Friday, September 14, 2007

new resource

From a valuable Australian website http://www.sustainability.murdoch.edu.au/main.html, with excellent case studies

CITIES AS SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEMS
Principles and Practices

Shipping Rates
Author/Editor: Peter Newman, Isabella Jennings
Price: $35.00
Format: Paperback | 296 Pages | 7 x 10 | Tables. Figures.
You may prefer the Hardcover edition.
Publisher: Island Press
Series:
Subject:
ISBN: 1-59726-188-2
Pub. Date: 11/30/2007
***Status: Available in the Fall
or call 1-800-621-2736

Modern city dwellers are largely detached from the environmental effects of their daily lives. The sources of the water they drink, the food they eat, and the energy they consume are all but invisible, often coming from other continents, and their waste ends up in places beyond their city boundaries.

Cities as Sustainable Ecosystems shows how cities and their residents can begin to reintegrate into their bioregional environment, and how cities themselves can be planned with nature’s organizing principles in mind. Taking cues from living systems for sustainability strategies, Newman and Jennings reassess urban design by exploring flows of energy, materials, and information, along with the interactions between human and non-human parts of the system.

Drawing on examples from all corners of the world, the authors explore natural patterns and processes that cities can emulate in order to move toward sustainability. Some cities have adopted simple strategies such as harvesting rainwater, greening roofs, and producing renewable energy. Others have created biodiversity parks for endangered species, community gardens that support a connection to their foodshed, and pedestrian-friendly spaces that encourage walking and cycling.

A powerful model for urban redevelopment, Cities as Sustainable Ecosystems describes aspects of urban ecosystems from the visioning process to achieving economic security to fostering a sense of place.

Peter Newman is professor of city policy and director of the Institute for Sustainability and Technology Policy at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia. He recently completed a Fulbright scholarship, which he spent at the University of Virginia studying sustainability initiatives in the U.S. He is the author of Sustainability and Cities (Island Press, 1999).

Isabella Jennings is a graduate student in the School of Environmental Science at Murdoch University. Her past and current research is related to the cities as sustainable ecosystems idea.

Guidelines for leading discussions

GUIDELINES AND TIPS FOR LEADING READING & REFLECTION-BASED DISCUSSIONS

PREPARING FOR AND STARTING THE DISCUSSION:

Read the reading for the week and the blog entries for the week's readings in search of engaging themes, questions, or dilemmas that seem critical to what we are doing in the course and what we need to do to effectively create sustainable cities in this country. Consider introducing the discussion topic with a thought-provoking question (or short statement or quotation) that addresses one of these significant issue or dilemmas - and that stimulates people's creative thinking and engagement with it. (Have another stimulating question handy, if needed). You can even do this a day in advance through the blog to warm things up.
Alternatively, summarize for the group the main concerns and interests that came up in the blog reflections and let the group decide what it wants to focus on.
A third option is to warm up the conversation in pairs, triads, or small groups
with the same approach you were going to use in the large group or with a more specific topic or task suited to a smaller unit, e.g. apply the readings & reflections to improving a real or imagined urban situation and then share in the large group.

Be clear about the goals of the conversation. Among other things, they could include:
• Group Learning - to learn collaboratively (from each other and together) about an aspect of the readings you think participants will really care about.
• Resource Sharing - to discover new approaches from each other & together
• Engagement/Application- to engage people in the relevance of the material to enhancing their lives, their professional development, and their community
• Hope/Empowerment - Bonus (may not be possible in a short session): thoughtful, heartfelt conversations about issues that really matter to people, can build, hope, empowerment and sustainable community.

Your primary role is to facilitate and support the group in having a substantial and satisfying conversation where as many members as possible participate and interact. (Ideally, for the group to experience itself as a creative, self-regulating system or “learning community”).
Creating a relaxed, trusting and inclusive atmosphere (not a rushed, heavily task-oriented feeling) is essential to the success of the conversation.

Participate but don’t dominate- If you have experience and expertise in the area being discussed, it's OK to let people know you are a resource and to respond as one when it seems especially helpful to the conversation. Be sure, however, NOT to become the center of the conversation. Similarly, if you have perspectives you'd like to share on the topic, participate respectfully and sparingly as a member of a circle, but don’t use your role as discussion leader to dominate and direct the conversation.

+++++++++++++++++
DURING THE DISCUSSION:
Note: It’s hard for one person to do all of these functions well, so divvying up tasks with a co-leader is a great way to go. Either way, do you best and that will be fine.

