NorCal NIMBYs begin fight against high speed rail line
The affluent Bay Area cities of Menlo Park and Atherton joined a group of plaintiffs that are filing suit today against the California High Speed Rail Authority. The plaintiffs are alleging the Authority violated environmental laws in their preparation of the environmental impact documents. However, of course, their real complaint has little to do with the “environment,” but is instead related to residents’ concerns that the elevated high speed rail line running through their town would be an eyesore and could also require the relocation of some people living along the tracks.
Duh. That’s what happens when major public works programs are pursued–the cityscape is altered and people living in the way are, unfortunately, forced to move. More unfortunately, however, is the complete predictability of this lawsuit. In this day and age, NIMBYs sue under environmental laws anytime they don’t like a construction project. Oftentimes, these litigious obstructionists need not even win their lawsuit, but merely hope to create enough delay and cost overruns that the plan dies on its own. Either way, the taxpayer bears the cost.
San Diego sees decrease in freeway traffic
The San Diego Union Tribune reported this week that after conducting an analysis of Caltrans data, they’ve determined that traffic in San Diego County is down for the first time ever. Looking at current traffic data compared to the same time period last year, the U-T found that weekday traffic in June decreased from between 3.3% and 9.1%, depending on the freeway. Even more dramatic is the decrease in weekend traffic, which has ranged from 5.2% to 11.9%. This decrease in traffic is, of course, being attributed to the high price of gasoline and the slowing economy.
While it is great that there is less traffic on the roads, it is unfortunate that the primary alternative to not driving is to stay at home, or close to home. While the San Diego Trolley has had a 6.8% growth in ridership over the past year, it is not a practical alternative for most residents. In San Diego, as is the case in most U.S. cities, there are very limited means of public transit. Yes, it is good news that people are driving less and the roads are less crowded, but it is too bad that there isn’t a meaningful rail alternative to fill that void.
Gore addresses criticisms of his personal lifestyle
Following up on our post from yesterday about Al Gore’s appearance on Meet the Press, we wanted to look at one other issue that Tom Brokaw questioned Gore about, and that is the criticisms that have been levied at him about his own personal energy use. Since we’ve looked at this issue previously (and argued that while it may not be fair, his personal lifestyle is inevitably held to a higher standard because of his role as the leading environmental activist), we wanted to highlight Gore’s response to these criticisms.
In response to a question from Brokaw about the size of the Gore family residence in Tennessee, Gore asserted:
Well, there–I don’t claim to be perfect, and all of us who care about this issue are, are trying to do our part, but I, I will say this. We buy green energy. The issue is carbon. The issue is carbon, and we have, essentially, a carbon-free home. We buy from wind energy and solar energy. Our roof is covered with solar electric panels, a geothermal system with all these deep wells, and we cut our natural gas bill by 90 percent, and I’m, I’m–we’re, we’re walking the walk and not just talking the talk. There are always people who are going to try to aim at the messenger if they don’t like the message, and I don’t claim to be perfect, but we are walking the walk.
And regarding the question as to whether he uses private jets, Gore stated:
I’ve–much more frequently on public transportation. I’m flying on Southwest Airlines again today. But sometimes the schedule requires that, and sometimes I do that.
Gore also indicated that it would be a good idea to impose a surcharge on jet fuel for private aviation, since it has a disproportionably large carbon footprint.
Dwell Magazine’s “Dwell On Design” conference runs Thurs. to Sun.
For those of you living in the Los Angeles area that are interested in green design, Dwell Magazine is hosting a four day conference dealing with topics relating to environmentally friendly design, ranging “from urban gardening to a mandated LEED program for LA.” The first two days of the conference (Thurs.-Fri.) are at the Los Angeles Convention Center, while the last two days take place on-site at actual homes (Sat. looks at Westside dwellings and Sun. looks Downtown).
If you are planning on attending the conference, the following links will provide you with discounted and/or free tickets:
Codes and Links:
- Free Ticket To the Dwell on Design Exhibition, enter code: BDODEC
- $50 off Conference Ticket, enter code: GRP22SP
- Free Digital Issue of Dwell Magazine
The conference should be quite interesting, considering the wide-ranging list of scheduled speakers. If you do attend, please make sure to share your thoughts with us.
Green food in LA.
Although some restaurants have been green conscious for some time, the movement is rapidly becoming more mainstream. Akasha restaurant in the quickly becoming hip town of Culver City (Los Angeles) is one of the newest additions to this trend. According to Daily Candy, Akasha’s green elements include its energy efficient appliances, compostable to-go supplies, biodegradable cleaning products, and all of the food is natural, organic and ecoconscious sources.
A 9′x13′ green pre-fabricated home.
As a follow-up to our recent post regarding the nearly $3 million green home recently built in Venice, California, we came across this more economical option for those looking for green housing. Unlike the Venice home, the “Kithaus” is pre-fabricated and quite small. How small? It is a mere 9’x13’ inside, not including the connected deck or canopy. And the price is $44,900 (or $29,500 for the base model). Some of the green specs include that it is made locally in California, has a recyclable aluminum frame, is fully insulated, and is shipped with efficient packaging. An interesting product, but like the Venice home, is clearly for a niche market.
Via re-nest.com.
A green picket fence
The first conventionally constructed LEED Platinum Rated home in California was recently completed. Some highlights of the house located in Los Angeles’ eccentric Venice neighborhood include:
- no air pollution emitted
- solar panels intended to fully power the home
- recycled building materials used such as reused insulation, concrete, counter tops and lumber
- rain water is captured in order to irrigate the landscaping (a point of recent interest to us)
The white picket fence is not very green.
Andrew Revkin had a great post relating to the environmental consequences of society’s migration towards suburbia and the potential for reversing this course. The gist of the problem is that low density suburban living requires vastly more energy resources than city living. (Imagine: big spacious homes to be heated, vast lawns to be manicured, long commutes to be driven, etc.)
In the post Revkin includes a handful of very interesting links dealing with this subject. One of which is a trailer for the movie “The End of Suburbia” which deals with this trend, its environmental impact and potential solutions.
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Private Leaders
