Our last Frugal Feast host really threw down the gauntlet, creating a gorgeous home-cooked meal for a dozen of our friends for less than $5 a plate. But this month’s host was unfazed to say the least. I’ll let his menu speak for itself:

• Saffron-popped corn, topped with olive oil and chile flakes
• Chuko-inspired crispy kale salad with baked kale leaves, cannellini beans, homemade sweet potato chips and dragon sauce
• Reverse winter risotto with butternut squash and parsnip cubes, Arborio rice sauce, green beans, baby portabellas, garlic confit and balsamic drizzle
• Chianti poached bosc pears for dessert, with mascarpone, cinnamon, vanilla and brown sugar

All for $5 dollars a person. And almost entirely vegan. I’ll give you a moment to collect yourself.

Participating in this meal (and daydreaming about it ever since) made me think of a recent post in Grist that issues the following challenge to chefs: Make me a delicious vegetarian entree — or stop claiming to care about sustainability.

More and more restaurants are focusing on sustainability, even using how and where their ingredients are produced as major selling points. This includes boasting about the sustainably produced meats and dairy products used in their menus.  

Don’t get me wrong, this is an awesome development. I believe it is absolutely critical that we as consumers support—and build healthy markets for—livestock farmers who are producing meats, cheeses, and eggs with real stewardship of their land and animals and respect for their workers. But even the most sustainably-produced meat dishes come with a greater environmental footprint than dishes made from ingredients that are lower on the food chain.

As the Grist piece points out, that’s why a key component of “conscientious omnivorism” (I prefer Mark Bittman’s “flexitarianism”) is eating meat sparingly. And with recent polls showing that a full one-third of Americans regularly eat meatless meals—on top of the 5% of Americans who are vegans or vegetarians—it’s high time for beautiful, healthful, and delicious vegetarian dishes to have their moment.

If our February Frugal Feast host can do it in a small Brooklyn kitchen, then New York City’s finest chefs can too. So I echo Grist’s call:

“You say you care about sustainability? Prove it. Add to your menu a vegetarian entrée so appealing that even omnivores won’t be able to resist. I dare you.”

And if you need inspiration, just let us Feasters know.

As Apple moves forward to address environmental problems in its supply chain, the opportunity is wide open to become a model for other companies to follow.

 As USA Today reports,  Apple is moving forward with the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE), a Chinese NGO,  to address environmental problems in factories in its supply chain in China.  The company has already put corrective actions in place in more than a dozen factories and is gearing up to identify and then address other existing environmental problems elsewhere.

Cynics are probably right that none of this would have happened unless Apple got in trouble.  IPE released a detailed report in September on more than a dozen factories in Apple’s supply chain that had been cited by government officials for environmental compliance problems, (The Other Side of Apple II). 

As those of us who have worked in China heartily agree: by the time government cites a factory for environmental discharge problems, things are probably pretty bad.  So this list of violators caught everyone’s attention, including Apple executives.

However, I think most people would also agree that if Apple can get this right, a lot of companies will follow. 

That’s why we jumped into this with both feet.  After four years of work in China in other sectors, I can tell you that it is not easy to find motivated and highly functioning international entities of any sort to solve the environmental problems caused by globalization. 

As I have found to be the case with almost all companies, Apple’s corporate responsibility programs now fall short of what is necessary to effectively address egregious environmental problems.  But the company is stepping up. It is too early to say what its effort will amount to, but I have found there a genuine desire to get on top of this problem and get the job done right starting now.  And the company is certainly capable of taking this on and becoming a model for other multi-nationals operating in the wild, wild east (The Ugly Side of Globalization).

So, what does serious 2012-level work to curtail environmental supply chain problems look like?

 Pay attention, other multi-national corporations, because few if any of you are doing this!!  Your day of reckoning is probably not too far behind:

1.  The multi-national corporation has mapped its supply chain and knows the factories that make its stuff – all the way from beginning to end.  In this mapping exercise, it has identified the chemicals used and released and spotted the likely environmental “hot spots” – places that use large quantities of energy, water, and/or toxic chemicals – to concentrate focus where things matter the most.
2. The multi-national corporation is routinely tracking and monitoring environmental performance of these factories at scale.  Not a pilot program of a handful of facilities – I’m talking about all, or at least a critical mass, of their strategically important suppliers. 
3. The multi-national corporation requires that factories address violations or problems  expeditiously and inspects improvements to verify they are really in place.
4. The multi-national corporation disqualifies repeat violators with significant violations from doing further business with the multi-national.
5. The multi-national corporation requires its factories to routinely disclose information on significant environmental matters to the general public, and to create a means of communicating back and forth with their local communities so that complaints are heard, recorded, and addressed promptly.

All of this is basic stuff for companies still operating in America; those who have not ventured abroad likely find this list to be a ho-hum, obvious set of cornerstones of a basic environmental compliance program. However, this agenda is far, far, far from the scope of the Corporate Social Responsibility/Sustainability departments in most if not all multi-national firms today.  (More on that in a future blog). 

So, headline news:  Apple is stepping forward to take the first bites of this work.  (I hereby knight the Apple logo with an important second meaning.)   The company already has 14 in-depth audits of factories that IPE reported with problems and has required corrective actions.  From there, Apple says it will scale up its routine audit processes to find any other existing problems and put policies and programs in place to prevent new problems from arising.  The company is even willing to engage in investigating paths forward for public disclosure. 

If we succeed, it could be a real game changer for environmental protection in China. 

So, fingers crossed, wish us luck.  I’ll be in touch on how it goes.

In 2008, the substantially updated town center of Plessis-Robinson, a suburb of Paris, was named “the best urban neighborhood built in the last 25 years” by the European Architecture Foundation.  A composite of six connected districts ranging in size from 5.6 to 59 acres, the revitalization comprises public buildings, retail, market-rate and subsidized affordable housing, parks, schools, gardens, sports facilities, and a hospital.  Construction was begun in 1990 and took a decade to complete.

From the beginning, the concept was to develop a highly walkable environment, while using locally sourced materials as much as possible, and preserving wetland habitat.  The town as a whole now contains seven parks and gardens amounting to over 120 acres of protected green space.  (There are also three industrial and technology zones housing many of the town’s 240 companies and 11,000 employees.)  Architecturally grounded in traditional French forms, the rebuilt sections look much as if they have been there for years.

The Eco Compact City Network, a European forum for municipalities, developers, architects, and other practitioners interested in green urbanism, describes the intention behind the transformation:

"The construction of the new urban centre is part of a particular town planning policy which the Municipality of Plessis-Robinson developed at the beginning of the 90s in order to start a virtuous process of transformation of a typical suburban settlement into a true urban environment. The project of [master planner] François Spoerry develops an attitude towards the creation of a hierarchy-oriented urban fabric in a regional style which strongly contributes to establish a clear identity in an suburban settlement which has chaotically grown up in the periphery of a large metropolis like the Franch capital.