Model the openness, respectfulness, inclusiveness and engagement you'd like to see happen in the conversation.

Read the group energy and people’s “body language” to sense what it needs next and to see if hidden issues, disagreements, or misunderstandings need surfacing and clarification.

Summarizing- Sense if and when it may be helpful to summarize where the conversation is going part way through, or near the end, but avoid giving your slant about what it all means.

Inclusion- Choose whether to use a “go-around” or anyone-goes/”popcorn” discussion format. If using the latter format, notice over time who is not speaking at all and draw them out by asking for comments from those who haven’t spoken yet.
If someone keeps dominating the conversation, you can: state clearly that we want to hear from as many members as possible, and/or turn to others and draw them out, and/or, gently but firmly ask that person to give others a chance to speak.

Drifting Conversation- If the group seems to wander off in many directions incoherently, you can:
a) Remind people of the main theme and ask them to come back to it. b) Summarize (or ask the group or a group member to summarize) the major thread(s) of the conversation so far, and invite people to build on it (them)them or move on to the next piece that seems appropriate. c) Gently but firmly rein in the 1 or 2 members who may be derailing the focus.

Airy conversation- If the conversation feels nebulous and abstract, remind people of the special opportunity they have to learn from each other’s experiences, resources, connections, etc.

Closing - Optional, very satisfying: Use the last 5 minutes to do a short (20 second or one sentence each) go-around on what people got from the discussion and/or what’s an action step they’re going to follow-up on/try on, when they get back home or back to work.

Thanks for eagerness to share leadership and learning!
Elan

Recommended Books for Additional Reading

Here's a recommended booklist, starting with sustainable communities and broadening out from there. Please add your own favorites to the resource sharing section. List of great websites coming soon.

Sustainable Communities - Resources

Toward Sustainable Communities: Resources For Citizens and Their Governments, Mark Roseland

Ecocities: Building Cities in Balance With Nature. Richard Register

Green Urbanism: Learning from European Cities T. Beatly

Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages & Intentional Communities, Diana Leaf Christian

Ecovillage at Ithaca: Pioneering a Sustainable Culture, Liz Walker

Sustainable Community: Learning From the Cohousing Model, Graham Meltzer

Gaviotas: A Village To Reinvent The World, Alan Weisman

Sustainable Communities and The Challenge Of Environmental Justice, Julian Agyeman

The Key to Sustainable Cities: Meeting Human Needs, Transforming Community Systems, Gwendolyn Hallsmith

Superbia: 31 ways to Create Sustainable Neighborhoods, Dan Chiras and Dave Wann

The Community Building Companion: 50 ways to Make Connections & Create Change in Your Own Backyard, Rogers, Frankfort, McKay


Natural Capitalism: Creating Industrial Revolution, Paul Hawken, Amory B. Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins

Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble, Lester Brown

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, William McDonough and Michael Braungart

Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, Janine M. Benyus

Ecological Literacy: Educating our Children for a Sustainable World, Stone, Barlow, Ed.

Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet, Frances Moore Lappe and Anna Lappe

Promise Ahead: A Vision of Hope and Action for Humanity's Future, Duane Elgin

Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century, Alex Steffen

Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth, Wackernagel &Rees

Sharing Nature’s Interest: Ecological Footprints as an Indicator of Sustainability, Nicky Changers, Craig Simons, Mathis Wackernagel

Fostering Sustainable Behaviors: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing, Doug Mckenzie-Mohr, William Smith

Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth Jim Merkel

Getting a Life: Strategies For Simple Living Based on Your Money or Your Life Jacqueline Blix and David Heitmiler

Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things, John C. Ryan and Alan Thein Durning

The World Café: Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations That Matter, Brown, Isaacs, Et Al.

Turning To One Another: Simple Conversations To Restore Hope to the Future, Margaret Wheatley

Finding our way: Leadership for an Uncertain Time, Margaret Wheatley

Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life, Jon Kabat-Zinn

Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves & the World Through Mindfulness , Jon Kabat-Zinn

Coming Back To Life: Practices To Reconnect Our Lives, Our World, Joanna Macy

Nonviolent Communication: Create Your Life, Your Relationships and Your World in Harmony With Your Values, Marshall Rosenberg

Ecopsychology: Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind, Roszak, Gomes, Kanner

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Chapter 3: Just Sustainability in Theory

