 ft3,
• Medium Canopy: 225 square feet x 2’ deep = 450 ft3 and
• Large Canopy: 400 square feet x 2’ deep = 800 ft3
State of Minnesota –
Where trees are planted in hard surfaces, the community uses a structural soil media mix of minimum soil volume of 500 cubic feet (cf) per tree. If soil volumes cannot be met it is recommended that trees be planted in minimum 8′ wide by approximately 3′ deep trenches so that soil volumes are shared between trees.
Charlotte, NC –
Planners amended the planting area requirements and recommendations for commercial development to increase the absolute minimum soil volume and planting area to 274 square feet per tree. The minimum width of the planting area is 8’ at the trunk of the tree.
British Columbia -
Recommended minimum soil volume per tree of 6m3 (212ft3), and more is better.
Markham, ON –
These design guidelines make the following soil volume recommendations:
• Large stature tree in boulevard = 30 cubic meters/1,059 cubic feet (if single) or 15 cubic meters/530 cubic feet (if shared) of root space,
• Medium stature tree in boulevard = 23 cubic meters/812 cubic feet of root space,
• Small stature tree = 15 cubic meters/530 cubic feet root space
• Minimum soil volume for tree planting in a parking lot island is 15 cubic meters/530 cubic feet.
Aspen, CO –
The community amended its structural soils specifications so that soil area is now based on a targeted mature tree size, requiring 30 inches or more depth and a correcsponding increase in soil volume.
Soil area based on mature tree size, 30” deep or greater:
• Small (shorter than 30’) = 10’x10’x2.5’ = 250 ft3,
• Medium (Less than 50’ height or spread) = 20’x20’x2.5’ = 1,000 ft3,
• Large (Greater than 50’ height or spread) = 30’x30’x2.5’ = 2,250 ft3
Chicago, IL -
The city amended planting standards and now requires parkway trees to have a minimum depth of three feet of soil. Planting areas require a minimum of 24 square feet of surface area with no dimension less than three feet.
Denver, CO –
The city’s “Street Tree Plan Review Checklist” sets a soil volume minimum of 750 cubic feet of soil per tree and states that, “5’ x 5’ pit areas shall no longer be accepted, must use trenches, root paths, break out zones, structural cells, or other un-compacted soil technology.”
Emeryville, CA -
The community requires minimum rootable soil volumes for new trees planted in the public right of way by private developers. The minimum is based on the size of the tree at maturity:
• 600 cubic feet for a small tree,
• 900 for a medium tree and
• 1200 for a large tree.
Alexandria, VA –
The city’s Landscape Guidelines specify that street trees be provided with a minimum of 300 cubic feet of soil per tree and recommends that one tree be present for every ten spaces in parking areas.
Are any of these perfect? Probably not.
Certainly there are things we would change about almost all of them. Still, setting soil volume minimums for street trees tacitly enforces the message that business as usual as far as tree planting is concerned isn’t good enough.
We need to rethink how we plan for our urban forests and the role of green infrastructure in the built environment. The new game in town is high performance urban forestry.
Are you involved with making soil volume recommendations for trees? Hopefully you can use some of this information to help persuade your co-workers and clients of this important effort.
Should your city or town be on this list, or do you know of any others that we missed? We want to hear about your goals for growing healthy trees in your community.
(from Deep Root Corporation)
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
SEED
Location: Nationwide
Websie: www.seed-network.org
SEED maintains the belief that design can play a vital role in the most critical issues that face communities and individuals, in crisis and in every day challenges. To accomplish this, SEED provides tools—the SEED Network and SEED Certification—that guide design professionals toward community-based engagement with design practice. These tools support a public-interest methodology that is increasingly recognized as an effective way to sustain the health and longevity of a place or a community as it develops over time.
For designers and others looking for resources and a community of practice where like-minded people share an interest in the results of design and care about fundamental ideals of practice.
For designers, project developers, community leaders and others who desire a common standard to guide, measure, evaluate and certify the social, economic and environmental impact of design projects.
For those who want to learn more about SEED, read case studies of SEED Certified projects, search for projects based on issue or location, read recent press or support SEED.
Websie: www.seed-network.org
SEED maintains the belief that design can play a vital role in the most critical issues that face communities and individuals, in crisis and in every day challenges. To accomplish this, SEED provides tools—the SEED Network and SEED Certification—that guide design professionals toward community-based engagement with design practice. These tools support a public-interest methodology that is increasingly recognized as an effective way to sustain the health and longevity of a place or a community as it develops over time.
For designers and others looking for resources and a community of practice where like-minded people share an interest in the results of design and care about fundamental ideals of practice.
For designers, project developers, community leaders and others who desire a common standard to guide, measure, evaluate and certify the social, economic and environmental impact of design projects.
For those who want to learn more about SEED, read case studies of SEED Certified projects, search for projects based on issue or location, read recent press or support SEED.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Save The Bay
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Websitewww.saveSFbay.org
Save The Bay is the largest regional organization working to protect, restore and celebrate San Francisco Bay. As its leading champion since 1961, Save The Bay protects the Bay from pollution and inappropriate shoreline development, making it cleaner and healthier for people and wildlife.
We restore habitat and secure strong policies to re-establish 100,000 acres of wetlands that are essential for a healthy Bay. We engage more than 40,000 supporters, advocates and volunteers to protect the Bay, and inspire the next generation of environmental leaders by educating thousands of students annually.
Websitewww.saveSFbay.org
Save The Bay is the largest regional organization working to protect, restore and celebrate San Francisco Bay. As its leading champion since 1961, Save The Bay protects the Bay from pollution and inappropriate shoreline development, making it cleaner and healthier for people and wildlife.
We restore habitat and secure strong policies to re-establish 100,000 acres of wetlands that are essential for a healthy Bay. We engage more than 40,000 supporters, advocates and volunteers to protect the Bay, and inspire the next generation of environmental leaders by educating thousands of students annually.
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