"Being conceived as a model for future similar interventions of urban renaissance, the re-urbanisation plan has proven to be highly successful among the residents. While the reduced budget of [subsidized affordable] housing settlements did not allow the use of marble and stone, the extreme attention paid in the design process has led to a remarkable result of balance between the richness of details and the global coherence of the whole."

I first wrote about Plessis-Robinson back in 2009, after it had won top honors in the Phillipe Rotthier European Prize competition, selected by a jury of international architects and urbanists.  I cited one of my fellow travelers in urbanist circles, Laurence Aurbach, who had previously written this about the project’s green features:

“Plessis-Robinson’s style of sustainability emphasizes parks and flowers, clean water, recycling, compact and walkable urban design, transit, nonpolluting vehicles, and green technical and administrative procedures for city government.”

The town is now not only significantly green but, as you can see, also immensely photogenic.  American suburban communities currently contemplating transformative updates, such as Dublin, Ohio, parts of Prince George’s County, Maryland, and parts of Silicon Valley in California might do well to take note.

Under French law governing municipalities, Plessis-Robinson is a commune, sitting about 6.5 miles from the heart of Paris.  In the satellite images, you see the town in relation to central Paris (with the centrally located Cathedral Notre Dame and Eiffel Tower marked for reference).  And you see the area covered by the commune (about 1.3 square miles total), along with the more central revitalized portion.  Its population was estimated at 26,581 in 2009. 

Plessis-Robinson is served by bus transit and, about a mile from the center of town, the RER, the excellent regional rail system that serves Paris and its surroundings (there is a shuttle from P-R).  Residents of the northeastern portion of the town are within comfortable walking distance to the rail station.  Several new tram lines are also reportedly in the works.

Aurbach writes that, as of 1989 when a progressive mayor was elected (you see him in the video below), “three-quarters of the city’s residential stock was dilapidated public housing.”  Some of the housing was renovated and some was demolished to make way for the new development, which continues to include affordable housing but now within a mixed-income, mixed-use community. 

The town’s official website (in French) highlights its commitment to sustainable development, including walkable architecture, low-emission vehicles, water recycling, green space, a municipal tree registry, and accountability to the public.

There is reported history in the area now known as Plessis-Robinson dating as far back as 839, according to the town’s Wikipedia entry.  The building that is now the Town Hall was built in the 17th century.  Plessis was a popular weekend getaway for Parisians in the nineteenth century, and a more recent building boom took place after the turn of the 20th century.

Below is a terrific video showing the town’s progress.  It’s in French but has great visuals and is highly informative even if you don’t speak the language.  It looks like a great place to live:

   Le Plessis-Robinson : Cœur de ville, l’école ANATOLE FRANCE (359) - kewego

Move your cursor over the images for credit information.

Kaid Benfield writes (almost) daily about community, development, and the environment.  For more posts, see his blog's home page.  Please also visit NRDC’s Sustainable Communities Video Channel.

NRDC has been working in China for over fifteen years on such issues as energy efficiency, green buildings, clean energy technologies, environmental governance and public participation, and green supply chain issues. This China Environmental News Alert is a weekly compilation of news from around the world on China and the environment.

February 14, 2012 – February 22, 2012

Chinese Electric Car Pollution More Harmful to Humans Than Gas Cars: In China, an electric car revolution may have actually worsened air quality

Chicago Tribune (February 14, 2012)

In China, where there are more than 100 million electrically-powered scooters and cars, alternatively-powered vehicles may be worse for the environment than gasoline-powered vehicles, according to a report released Monday by a team from the University of Tennessee. The problem in China comes from the way most electricity is generated--more than 75 percent of power in China is generated by coal. So, rather than look at vehicle-emissions alone, where electric cars easily beat gas- and diesel-powered cars, the researchers studied the environmental impact of the whole power chain.

Urumqi to invest heavily to cut air pollution

Xinhua (February 15, 2012)

China's northwestern city of Urumqi plans to invest 4.45 billion yuan this year to curb air pollution. The money will fund 16 projects which include a major overhaul of the city's heating system -- especially the demolition of 5,000 small coal-firing furnaces for winter heating -- and improving air emission treatment for 30 big polluting factories, according to a proposed budget submitted for approval at the ongoing local congressional meeting.

Worsening air pollution costs China dearly: study

Reuters (February 15, 2012)

China's worsening air pollution, after decades of unbridled economic growth, cost the country $112 billion in 2005 in lost economic productivity, a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has found. The figure, which also took into account people's lost leisure time because of illness or death, was $22 billion in 1975. The study, published in the journal Global Environmental Change, measured the harmful effects of two air pollutants: ozone and particulates, which can lead to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

South Pole protection law to be introduced

Xinhua (February 16, 2012)

A regulation covering human activity in the Antarctic, to protect the fragile environment, is set to be introduced. Activities, including scientific research, tourism, exploration, fishing and transportation in the South Pole must get government approval, according to a draft regulation by the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration. The draft rule also bans nuclear and military activities as well as mineral mining. Any application must be accompanied with an assessment report of the possible environmental consequences and polluting the South Pole could result in hefty fines or travel bans to the region and any environmental damage must be corrected, if possible.

China, US join hands to tackle climate challenges

China Daily (February 16, 2012)

As part of the business delegation led by visiting Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping, Yonker Environment Protection Institute (Yonker EPI) signed three memorandums of understanding (MOU) with US entities at Monday's ceremony in Washington. The three US entities, Milwaukee Water Council, Hazen and Sawyer, and Ze-Gen, that signed MOUs with the Yonker EPI are US leading providers of services that resolve environmental issues not simply from an end treatment approach but from a sustainable approach.

Inner Mongolia halts 467 mining projects

China Daily (February 18, 2012)

Authorities in North China's resource-rich Inner Mongolia autonomous region halted 467 illegal mining projects last year in a region-wide overhaul mainly aimed to ensure work safety and environmental friendliness of the mining sector. The regional land and resources bureau checked about 9,000 mining projects in the months-long overhaul, halting 467 illegal projects, ordering 887 mines to suspend operations and permanently shutting down 73 mines. In a bid to build "harmonious mines," the government defused 100 disputes between local herders and mining companies last year while establishing an effective mechanism among the government, mines, and local residents to settle mining disputes through dialogue.

China plans faster growth in western regions

Xinhua (February 20, 2012)

The State Council said Monday that it has approved a plan aimed at accelerating development in the western regions through the end of 2015, a move to further narrow the country's development gap among different areas. The development plan for western regions set development goals concerning economic growth, infrastructure construction, ecological environment, public service, and people's living standards that are much higher than that of the economically-developed coastal and eastern regions.

Apple plans environmental audits of China suppliers

USA Today (February 20, 2012)

Apple has told prominent environmental activists in the U.S. and China that it will soon allow independent environmental reviews of at least two suppliers' factories in China. The reviews come as Apple faces rising criticism about toxic pollution and factory injuries at overseas suppliers' factories. Environmental examinations would be separate from an independent probe of working conditions at the Chinese factories of Apple suppliers including Foxconn Technology that began last week.