In Chapter 3: "Just Sustainability in Theory" of Sustainable Communities and the Challenge of Environmental Justice, Julian Agyeman claims that the JSP (Just Sustainability Paradigm) is a bridge between the NEP (New Environmental Paradigm) and the EJP (Environmental Justice Paradigm). The four main focal areas of concern of the JSP are quality of life, present and future generations, justice and equity, and living within ecosystem limits. Agymen explains the following three points:
If we are to develop more cooperative endeavors and look toward movement fusion, we need to know why the gap exists between the EJP and NEP. This gap must be bridged with frank and open discussion. These two movements had very different beginnings, with the environmental justice movement had community/grassroots beginnings (bottom-up) whereas the sustainability agenda came from expert committees and governments. There has been a history of mistrust between these two movements, and the environmental justice movement is more diverse (in all ways) than the sustainability movement because it arose from popular instead of expert origins.
There is an ongoing green-brown sustainability interpretation battle. This battle is between the richer countries of the North ("green") who are concerned with environmental protection , biodiversity, and protecting the ozone; and the poorer countries of the South ("brown") who are concerned with the alleviation poverty, infrastructural development, health, and education. This is paralleled in the US by the narrow vs. broad focus environmentalism (NEP vs. EJP/JSP). Another paralleled issue is the historical "ecological debt" that the South says is owed by the North.
"If the wider public is to support such progressive policies, there must be an entitlement to a cross-curricular 'education for sustainability' in schools and universities and broadly based, accessible popular education campaign." Purely information-based campaigns (whether run by non-profits or governmental bodies) tend to fail. Behaviors of groups of people need to be changed, which can be accomplished through social marketing. Agyeman cites McKenzie-Mohr and Smith (1999): " the primary advantage of social marketing over other forms of community education is that it starts with people's behavior and works backward to select a particular tactic suited for that behavior."


This chapter of Agyeman's book presents solid, although theoretic ideas. The author supports his statements with examples of successfully implemented programs. However, no examples are presented of implemented/unsuccessful programs or theory. I would have liked to see more criticism instead of pure praise.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Introduction:
This chapter introduces the idea that environmental justice and sustainability movements have been opposing forces in the past. The idea that sustainability ( along with buying organic, shopping local etc) has been the privilege of the morally minded middle class while environmental justice has been a struggle for proper provision of basic necessities (clean drinking water, non-toxic food supplies, etc). The idea is then introduced that sustainability can really only be achieved from a cooperation of these two forces.
Chapter 1:
This chapter provided a history of the environmental justice movement in relation to civil rights movements. Environmental justice as a bottom up grassroots movement, much like the civil rights movement, is at the opposite side of the top down approach of new environmentalism (which focuses more on preserving wildlife as opposed to the threat of toxics in an urban area as a result of environmental racism)

These first chapters provided an interesting history of the two movements which not many people think about. I was interested by how much thought is put into the definition of each particular issue because it illustrated just how important clarifying terms truly is.

I think that this book is an interesting read, my only criticism of this book is that it seems repetitive to someone who is already familiar with these concepts. It seems like everything I read about sustainability is not really new information, just further definition and clarification of what already makes sense. The interesting parts are the case studies because people make far greater strides in improving the principles and methods of sustainability when they try them out in the real, day to day world.

9/18 Assignment & comments

Hi Folks
Clarifying the assignment for 9/18
Read another chapter in Agyeman that fills in more theory OR more practical application/examples, as appropriate. And, if possible, check out some of the local & national resources in the sheets I gave you. Have your blog entry address in our usual format what comes up for you, and, if possible, link it to previous work (Greening/Urban Ecology, Systems strategies, and Tuesday’s focus on justice, sustainability, and neighborhood participation /citizen empowerment fit together very nicely) Our discussion leaders, Carlos and Melissa, will go further in leading our group discussion (you’re welcome to send in suggestions to them).
Highly Recommended, not required: what I handed out on Tuesday: Chapter 4 Greening the City from “Toward Sustainable Communities: Resources For Citizens and Their Governments”, by Mark Roseland (sorry about omitting book title on the handout). By the way, check the Course Resources link for a booklist of my favorite sources on Sustainable Cities, Sustainable Living, etc.
We will take time for sharing about behavior change journals, so be sure to keep moving forward steadily with your efforts and reflections on them, and to bring the journals to class. How might the justice focus affect your approach to social sustainability behaviors??
Theresa will share the case presentation she had ready this week, and hopefully Tania will share the urban ecology observations she didn’t get to do this week. Ron will send out a detailed revised schedule about the case presentations, nature in the city, and discussion leaders this week. We adjusted it to spread the presentations out more evenly, so check carefully to see if it works for you
Short project reports will also be in order. Make sure everyone in your team knows what he or she is doing next and how to be well connected and accountable to each other and your community contacts. If simply self-organizing isn’t clear enough, make sure you have a contact person/convener or rotating convenership, and a game plan for communicating and working together.
I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday.
Elan

