TODAY, May 1st from 2-3PM EST, Gather will be hosting a live chat with Dennis Wilde from Sundance Channel's Big Ideas for a Small Planet: Cities. This is your chance to find out more about how cities and our housing have such a big impact on the environment. One chat participant will receive a free gift from Sundance Channel!
Learn more from Dennis to find out what he and his company Gerding Edlen Development are doing to make a difference. Also find out what positive changes you can make!
From his graduate studies in architecture and urban planning to his current role at Gerding Edlen, environmental responsibility and smart design are central to Dennis Wilde's philosophy. As Gerding Edlen’s designated “green guy,” Dennis has encouraged increased sustainability in development projects while building a strong business case for the economic and social benefits of environmental responsibility.
Live chats in The Green group are great opportunities to learn from the environmental experts, gain useful tips and also have chances to get together with other Gather members during real time for a live discussion!
If are not available to attend the chat, please leave a question or comment for Dennis. He will answer these if time allows it. You can learn more about the episode of "Big Ideas for a Small Planet" that Dennis Wilde will be appearing on by clicking here.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To participate in the chat, here are some helpful tips:
1) Use the comment tool below to post your questions and comments. To see new comments and keep up with the discussion, you will need to periodically refresh your screen. You may refresh your view by using the refresh button on your browser, or the F5 key on your keyboard, or through the Ctrl+R key (on Windows) or CMD+R (On Mac) key combination.
2) Once you have posted a comment to the conversation, refresh your screen (see above). Don't worry about accidental double-posting of comments, as Gather technology prevents doing so without a screen refresh between posts. This will ensure that you can more quickly "chime in" with your thoughts.------------------------------------------------------------
Do you have a "Big Idea" for the environment. Join The Green to learn more about Robert Redford's new television series about sustainable living. To join, click here.
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 47
In an article in The Green group, someone left a comment that said cities are better for the environment than suburbs. They mentioned that people in cities travel shorter distances and use less land. Would you agree that cities are better for the environment?
I try to tell people how truly wonderful it is to ride your bike places, but the message always seem to fall on deaf ears. It isn't that way in Europe though, where biking, or mass transit seem to be much more socially acceptable.
I find it very frustrating to try to get a "greener living" message across to people who are so set in their ways that they just don't listen.
Thanks!
Lori F. is correct, in Iowa we need to be growing things, in fact the farm to market structure in this country relies heavily on fossil fuel for the growing and the transport. We need to learn how to do a better job of growing food closer to the user.
Perhaps we could ressurect an idea from WWII era and encourage "Victory Gardens" this time to earn a victory over the war on pollution. :D
Why can't credit card companies attach carbon credits instead of air miles. They could be tracked similarly and traded or retired? I am attaching carbon credits to art images I produce and sell. Why couldn't all concerned companies do likewise?
Jeffrey Martin - Good question, I don't know of any studies on that issue. I can tell you that from our experience, green communities tend to have a greater sense of place and identification with the people that live and work in them. Ultimately, I think that is the best counter to crime. People engaged in their communities are more watchful and less tolerant of crime. Building community is a lot more than building the bricks and mortar, it is about caring and engagement and knowing your neighbor.
Chris G. I totally agree, creating superb mass transit systems in our communities is critical. Here in Portland, we took the bold step over 20 years ago to stop a freeway and build a light rail system instead. That has been a major driver in our back to the city movement.
As to your second question. Obviously, we all still need electricity but if we can figure out how to decentralize and encourage renewable power sources like wind, wave, geothermal and solar and place it closer to the user, we can go a long way toward reducing the blackouts and brown outs. Of course the best and cheapest energy is the energy we don't use.
In the cities they have to have all their food trucked in and in the country, we can raise our own food so we dont us gas to truck it in as much
Richard Frisbie - I wish there was a magic bullet. Every community struggles with growth and how to deal with it. Some are successfull, some not. I think we have a hidden advantage in Oregon because we do not have a sales tax. Many communities are motivated to encourage the shopping mall and big box retail because of the tax revenue that is generated. We struggle with the ups and downs of not having the sales tax but escape some of the pressure to see so much sprawl.
Karen R. - The size of our homes is becoming a really problem. Not only the cost but the material consumption. We definitely need to start thinking smaller.
Large housing tracts in suburban areas need services such as trash collection, power, and sewer, that ultimately drain our cities' resources and make poor economic sense. The distance to services make residents rely on some form of motorized transportation which uses up the world's fossil fuels and other energy resources. It's a vicious cycle that needs creative ideas, such as yours, to end it.
I'm looking forward to listening to you later on the Sundance Channel and thank you for participating in an interactive chat with all of us on Gather. Suzi Moore McGregor