Measuring China's pollution from space

The Guardian (February 20, 2012)

A team of researchers at Yale and Columbia Universities, along with Battelle Memorial Institute, recently used satellite readings to produce data on fine particulate concentrations in Chinese provinces. While these satellite measurements are not perfect, they provide the first estimates of ground-level annual average concentrations of the pollutant PM 2.5 for all of China over the last decade. Scientific instruments aboard the satellites assess Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) in order to measure PM 2.5.

Chinese manufacturer to open bear farm to quell criticism

China Daily (February 22, 2012)

A Chinese manufacturer of bear bile products said Tuesday that it will open one of its bear farms to the media Wednesday morning, a move aimed at quelling public criticism of its operations and planned initial public offering (IPO). Guizhentang Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, which makes medicine using bile extracted from live bears, has been attacked over the last couple of weeks for what animal rights activists have referred to as "brutal bile extraction." Founded in 2000 and based in east China's Fujian province, Guizhentang is among the country's largest producers of bear bile products, according to the company's website.

(CENA prepared by Christina Whang)

* The links and article summaries in this post are provided for informational purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

See our bilingual (English and Chinese) blog dedicated to discussion of China's environmental law, policy and public participation at http://www.greenlaw.org.cn

Today, New York Assembly Members Alan Maisel and Grace Meng announced the beginning of an important effort to help restore shark populations worldwide. Their bill, A.7707a/S.6431, which is sponsored in the Senate by Senator Grisanti, would end New York’s contribution to the global shark fin trade.  Like the bills signed into law this past October in California and other West Coast states, it will help stop the devastating decline in shark populations.

Sharks have swum in the oceans for over 400 million years, and yet our actions now are pushing many species to the brink of collapse. The demand for shark fins, traditionally viewed as a symbol of status and wealth, drives the practice of finning, which accounts for the slaughter of between 26 and 73 million sharks every year.  Shark finning, the practice of cutting the fins off living sharks and dumping them back into the ocean, often while they are still alive, is wasteful and cruel and it occurs because the shark fins are vastly more valuable than the rest of the shark.  Existing laws that ban the practice of finning in U.S. waters are not enough to address the harvest of shark fins, most of which are taken from sharks around the world, processed in Asian, then shipped to their destinations – including New York.  The best way to stop this practice is to reduce the demand for shark fins.

The global decline of sharks has serious implication for the health of marine ecosystems.  As an apex predator, when shark populations plummet, overall ocean health can be dramatically affected in negative and unpredictable ways.  California, Oregon and Washington, along with Hawaii and the Territory of Guam have already acted to ban the shark fin trade and help stop the unsustainable killing of sharks.  With the introduction of A.7707a/S.6431, New York takes a first step towards similar protection.

NRDC applauds the work of the Assembly and Senate members and the coalition that has come together in support of this bill.  Sharks need immediate protection from the fin trade, and we are eager for New York to join the growing list of states that have taken action.  

A new study examining the climate impacts of using biomass to produce electricity in the Southeast adds to a growing body of science challenging the notion that all biomass is carbon-neutral, concluding that burning trees in the region's power plants would increase carbon emissions for decades.

The study, conducted by the Biomass Energy Resource Center in partnership with the Forest Guild and Spatial Informatics Group, looks at the energy demand of 22 39 existing and proposed biopower facilities in the Southeast and asks how the carbon emissions impacts of meeting that demand by burning biomass would compare to using coal or natural gas.

The conclusion is clear:

“Based on current trends….biomass energy in the Southeast is projected to produce higher levels of atmospheric carbon for 35 to 50 years compared to fossil fuels.”

It is important to note that this is the amount of time it takes for the biopower facilities to pay back their initial carbon “debt” relative to fossil fuels. It is only after this payback period that biopower results in lower atmospheric carbon than fossil fuel alternatives.

A 50-year carbon debt is unacceptable. And this finding is not an outlier. The study’s conclusions are consistent with a comparable analysis in the Northeast conducted by the Manomet Center for Conservation Science, which found that between the release of carbon when trees are burned and the slow re-absorption of carbon out of the atmosphere as new trees re-grow, biopower production would increase emissions compared to coal for 40 years.

Like giant lungs, our forests absorb vast amounts of carbon out of the atmosphere every day. This makes forests one of our best defenses against global warming—one Americans rely on to offset 13% of our annual greenhouse gas emissions.

Unfortunately, energy policies have largely ignored this vital benefit, instead identifying forests as a source of supposedly “renewable” fuel for power production. This is based on the false assumption that all biomass is carbon-neutral—meaning that it eventually re-grows and so completely balances the production and use of carbon, resulting in zero net emissions. As a result, demand for biomass is growing rapidly as power companies come under increased pressure to find alternatives to fossil fuels. [To get the basics on biomass and the risks of burning our forests to produce electricity, check out our fact sheet and video animation.]

So why does this matter?  And why does it matter right now?

It’s critical that we transition quickly from burning dirty fossil fuels like coal to clean, renewable energy resources like wind, solar, and low-carbon sources of biomass that can scale up sustainably and deliver real carbon savings soon. Near-term reductions in carbon emissions are needed to stabilize atmospheric GHG concentrations at 450 parts per million (in carbon dioxide equivalent units) and limit expected global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. Beyond that, we risk crossing so-called “tipping points”, at which point scientists increasingly believe that dangerous impacts may become inevitable. This means we simply cannot afford to wait multiple decades for biopower systems to start delivering carbon benefits.

This new study comes at a time when policies regarding accounting for biomass carbon emissions are front and center. As part of its Clean Air Act permitting of large GHG-emitting facilities, the EPA is developing a framework for accounting for the carbon emitted when large power plants burn biomass. As we discussed here, the expert science panel charged with advising EPA in this process issued a clear and unequivocal rejection of the idea that biomass can automatically be treated as carbon-neutral. It also reinforced the notion that EPA must evaluate the incremental carbon impact of a given biomass-burning facility from the perspective of the atmosphere rather than just giving facilities carbon credit “on spec” for biomass re-growth they claim will happen in the future.

Here, the analytic methods used in both the Southeastern and Manomet studies are instructive. To examine the atmospheric effects of regional biopower generation, both developed a “business-as-usual” baseline and then projected the carbon emissions impact of different scenarios in which electricity was created either from woody biomass or fossil fuels. 

In contrast, instead of evaluating the incremental carbon emissions impact of biomass-burning facilities, EPA’s proposed accounting framework evaluates carbon emissions from bioenergy production against a single reference point baseline set according to regional, land-based carbon stocks. If written into policy, this approach would do little to tell us what would have happened to carbon in the atmosphere or on the land absent bioenergy—and so could not accurately reflect the carbon impact of bioenergy production.

The authors of the Southeastern study speak to this issue directly:

“This is a more dynamic approach than was recommended in EPA’s accounting framework for biogenic sources released in September 2011. Although, EPA acknowledged the “comparative” approach used in this study as a more comprehensive accounting method, it chose a “reference point” approach because of the perceived difficulties and challenges in applying a more dynamic approach to actual situations in the field. This study provides an example of how more dynamic accounting can be accomplished and should be considered by EPA in its carbon accounting deliberations.”

