7 Billion in 2012

By the end of this year, global population will surpass 7 billion! More people equates to more consumption of our already dwindling natural resources and more strain on our already stressed natural ecosystems. So, be aware of the issue and use less ecosystem services more efficiently.

Check out this brief video by National Geographic.

Standard 189.1

Finally....the first commercial green building standard in the United States. It covers key topic areas similar to LEED: site, water use, energy, indoor environmental quality, and the building’s impact on the atmosphere, materials and resources.


ASHRAE Standard 189.1 provides the basis for new building codes and makes it easier for cities and counties to adopt an already created green building code. The question now is...who will be the first municipality to put this into law!
 

19.20.21

19 cities in the world with

20 million people in the

21st century

For the first time in history, more people are dwelling in cities than rural areas. Existing cities are growing rapidly, and new cities will be needed to accommodate the rising global population. How will the rise of 'supercities' affect business and planning in the future....and what can we do to prepare for it now?

Read more at 19.20.21, an interesting collaboration that is looking at just that.

BioCITY

What is this interesting graphic you ask....BioCity!

"The biocity is an urban planning model arising from landscape architecture and biological theory that proposes cities be reconceptualised as ‘urban biotopes’ that are supported by a myriad of interconnected ecosystems. The model has a purpose to shift critical debate in city planning away from fossil fuel led decision making to secure a better future for urban areas under climate change impacts. It is built upon a collaborative, transparent, open source intelligence across twelve major urban systems into which critical data is progressively captured. The data is available as a comparative metric to highlight strengths and weaknesses of different urban conditions."

"The model adopts a biomimicry agenda that considers the relative equity of the biotope’s twelve constituent systems as paramount. The biocity concept defines twelve interconnected systems that determine the condition of the urban biotope" (as seen in the graphic above).

Cities: A Source of Innovation

The Martin Prosperity InstituteCities recently published an instersting article, CO2 - Bigger is Better. "Their findings suggest that our largest cities are not only centres of innovation but also energy efficiency as well, and will be a key part of our economically and ecologically sustainable future."

e2

e2 is an ongoing PBS series about The Economies of Being Environmentally Conscious. The series looks at design, energy, transport and various other topics through a sustainability lens.

Find a Walkable Place to Live

Do you live in a walkable neighborhood...one where you can use your two feet for transportation rather than having to hop in a car everytime you want to go somewhere. Walking not only improves your health but it reduces GHG emissions which are contributing to climate change. Also, those who walk tend to shop, eat and play closer to home, supporting their local economies.

Take the Walk Score test, it is as easy as typing in your address, and find out just how pedestrian friendly your neighborhood is.