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Justice & Sustainability Resources

JUSTICE & SUSTAINABILITY RESOURCES 9/11/07

From the Sustainable Tompkins Just Sustainability Initiative

LOCAL

People's Garden Project - Supports neighborhood food production in low-income areas.(First Baptized Church of Christ,1st st., Northside) Jhakeem Haltom haltomj@gjr.tstboces.org

Urban Permaculture- Josh Dolan/Education programs and services. 280-5500 rainbowwarrior18474@yahoo.com

CSA Farms serving low-income families – e.g., Full Plate Farm Collective, http://www.fullplatefarms.org/, call Cooperative Extension-272-2292 for more

Ithaca Community Garden, Project Growing Hope, near Farmer's Market. Northside, www.lightlink.com/itgarden/ , Cally Arthur, carthur@twcny.rr.com

Greenstar Natural Food Coop- Making local foods more accessible, Liz Karabinakis 277-0080 x501

RIBS- Recycle Ithaca’s Bicycles - Bicycle re-use, access to quality bikes and maintenance skills regardless of identity or socioeconomic status. 530 W. Buffalo St. and Hwy 13N (Meadow St.) Thursdays 4-7, Saturdays 12-3 http://velonet.org/ribs/index.php 256-5355

Southern Tier Energy Smart- resource for making energy efficient homes more affordable. Gay Nicholson agn1@cornell.edu

Heating Solutions- Cooperative Extension- Ken Schlather - ks47@cornell.edu 272-2292

TC Solid Waste Management- Does sustainability education in many underserved communities- Linnet Short - 273-6632

Significant Elements - Non-profit building materials re-use outlet in the Southside. 212 Center St. & S.Plain Diane Cohn 277-3450 www.significantelements.org/significant_elem.htm

TC Workers' Center, 115 E. State Street, 269-0409 Pete Meyers

www.TCWorkersCenter.org Advocates for economic justice and community-based economic development on many key fronts, including a living wage for all.

Multicultural Resource Center- Cooperative Extension, 615 Willow St., Audrey Cooper 272-2292 Advocates for intercultural connection, understanding, and equity.

Race Liberation Alliance- Focuses on reversal of racism and the links to sustainable living and sustainable community. Liz Field ebauchne@twcny.rr.com 280-1960

Just Sustainability Initiative -Sustainable Tompkins- Links the justice and sustainability agendas and constituencies . Elan Shapiro, elansla@ecovillage.ithaca.ny.us 275-0249

S.T.A.M.P. Southern Tier Advocacy and Mitigation Project, Leslie Jones, including - Guerrilla Griots Human Rights Media Arts Center - Jason Corwin info@guerrilla-griots.org 277.2122 Make & show films by at-risk local youth that combine justice and sustainability themes.

Alternatives Federal Credit Union- AFCU- Economic development for underserved populations. Deirdre Silverman, deirdre@alternatives.org, 216-3416

A.C.E.- Allies for Community Empowerment- Promotes West Side Economic Development, esp. of minority businesses- Amy Somchanhmavong ayk3@cornell.edu 254-8072

NATIONAL JUST SUSTAINABILITY RESOURCES

Projects and Organizations:

Bronx Center Project "Don't Move, Improve” NYC. Neighborhood-based sustainable development in a low-income area of the Bronx. www.unesco.org/most/usa1.htm and

http://www.sustainable .org/casestudies/newyork/NY_af_melrose.html

Sustainable South Bronx -SSB- NYC- A community-based organization created in 2001 to implement sustainable development projects for the South Bronx- www.ssbx.org/ Check out the work of Majora Carter, head of SSB

Reclaim the Future, Ella Bakker Center, Oakland.Ca.