With a rapidly growing bioenergy industry adding substantial new demand for biomass to the existing market for forest products, the pressure on our forests has never been greater—particularly in regions like the Southeast. This new study highlights the dangers of burning whole trees for energy and underscores the importance of sound biomass carbon accounting if we are to address the challenges posed by climate change. It’s critical that these scientific advancements be reflected in bioenergy policies at the state and federal level.

The bottom line is that we need to change course now to avoid locking ourselves and future generations into a dangerously disrupted climate. This means finding every way we can to promote clean, homegrown energy sources that maximize climate benefits. This includes supporting investments in the 21st century biopower plants that help create jobs and protect our air and forests instead of destroying them. But regulations that ignore the carbon released when biomass is burned distort the marketplace towards highly unsustainable sources of biomass like whole trees that will increase carbon emissions for decades. We can’t afford it.

A look at how the PaperKarma app works to reduce paper waste. Photo: PaperKarma

If you’ve ever found yourself at your mailbox, baffled by the fact that you’ve received nothing but a pile of junk mail that will only find its way to the trash, there’s an app for that.

PaperKarma, a smartphone application released in early February, reduces your paper junk mail with the snap of a picture and is available on both the iPhone and Android markets.

The application uses your smartphone’s picture-sending capabilities to see which companies are sending you a stack of junk. Then, they contact the sender and ask them to unsubscribe your name.

This isn’t a foolproof system, PaperKarma states on their website. Some companies don’t have an actual list from which to remove your name and rather bombards mailboxes with junk addressed to “resident.” Still, most ethical companies will unsubscribe people that don’t want their mail.

In the digital age, it’s easy to expect that unsubscribing from a junk mail list would be quick and instant, but often companies will pre-address your mail for months at a time. After a while, though, you should see your junk mail greatly reduced, PaperKarma says.

PaperKarma will check in after some time to make sure you have, in fact, been unsubscribed.

READ: 8 Ways to Reduce Your Junk Mail

Community groups in New Orleans are working to collect and reuse the estimated 25 million pounds of plastic Mardi Gras beads that come through the city every year. Photo: Flickr/Mark Gstohl

An estimated 25 million pounds of plastic beads make their way through New Orleans every Mardi Gras, according to the Los Angeles Times. And because they can’t be processed by local recyclers, they often end up as litter in nearby waterways or dumped in landfills.

But several local community groups are working to collect this year’s Mardi Gras beads and reuse them at other events.

The Arc of Greater New Orleans, a nonprofit that provides jobs for individuals with mental disabilities, has introduced a “Catch and Release” float that encourages party-goers to toss back their baubles at the end of the parade, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. Collected beads are bundled and resold at discounted prices for next year’s festivities or for other celebrations throughout the year, including St. Patrick’s Day.

The trailer was showered with 1,000 pounds of beads during its debut at a Feb. 5 parade in Metairie, La. – 1,000 pounds of plastic that will be kept out of the landfill, Margie Perez, Arc’s recycling coordinator, told the Times-Picayune. The float will follow two other parades this season.

VerdiGras, a nonprofit that aims to green Mardi Gras, also collaborated with Arc this year to pilot a parade-route recycling program, setting out bins for beads, paper, plastic and aluminum along a six-block stretch of Feb. 11’s Krewe of Pontchartrain parade.

Arc will also be collecting unwanted beads at four locations throughout New Orleans and the neighboring cities of Metairie and Westwego. Last year, Arc accumulated 100,000 pounds of beads through school bead drives, bead recycling bins stationed at grocery stores and donations from private citizens.

SEE: Mosaic Made From Mardi Gras Beads

All around the world tonight, the music will be loud and festive.  I wish I could be everywhere at once.  As carnival season peaks and ends at midnight, cities in the parts of the world influenced by Roman Catholicism – and that’s a lot of places – will stage huge celebrations of revelry, music, culture, and extravagance.  Literally millions of people will let the good times roll to the samba in Rio, to soca in Trinidad, and to French and African music in Nice, where carnival has been staged since the thirteenth century.  For Roman Catholics, it’s the last bash before Ash Wednesday begins the somber season of Lent, and many cities make sure it’s a memorable one.

In the United States, of course, by far the biggest and most famous carnival is the New Orleans Mardi Gras.  No big city in America has a richer local culture or is more steeped in music, without which “New Orleans” would be as hollow an identity as New York without skyscrapers or San Francisco without hills and the Bay.  Other US cities host significant amounts of music, of course – the industry hubs in Nashville and Austin, the blues in Chicago; even Seattle, Athens and Minneapolis had their runs.  But in New Orleans, music isn’t hosted so much as lived.  It’s been intrinsic to the city since, well, since there has been much of a city to speak of.

New Orleans is universally acknowledged as the birthplace of jazz, which begat boogie-woogie, which begat rhythm and blues, which begat rock and roll, which begat funk, which begat hip-hop, and so on.  Mix in the French Creole influence and a brass band marching down a street in the Marigny district, leading a “second line” of followers half-walking, half-dancing, strutting to the rhythm, always the rhythm, and heaven help you if you can stay in a bad mood.  And I didn't even get into the cajun and zydeco parts.  Talk to someone from New Orleans and chances are she can tell you the names of ten amazing musicians you’ve never or barely heard of, and her ten will be better than your ten, no matter how urban-hip you think you are.

It’s a city where music is essential to place, and thus to a shared local culture.  And, while the big festivals like Mardi Gras and Jazzfest can be fun – more so in the lead-in than the finale, truth be told – it’s not really about the biggies.  It’s about the everyday.  You can live in New York for months and not hear or see a Broadway musical.  But you can’t be in New Orleans for two days without being exposed to the music.

The big events – whether in New Orleans or elsewhere – remain significant, though, and not just to the tourist industry.  In a sense, they reaffirm the culture, telling the rest of the world, “This is who we are.”  Carnival music and culture also influence the everyday, as references spring up year-round.  There are lots of Caribbean and Brazilian songs about carnival events.  Many of New Orleans’ most beloved songs derive from the extravagant – and elaborate - rituals practiced by the famous Mardi Gras Indians.  The purple, green and gold Mardi Gras colors aren’t just flown during carnival.

If you believe, as I do, that cities are essential to any kind of sustainable future - and if you believe that commerce alone is not enough to sustain a worthwhile place (and I’ve made my view on that pretty clear recently), then look to the culture.  It’s why we want to be in a particular place, other things being equal.  And it will help a place’s sustainability if that culture is both strong and locally grounded.  If a place is going to be cared for, it needs to remind us what is special about it.

No major city in the US does that as well as New Orleans – and, if the Crescent City is also about food, language, and attitude, its music comes first.

