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Archive for June, 2010

Oil Spill Having Catastrophic Impact on Ocean Ecosystems

Posted in Technology, Waste, Water Management, Wildlife on 06/30/2010 | Leave a Comment »

The TEDx conference on the Oil Spill in Washington, D.C. featured a full-day of world renowned speakers on oil science, conservation, and the future of energy. During the day’s discussions, one powerful statement seemed to come through: the decision to use oil dispersants, which are themselves highly toxic derivatives of oil, may have been misguided. While [...]

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How Would Nature Solve This?

Posted in Sustainable Design, Technology on 06/30/2010 | Leave a Comment »

“We are surrounded by genius,” asserted Janine Benyus at the TED Global 2009 conference in Oxford, England in a talk highlighting recent innovations in biomimicry and asking designers to look to the brilliance of nature for inspiration. Benyus, co-founder and board President of the Biomimicry Institute, briefly introduced the new discipline of biomimicry and explained simply [...]

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Ending the Reign of Lawns

Posted in Residential Design, Sustainable Materials on 06/29/2010 | 6 Comments »

The Guardian (UK) reports that many U.S. homeowners are removing their ”chemically-treated” manicured lawns and adding organic vegetable and fruit gardens, native plants, and other natural landscapes in their place. The movement is growing because eco-conscious consumers are learning more about the negative environmental impacts of conventional lawns. “Groups as diverse as urban garden clubs, environmental groups and wildlife protection groups are [...]

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The Effect of Place on Energy Use and Climate Change

Posted in Climate Change, Policy and Regulation, Smart Growth, Sustainable Transportation, Urban Design, Urban Revitalization on 06/29/2010 | Leave a Comment »

At the Atlantic magazine’s “Future of the City” forum, Shaun Donovan, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and panelists explored how place impacts energy use and climate change. Panelists discussed sustainable urban transportation, including technologies and strategies that will define next generation “smart transportation” approaches, as well as trends in green city development. Richard Florida, author of [...]

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Building Information and Energy Technologies into Cities

Posted in Climate Change, Policy and Regulation, Renewable Energy, Technology, Urban Design on 06/24/2010 | 1 Comment »

At the Atlantic magazine “Future of the City” forum, a speech by Julius Genachowski, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and two panels covered how information and energy technologies can be incorporated into cities to facilitate economic growth and enable more sustainable consumption. Julius Genachowski, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Genachowski said the new U.S. broadband plan is “revolutionary” and an example [...]

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The Future of the City

Posted in Policy and Regulation, Real Estate Development, Smart Growth, Sustainable Transportation, Urban Design, Urban Revitalization on 06/24/2010 | 1 Comment »

The Atlantic magazine put together a comprehensive, multi-day summit on the ”Future of the City” in Washington, D.C. Bringing together leading policy makers, businesses, non-profits and business associations, the forum featured speeches from key Obama administration officials, including Valerie Jarrett, Senior Presidential Advisor, Shaun Donovan, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Julius Genachowski, Chairman, [...]

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Wildlife Crossing Design Competition

Posted in Landscape Architecture, Opportunities, Sustainable Materials, Sustainable Transportation, Wildlife on 06/18/2010 | Leave a Comment »

The ARC International Wildlife Crossing Infrastructure Design Competition seeks to identify the wildlife crossing bridge design that works the best for both people and wildlife and also uses innovative materials and methods in a cost-effective manner. The site chosen for the competition is found where the natural and human worlds collide. It lies between the Denver metropolitan area and the resort communities of [...]

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Cairo Will Turn Its Downtown into a Pedestrian Plaza

Posted in Climate Change, Public Spaces, Urban Revitalization on 06/18/2010 | 3 Comments »

Cairo, a city packed with cars, is remaking its downtown into a pedestrian-friendly plaza, writes TreeHugger. The city’s urban planning authority has announced that plans will be complete within a year, and implementation will take another 10-15 years. Currently, the well-known thoroughfare Sharia Al-Mu’izz Li-Din Allah as well as other parts of downtown are already “daytime [...]

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James Corner Field Operations Wins Cooper-Hewitt’s 2010 National Design Award

Posted in Landscape Architecture, Opportunities, Public Spaces on 06/17/2010 | Leave a Comment »

James Corner Field Operations won the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum’s 2010 National Design Award for landscape design. Established in 1998 by James Corner, ASLA, Field Operations is a cutting-edge landscape architecture and urban design firm based in New York City. The Cooper-Hewitt writes: “With the cross-disciplinary backgrounds of many of its 30 professionals, including in landscape architecture, urban design, architecture and communication art, [...]

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HUD Will Use LEED-ND to Select Sustainable Community Grants

Posted in Climate Change, Policy and Regulation, Real Estate Development, Smart Growth, Urban Revitalization on 06/16/2010 | Leave a Comment »

At the Congress for New Urbanism, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced it will use LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) to rate the ”location efficiency” of community projects applying for its upcoming sustainable community planning grants (see earlier post). In total, HUD has some $3.25 billion available in grant funds. Shaun Donovan, HUD secretary, said “it’s time that federal [...]

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