“Our goal: Build a green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty”.

http://ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=5

HS curriculum tools: http://ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=27&contentid=23

Urban Habitat Oakland, Ca. Builds bridges between environmentalists, social justice advocates, government leaders, and the business community, in areas such as environmental health, equitable development, leadership development, & transportation. http://urbanhabitat.org/

Urban Ecology San Francisco, Ca. Aims to create vibrant Bay Area neighborhoods by listening to communities, designing neighborhood plans, advocating change, and serving as an information resource www.urbanecology.org

People's Grocery, West Oakland. Develops a socially just and sustainable food system in W. Oakland through community-based, youth-focused and innovative social enterprises, urban agricultural projects, educational programs and public policy initiatives http://peoplesgrocery.org/mission.html

Fruitvale Transit-Oriented Village Transit-based development of a Hispanic and Asian community along the BART line in Oakland, Ca. http://www.smartcommunities.ncat.org/success/fruitvale_bart.shtml

ACE Alternatives for Community and Environment, Boston www.ace-ej.org

Bethel New Life Chicago Green economic/community development in inner city area. bethelnewlife.org www.smartcommunities.ncat.org/success/bethel_new.shtml

Shaw EcoVillage: Building Youth Leaders and Sustainable Communities, Wash., DC www.shawecovillage.com/

Green Institute Minneapolis www.greeninstitute.org

www.sustainable.org/casestudies/minnesota/MN_af_phillips.html

Growing Power, Milwaukee. Supports people from diverse backgrounds and the environment in which they live by helping to provide equal access to healthy, high-quality, safe and affordable food http://www.growingpower.org/

Growing Prospects Winnipeg, Manitoba. Provides individuals on income assistance with the skills they need to find full-time employment in the horticulture and greenhouse industries. www.growingprospects.org

Edens Lost & Found Media and Policy Center focused on grass roots movements and projects to restore American cities - resources include action guides, dvd’s , book, newsletter, etc. www.edenslostandfound.org

Liberation Ecology- Integrating social justice and sustainability, or “social and ecological health”- Rafter T. Sass, speaker/workshop leader/project designer, rafter@liberationecology.org 518-567-7407

Policy Link, Social & economic justice toolkit linked to “regional equity" and “equitable development” www.policylink.org

Institute for Public Policy Research- “Socially just environmental sustainability” http://www.ippr.org.uk/research/teams/?id=86&tid=86

Creating Community - Justice & Equity Resources http://www.sustainable.org/creating/justice.html

For many more relevant examples, see:

a) Sustainable Community Success stories

http://www.smartcommunities.ncat.org/overview/ovsstoc.shtml

Don't miss "Collections of Success Stories" at the end, and:

b) Sustainable Community Case Studies

http://www.sustainable.org/casestudies/studiesindex.html

c) Sustainable Community Best Practices www.bestpractices.org/bpbriefs/index.html

Justice & Sustainability : Magazines, Reports, & Articles:

Community Jobs in the Green Economy- Apollo Alliance/Urban Habitat

Report on equity and the emerging green economy. Available free from publications@apolloalliance.org also see www.apolloalliance.org

Green Collar Jobs for Urban America by Van Jones and Ben Wyskida

http://www.yesmagazine.com/article.asp?ID=1551

Two Crises, One Solution by Van Jones

http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=1262

Other Van Jones articles: see www.ellabakercenter.org and Yes! magazine

www.google.com/u/yesmagazine?q=van+jones&sa.x=14&sa.y=9

Also, see 25 minute Van Jones video in video section below.

Solidarity Not Charity Interview with Shakoor Aljuwani on Hurricane Katrina

Rethinking Schools http://rethinkingschools.org/archive/21_01/soli211.shtml

Race, Poverty and the Environment - Environmental Justice and Sustainability magazine from Urban Habitat http://urbanhabitat.org/rpe/front

Where Justice & Sustainability Meet S. Y. Agyeman http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1076/is_6_47/ai_n14795803/pg_1

Justice, Sustainability and Democracy S. Y. Agyeman

www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1076/is_6_47/ai_n14795790

Does “Buying Local” hurt the poor? Creating Real Prosperity

by Frances Moore Lappé www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=1548

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Books:

Sustainable Communities and the Challenge of Environmental Justice

J. Agyeman, NYU 2005

Edens Lost & Found: How Ordinary Citizens are Restoring Our Great American Cities, H. Wiland and D. Bell, Chelsea Green is the companion book to the PBS series. Richly illustrated, it chronicles the grass-roots movements to revitalize America's urban landscapes and communities. www.edenslostandfound.org The book is available online

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Video/Film

Van Jones: A Light at the Crossroads: Bridging the Environmental and Social Justice Movements http://ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=29&contentid=26

Edens Lost & Found – PBS series (see book above) DVD’s available online www.edenslostandfound.org

Environmental Justice Videos http://www.ejrc.cau.edu/videoarch.html

Media Rights, EcoJustice films http://www.mediarights.org/issue/environmen