Now, do yourself a favor and watch/listen to the Neville Brothers absolutely kill on a classic New Orleans Indian song, “Big Chief,” traditionally associated with legendary NOLA musician Professor Longhair.  Don't miss the full-on vocal that comes in at about the one-minute mark.  It sounds best cranked up loud and, if there’s someone in the next office you’re concerned about, crank it up anyway.  Hell, it’s Mardi Gras:

Related articles:

• What does post-Katrina New Orleans say about cities? About America? (NOLA resilience part 1) (May 11, 2011)
• Strengthening community through interactive street art (NOLA resilience part 2) (May 12, 2011)
• New Orleanians, rebuilding with sustainability (NOLA resilience Part 3) (May 13, 2011)

• More on the Ninth Ward: Musicians’ Village strikes an optimistic chord (October 20, 2009)

More great NOLA music videos:

• Irma Thomas - Time Is On My Side (If you're old enough to remember the Rolling Stones version, they first learned it from her; with Allen Toussaint)
• The Neville Brothers featuring The Dixie Cups - Brother John/Iko Iko (with Dennis Quaid and Herbie Hancock)
• Second line Music Mardi Gras Brass Band

Move your cursor over the images for credit information.

Kaid Benfield writes (almost) daily about community, development, and the environment.  For more posts, see his blog's home page.  Please also visit NRDC’s Sustainable Communities Video Channel.

I am in Nairobi this week for the United Nations Environment Programme (“UNEP”) Governing Council.  It is in part a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the creation of UNEP and the progress the international community has made in recognizing and beginning to tackle the environmental challenges we face.  More importantly, it is an opportunity for the hundreds of ministers, officials, diplomats, and civil society representatives gathered here to look forward to the June 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro– also called “Rio+20” as it marks the 20th anniversary of the first Earth Summit also held there.

World leaders will not act unless there is pressure from citizens. So today we are launching a website where you can learn about the Rio+20 Earth Summit and how you can get involved.  It is called www.race2rio.org,

The need for action is clear. Yesterday UNEP released an advanced summary of its 5th Global Environmental Outlook (GEO).  The sobering bottomline is that the “changes to the Earth System are unprecedented in human history...and several critical thresholds are close or have been acceded.”   There is now a danger of “abrupt and possibly irreversible changes to the life-support functions of the planet”.  Of greatest worry is climate change.

UNEP also made public the results of its Foresight Process to identify the 21 most critical issues for the 21st century.  Its panel of 400 leading scientists and experts from around the world determined that the most critical one is the inadequacy of current international treaties, institutions and other structures  - which now number in the hundreds - to deal with the global environmental problems we face.   There is a clear need for new models for global governance.  This is exactly what NRDC has been saying repeatedly and we see the Rio+20 Earth Summit as the place to trigger such a transformation.  

Last June, NRDC’s President France Beinecke launched our Race-to-Rio campaign.  NRDC has made clear that the time for talking is over and that presidents, prime ministers, and other leaders in Rio in June need to focus instead on action and accountability.  I just heard Sha Zukang - the UN official in charge of Rio+20 - speak this morning.  He said that “implementation” is the key to Rio.  We do not need another treaty or plan of action - “we have enough paper”.  What we need to do instead is to implement what we have agreed to already.

As you will see at www.race2rio.org, here are NRDC's top priorities for Rio+20:

-ACTIONS AND ACCOUNTABILITY: Leaders from government, business, and civil society must promise in Rio to take specific measurable actions NOW to meet sustainability goals, and the United Nations should tap into the power of information technology to enable citizens to hold their leaders accountable to keeping these promises. NRDC is the leading advocate for the creation of such a “cloud of commitments”.  

-CLEAN ENERGY AND GLOBAL WARMING SOLUTIONS: We must phase out harmful fossil fuel subsidies, scale up renewable energy, improve energy efficiency and phase out super greenhouse gases like hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

-OCEAN PROTECTIONS: Oceans account for most of our planet’s surface. We must do more to protect our high seas, curb ocean acidification and stop plastic pollution in our oceans.

-GREEN ECONOMY AND JOBS: We must begin considering environmental costs into national and corporate accounting - something that’s being discussed heavily here at the Nairobi conference this week. We must also improve training programs for young people who are key to leading a clean energy revolution.

We have labeled our campaign and website -The Race to Rio – to reflect that we are running out of time to push our leaders to make sure that this next Earth Summit is truly transformative.  We really need to pick up pace to put the world on a path towards a sustainable future.  Visit http://www.race2rio.org to see how you can run with us. 

Aspiring interior designer Lucie Sadakova has come up with a striking concept to bring more green space and nourishment into a scruffy part of London.  And, despite being in a sense all about an outdoor activity, it is in fact an interior transformation, a proposed adaptive reuse of an old building way past its prime.

One of the things I love about the ever-fascinating website Inhabitat is that it brings me into contact with cutting-edge ideas, frequently green ones.  Yet it stimulates my environmental imagination in a radically different way than does my usual world of urbanism, which is more about perfecting pragmatic, tried-and-true concepts and bringing them to scale.  Inhabitat isn’t about the tried and true but the new and provocative.  Its predominant aesthetic is unabashedly modernist.  Many ideas it presents may never be brought to scale:  but I like it that they take me away from the familiar.

In this case, Inhabitat ran a story about Sadakova’s proposal, which led me to her own website and blog, where she writes:

“I have become interested and intrigued by projects that make use of neglected spaces of cities and focus on innovative design solutions that introduce new ideas to local areas in order to improve life of their residents.”

For her final degree project at university, Sadakova designed a concept she calls Multileveled Vertical Urban Allotments, which in plain English means hollowing out the guts of an old warehouse, opening up its roof and (enlarged) windows to the elements, and filling the space with a sort of stacked series of green plots that could be gardened by nearby residents.

In a sense, it takes the wonderful concept we know in the US as victory gardens, where city residents cultivate small plots of land on public spaces, and tiers the plots vertically so they require less space at street level.  And it saves an old building at the same time.

The site is a hardscrabble corner by the elevated tracks, on the South Bank of the Thames in the Southwark area of London.  There are some pubs and eateries nearby, but it’s not the sort of place one would go without a reason. 

As you can see, the old building is nicely proportioned but manifestly unfriendly to the street, just kind of sitting there.  Sadakova’s project would bring the outdoors into the building, and the indoors outside, creating a space that really is both:

“The project aims to bring an innovative solution by designing multileveled vertical urban allotments which in turn make use of derelict or underused spaces. Eventually multiple function of the building that is open to the public, offers an interpretation centre for schools and seasonal use for those affected by S.A.D (Seasonal affective disorder) all contributes to sustainable development in London.”

The building is privately owned, and there does not appear to be any certainty that the project will actually be built there.  (The “Union Street Urban Orchard,” only a short walk away, turned out to be very temporary.)  But the important thing is that it could be.  My only concern is whether the walls of the old building (which would be opened up considerably under Sadakova’s plan) would allow enough light and moisture inside to facilitate growing.  I suspect she has thought that through.

So, if not in this particular space, why not in another?  The concept is too good not to be realized somewhere.

(For a much more ambitious – and to my eyes perhaps less accessible and neighborly – approach to vertical farming, see Lloyd Alter’s article about the “Plantagon” in Sweden.)

Move your cursor over the images for credit information.

Kaid Benfield writes (almost) daily about community, development, and the environment.  For more posts, see his blog's home page.  Please also visit NRDC’s Sustainable Communities Video Channel.

The Seattle Times published Frances Beinecke’s op-ed, which called upon President Obama to uphold his vow to stand up to Big Oil and protect the Arctic from drilling; the op-ed was strategically placed to appear the morning President Obama arrived in Seattle… Frances was quoted in a SustainableBusiness.com piece, commending the EPA for publishing long-overdue mercury standards, which will, for the first time, set historic national limits on mercury and other toxic air pollution from power plants… David Pettit was interviewed on NPR’s All Things Considered about the upcoming trial for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident and oil spill…

NRDC’s opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline was referenced in a Bloomberg piece about a recently passed House bill which would strip Obama’s authority and give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 30 days to approve the pipeline… A Valentine’s Day ode to Kaid Benfield appeared in Treehugger, which commemorated Kaid’s work and his recent blog post about sustainable and “lovable” places… NRDC’s recent “Capturing Rainwater From Rooftops” report was featured in a ThinkProgress article.

Chile

A glimmer of hope for renewable energy in Chile as recent studies show that the cost of green energy has been cut in half over the past two years. The price decline is a result of manufacturers who have begun to scale up production in addition to overall increases in competition among green technology producers.  Experts from the Chilean Renewable Energy Association  also point out that claims that it would be economically unfeasible to generate 20% of electricity by 2020 are based on  obsolete data about energy prices. (Electricidad 2/16/2012).

Despite significant opposition from local communities, the Riesco Island mining project will commence construction in April.  Backed by over $530 million dollars of investment, the mine will harvest coal from the Punta Arenas region. Jorge  erals, general manager of the mine says that he has met all agreed upon commitments in his contract including the stipulation for 85% local employment. But opponents assure that they will continue fighting the project. “The legal battle is just beginning,” stated Riesco Alert’s spokesperson, Adolfo Galindo (Diario Financiero 2/15/2012).

The Río Cuervo Dam Project went to court this week due to rising safety and environmental concerns. The project requires large volumes of water installed on a prominent fault line in Chile’s Aysen region. Opponents of the project insist that the risk of seismic and volcanic activity near the reservoirs construction are too great to ignore. The debate remains paralyzed in the Coyhaique Court of Appeals between the Río Cuervo Central Hydroelectric Project and local constituents (Emol 2/15/2012).

Costa Rica

Tourism continues to play a prominent role in Costa Rica’s economy. A recent study showed that whale watching alone generates $21 millions dollars in revenue along with 25,000 jobs. Yet the United Nations Environmental Program recently found that 86% of the world’s whales and dolphins are endangered (El Financiero 2/16/2012). To promote sustainable tourism, Acoprot (The Costa Rican Association of Tourism Professionals) has created the Interamerican Center for training and Research for Sustainable Tourism Development. The project will promote research and awareness to better guide best practices for Costa Rican tourism (El Financiero 2/16/2012). 

Costa Rica’s Ministry of Environment, Energy, and Telecommunication (Minaet) has signed a contract with the Neotrópica Foundation to conduct an environmental assessment of damages caused by the Crucitas mining project. , The studies were required by the court that annulled the controversial mining concession held by Industrias Infinito.  The results are to be made ready in two weeks andwill outline the costs of restoring the areas affected by the deforestation and land degradation from the Crucitas mine (La Nación 2/16/2012).

Mexico

Mexico’s Secretary of Environmental and Natural Resources, Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada met with U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton to announce the creation of the Coalition for Clean Air and Climate. The coalition aims to battle global climate change be reducing short-term air pollutants.  Mexico is the newest member of this international climate initiative as it joins the ranks of Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Sweden, and the U.S. The goal in Mexico is to have its 600 municipalities working on specific air quality improvement plans by 2013 (Biosfera 2/16/2012).

The Council of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) will give $1.3 million dollars in grants to help North American communities address environmental problems. The CEC, composed of three member countries, Canada, Mexico and the U.S. chose eighteen projects ranging from the tropical forests of Mexico to the subarctic tundra. All projects are aimed at addressing environmental issues from the community level and represent a broad range of groups and organizations including indigenous people to academic institutions (Cec.org 2/16/2012)

Mexico continues to work toward a clean energy matrix with the goal of generating 15% of their energy from wind by 2020. Last week’s inauguration of the WindPower Forum reinforced Mexico’s investment to a diversified energy mix. The country aims to create 45,000 jobs in the wind sector and generate 12,000 megawatts of electricity. Leopold Rodríguez, a leader in Mexico’s clean energy industry, described the economic and environmental benefits noting that wind could generate $13 million dollars in revenue and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 23 million tons (lainformacion.com 2/14/2012) The Mexican Initiative for Renewable Energy (IMERE) is also leading the effort to push Mexico toward renewable energy matrixes. Comprised of members from the private sector and civil society, IMERE was presented at the National Museum in San Carlos this week. The initiative aims to give businesses a greater hand in Mexico’s energy production and move the country away from hydrocarbon dependence through five main goals: creating a set of energy targets for 2050, facilitating access of renewable energy sources to the electric grid, establishing prices and incentives, reducing fossil fuel subsidies, and revamping overall national policy on renewable energy (economia.terra.com 2/15/2012).

Composed by Amanda Wheat

Note: The linked articles and excerpts in this post are provided for informational purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

We’re looking at a satellite image of Netherlands countryside surrounding the Dutch town of Baarle-Nassau, home to just under 7,000 residents.  (Note the relative absence of sprawl to muck up the farmland.)

Or are we?  Look closely at the yellow lines (or click here for a larger image to see them better).  Actually, some – but quite clearly not all – of the town isn’t Dutch at all, but rather the Belgian municipality of Baarle-Hertog, population 2300.  How can you tell which part of the town is in the Netherlands and which is in Belgium?  It’s complicated.

Remarkably, the Belgian town consists of 24 noncontiguous parcels of land.  21 of them are surrounded by the Netherlands. while three are on the border between the two countries and thus share a jurisdictional boundary with the rest of Belgium, if also with the Netherlands and if not with each other.  And get this:  there are Dutch enclaves within the Belgian enclaves that are within the Netherlands.  And, actually, the main part of Baarle-Hertog is about five miles southwest of the portions you see here, and completely in Belgium.  Told you it was complicated.

Here in the DC area, I frequently ride my bike down Western Avenue, where the houses on one side of the street are in DC and those on the other are in Maryland.  I grew up about an hour or so from the small city of Bristol, which is in Virginia or Tennessee, depending on where you are. All metropolitan regions in the US have to deal with a multiplicity of jurisdictions (284 in metro Chicago, for example), and it’s a major problem when it comes to understanding or logically addressing the regional economy or environment.

But it still isn’t quite this nuts.  The Wikipedia entry for Baarle-Hertog tries to sort it out for us:

“The border is so complicated that there are some houses that are divided between the two countries. There was a time when according to Dutch laws restaurants had to close earlier. For some restaurants on the border it meant that the clients simply had to change their tables to the Belgian side.

“The border's complexity results from a number of equally complex medieval treaties, agreements, land-swaps and sales between the Lords of Breda and the Dukes of Brabant. Generally speaking, predominantly agricultural or built environments became constituents of Brabant and other parts devolved to Breda. These distributions were ratified and clarified as a part of the borderline settlements arrived at during the Treaty of Maastricht in 1843 . . .

“The BBC reported from Baarle as part of their coverage of the 2009 European elections. The reporter was filmed as if he was with his twin in a cafe, each on the one side of the border. The "twin" on a chair on the Belgian side explained what he was entitled to in Belgium. He mentioned compulsory voting, but maintained he was allowed to build a house 300 metres (328 yards) away from a pig farm, which is illegal in the Netherlands.”

Note the border indicated on the street surface where the café in the photo, above, sits.  And see that area of farmland marked in red in the photo just below?  It’s in Belgium; the rest you see is in The Netherlands.

Dan Lewis, on his quirky and fascinating site Now I Know, reports that buildings sitting within both countries pay taxes according to where their front doors are located.  Some shops have apparently moved their doors “as a tax dodge of sorts.”  Indeed, there was a complicated legal case in which a bank engaged in money laundering had a front door in the Netherlands, but a vault in Belgium.  Lewis’s article links to this photo of a house in both countries and this one of a beer store apparently divided in its interior.

Thanks to Caryn Conrad for the tip to this story.

Move your cursor over the images for credit information.

Kaid Benfield writes (almost) daily about community, development, and the environment.  For more posts, see his blog's home page.  Please also visit NRDC’s Sustainable Communities Video Channel.

Environment ministers from 31 Latin American and Caribbean countries meeting in Quito, Ecuador highlighted the importance of renewing high-level political will on sustainable development at the Rio+20 Earth Summit this June. Latin America is in a position to start the transition toward a cleaner, more equitable and sustainable future; but we need governments and other key actors to identify the specific commitments they will make to ensure this future becomes a reality. One obvious place to start is by ramping up renewable energy generation and boosting energy efficiency, especially by phasing out inefficient light bulbs. Encouragingly, some countries in the region are already moving forward on these issues. At Rio+20 we want to hear about their commitments in these areas and plans for scaling up efforts. But we also want to be sure such commitments can be tracked and systems of accountability are in place.

The UN recently launched a global initiative to bring sustainable energy to all, and indeed one of Latin America’s key sustainable development goals should be ensuring access to clean and efficient energy for everyone in the region. This will mean meeting the unmet energy needs of the 31 million people across the region that still don’t have access to electricity, enabling them to study, work and finally pull ahead. But it also requires moving toward cleaner and more efficient ways of generating and using all energy.

The good news is that various countries in the region are already working to harness renewable power and increase energy efficiency. Chile’s Senate recently approved a bill calling for 20% of all electricity to come from the nation’s abundant nonconventional renewable sources, including geothermal, wind and solar. President Piñera’s government must now also move forward with other smart energy policies that make it easier for these technologies to connect to the energy grid. It’s also encouraging that many countries have expressed support for phasing out wasteful lighting technologies and improving efficiency. Mexico now has new efficiency standards and Argentina, Ecuador and Cuba have undertaken efforts to phase out inefficient bulbs. 

Switching to efficient lighting is just one of the many opportunities for boosting efficiency and it has clear advantages for the region. Inefficient incandescent bulbs waste up to 90 percent of the energy they use as pure heat. Not phasing out these bulbs squanders away energy resources and funds better used elsewhere. By simply switching from incandescent to compact fluorescent light bulbs Latin America and the Caribbean could reduce about 4 percent of overall electricity consumption, saving more than 4 billion dollars per year in lower energy costs. In the process they’d also cut greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking 4 million cars off the roads. The transition to more efficient lighting would also mean that eight 500 MW plants could be closed or avoided. In a region where controversial energy projects –like Chile’s massive HidroAysén hydroelectric scheme– all too often lead to civil unrest and sometimes even to violence, as was recently the case in Panama, governments simply cannot afford to miss an opportunity to improve  energy security through improved energy efficiency. 

So what can countries do between now and Rio+20, and beyond, to create a sustainable energy future?  For starters, it's important to minimize obstacles to lighting efficiency. The region – or key groups of countries– should work together to harmonize minimum efficiency and quality standards that are technology neutral. These standards should reduce the energy use of new bulbs by at least 65 percent. It will also be important to continue to educate the public about efficient light bulbs to dispel false perceptions about risks and costs. And finally, countries will need to develop incentive mechanisms to help the transition to efficient lighting. But it’s not just governments who need to act on efficiency. The private sector can take a lead role in improving efficiency in their supply chains and operations and help make investments in public-private partnerships that move energy efficient products and services forward. 

There’s been a broad diversity of views on sustainable development and the green economy coming out from Latin America as the region prepares for Rio+20. But one thing that should no longer be up for debate is that greater environmental and social sustainability requires a clean energy transition. This will only happen once countries and industries start making serious commitments to sustainable renewables and energy efficiency. These commitments must be tracked and a system for accountability must be put in place to make sure the needed actions and policies are implemented. That’s why NRDC is calling for one key outcome from Rio+20 to be a web-based global registry that uses the most advanced information technology to compile, track and help scale up sustainability commitments.   

Brazil – and by extension the rest of Latin America – will be at the center of the world stage this June during Rio+20. With its abundant renewable energy resources and significant room for efficiency improvements, the region has the potential to be a global pioneer on sustainable energy. We now need its governments, industries and citizens to show the leadership and commitment needed to turn this potential into reality.

When President Obama released his budget proposal to Congress this week, his message to Congress was clear: “[Create] an economy that is built to last.” Unfortunately for our coasts and oceans—and the millions of Americans who depend on these resources to make their living—the Administration’s proposed budget would reduce funding for important coastal and marine programs, threatening American jobs in fishing, tourism, and recreation. With many fisheries in trouble and the health of our oceans in decline, now is not the time to cut funding for programs that safeguard our marine resources and the economic growth they support.

For more than four decades, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has worked to manage fisheries, restore coastal areas, and support marine commerce. As NOAA officials know well, our oceans are vital to our national economic growth. In 2009 alone, ocean-related tourism and recreation generated more than 1.8 million jobs and contributed more than $61 billion to the nation’s GDP. That same year, the commercial fishing industry supported more than 1 million jobs.

In fact, compared with the entire U.S. farm sector, our ocean economy is larger and employs more Americans. 

Building a sustainable economy means keeping the resources we depend on healthy and thriving. And with our ocean resources facing an already turbulent future, protecting marine life, critical habitat, and ocean ecosystems is more important than ever.

Already in the U.S., 23% of major fisheries are overfished and 16% subject to overfishing. Toxic chemicals, oil, and waste contaminate our beaches and coastal waters, hurting the tourism industry and creating dead zones like that in the Gulf of Mexico, which covered an area the size of New Jersey in 2010. Worldwide, one third of shallow water corals are at risk of extinction, a fate that would have huge ramifications for thousands of species up and down the food chain.

Funding levels for many programs aimed at reversing this decline have been going down since FY 2010. Now the President’s budget proposal would deliver even more cuts to programs that protect and restore coastal and marine habitat, protect estuaries and coastal lands, and rehabilitate marine mammals. Programs that are being cut include:

• The Habitat Conservation and Restoration Program, which has restored more than 69,000 acres of coastal and marine habitat since 1996 and protected nearly 980 million acres of fish habitat from impacts of fishing gear since 2000. Currently the program is planning restoration in coastal areas affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
• The National Estuarine Research Reserves System , which encompasses 28 estuarine research reserves nationwide that have been established for long-term research, education, and coastal stewardship.
• The Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELP), which protects coastal and estuarine lands considered important for their ecological, conservation, recreational, historical or aesthetic values. To date, the program has protected nearly 75,000 acres of coastal land.
• Marine Mammal Recovery Grants, which provide funding for the recovery and rehabilitation of stranded marine mammals.
• Marine Debris Program supports national and international efforts to research, prevent, and reduce the impacts of marine debris

It’s important to note that some projects under NOAA are not feeling the heat. The White House’s proposal includes major funding for NOAA’s satellite program, which aids in weather predictions and atmospheric monitoring. While this program is vital to our understanding of atmospheric changes, satellite funding should not come with the price tag of sacrificing our coastal and marine resources.

The proposed budget cuts represent a double- whammy for NOAA, coming on the heels of the Administration’s earlier announcement that it wanted to move the agency to the Interior Department as part of a more general reorganization plan. 

In the interest of all Americans—from Louisiana fishermen to hotel owners in California—Congress should support a strong NOAA to effectively monitor and help manage our oceans, coasts, and fisheries. Achieving a sustainable, growing economy means ensuring that we have clean water, clean beaches, and abundant fish and wildlife, now and for generations to come.

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development has created an important online resource for professionals and citizens interested in improving America’s metro regions, cities, and neighborhoods.  It looks very promising to me, especially as a sort of living compendium of best practices.

In its description, the agency’s Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities describes the site’s purpose:

“America’s communities are developing strategies to help ensure their economic, environmental and social well-being. A sustainable community is an urban, rural, or suburban community that has a vibrant local economy, more housing and transportation choices, is closer to jobs, schools and shops, is more energy independent, and helps protect clean air and water.

“Because every community is different and sustainability encompasses a range of needs and opportunities, there is no ‘one size fits all’ model. Rather, sustainability uses a bottom-up approach and a range of strategies in response to the needs, assets, and visions that each community brings to the table.
What all of these communities have in common are coordinated, well-thought-out approaches to leveraging investments that attract jobs, save taxpayer money, offer more energy-efficient housing and transportation choices and that balance economic and natural assets to meet both the current and future needs of all Americans.

“The Sustainable Communities Resource Center is intended to provide the public with a comprehensive set of information that supports local and regional strategies, with a particular emphasis on sustainable housing and planning. The Resource Center provides ready access to best practices, cutting edge research, new reports and resources, and spotlights innovation in the field.”

Today, the home page provides links to stories on exemplary developments in three California cities; a column of “sustainability news” links (I am flattered that one of my posts is included); a link through which users can subscribe to the Office’s eNews service; and subject-matter highlight stories on Walk Score, energy efficiency in multifamily rental housing, and on housing affordability when transportation costs are considered.  There are also what appears to be standing links to information on six key categories:  rural, tribal and small-town sustainability; economic competitiveness; regional planning; green building; healthy communities; and housing and transportation choice. 

And there’s even more, but the design of the site is clean and uncluttered.  When Shelley Poticha was tapped by HUD secretary Shaun Donovan to lead the agency’s sustainability efforts, I wrote that the agency had done really well to get her.  Shelley and her wonderful staff just keep proving me right.

Move your cursor over the images for credit information.

Kaid Benfield writes (almost) daily about community, development, and the environment.  For more posts, see his blog's home page.  Please also visit NRDC’s Sustainable Communities Video Channel.

Designer Yong Hoon Choi builds a kitchen out of discarded wood used for overseas shipping. Photo: Yong Hoon Choi

Busan, South Korea’s second largest city, is home to the country’s largest port and is the fifth busiest port in the world. With all those ships making stops in the sunny city of 3.6 million people, plenty of waste piles up, including scrap wood that encases a variety of goods. That wood sourced from across the globe does its job protecting bulk cargo, but is just thrown away after those same ships leave Busan for other destinations.

Originally from Busan, designer Yong Hoon Choi now lives in Seoul but frequently visits his hometown and spends a lot of time at the city’s busy seaport. He became fascinated by the waste left behind as the result of the 13 million shipping containers that pass through Busan annually. Choi realized that wood could be put to good use, and an idea that challenges how Koreans design their homes was born.

The Forgotten Room

Influenced by his time living and working abroad in Los Angeles and New York, Choi decided he wanted Koreans to rethink how they build and design their living spaces.

Although South Korea is now a global focal point for new trends and design, interiors generally do not reflect Koreans’ keen sense of style. In fact, most kitchens in Korea are strictly a functional space and boast little except drab Formica surfaces and prefabricated cabinets. So despite the genuine hospitality Koreans show to visitors, that warmth does not translate into most home interiors.

PHOTOS: Stunning Recycled Glass Countertops

Choi sees two opportunities in the stacks of scrap wood through which he rummages when he visits Busan; to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfills and to design cool kitchen cabinets and surfaces.

People from across the nation have come together in their opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline for dirty tar sands oil. Over the course of just 24 hours, Americans sent more than 800,000 messages to their senators condemning an effort to revive this dirty tar sands pipeline.

NRDC and our partners launched the campaign with the goal of encouraging people to send 500,000 messages. But we blew past that target within six hours. Clearly opposition to the Keystone XL project runs deep and wide.

For months, ranchers, farmers, businesspeople, religious leaders, union members, and youth groups fought this tar sands pipeline. Last month, President Obama rejected it because of the serious environmental and public safety risks it posed to Heartland communities.

But oil companies couldn’t accept defeat. They teamed up with Republican in Congress to draft a provision that would allow the Senate to undo the president’s decision.

The House is already rushing through a bill that would force approval of the pipeline in 30 days. That bill has been approved in committee and proposed as an amendment to the transportation bill. When we heard that Senate Republicans were preparing to put a similar measure in its version of the transportation bill, we decided to rally the troops.

We knew lawmakers had gotten an earful from deep-pocketed and well-placed oil lobbyists. It was time they heard directly from the American people. Together with our partner groups, we took to the blogosphere, Twitter feeds, and Facebook to encourage people to write to their senators.

We reminded our leaders that a project which would accelerate climate change, endanger precious water resources, threaten communities with hazardous spills, and facilitate the export of tar sands oil to other countries is not in America’s national interest.

On Tuesday, we delivered the messages to Capitol Hill. They were our valentine’s to the clean, sustainable energy future we want to give our children.