Greener Cities

Spanish City Opens Town To The Sea

The municipality of Gijón on the Spanish coast has undergone major changes during recent decades as a result of iron and steel making, and related shipbuilding, which has affected its urban development and planning.

As a result, the town’s council has a led an effort to undertake the total renewal of the seafront of Gijón, converting industrial ruins into new urban spaces on the coast. Eradication of shanty towns, resettling the targeted families in the new urban spaces, and the elimination of ghettos and other spaces has led to the transformation of an industrial urban environment.

In addition, a coastal pathway has been created, the Local Quay has been transformed into a marina alongside the Old Fishing Quarter and the Santa Catalina Headland.

Technorati Tags: urban spaces, greener cities, environment

Small-Scale Turbines Help Power University

The first of 25 Windspire vertical wind turbines are being installed at the first university micro-wind farm in the country. The turbines at Quinnipiac University’s new York Hill Campus will power more than 50 percent of the exterior lights on the 250-acre campus.

The Windspire wind turbine is a low-cost, low-noise wind power appliance for use in urban, suburban, rural and remote locations. Manufactured in the United States by Mariah Power, Windspire turbines are propeller-free, vertical-axis designs that maximize energy conversion from wind into electric power, regardless of changing wind speed and direction.

The turbines are part of a broader sustainability initiative at the new campus that includes solar powered bus stops, alternative transportation, and water efficiency practices such as rainwater harvesting and low flow plumbing fixtures.

“Quinnipiac University is committed to building one of the most environmentally friendly campuses in the country,” said John Lahey, the university’s president. “Our York Hill Campus reflects our ongoing commitment to using renewable energy sources and educating our students about the importance of environmental issues.”

The York Hill Campus was designed by Centerbrook Architects, a design firm with a long history of using renewable energy and sustainable building practices. Centerbrook helped the university to develop a strategy that includes a focus on indoor environmental quality, materials and resources, energy and green power, water efficiency, biodiversity, and education and environmental awareness.

“We have designed many state of the art initiatives on this new seminal green campus for Quinnipiac University, but the wind turbine terrace will be the most prominent and exciting statement about the university’s commitment to sustainable practices,” said Centerbrook’s Jeff Riley. “The technology and vertical axis design of the Windspire allowed us to place wind power right in the center of campus.”

Technorati Tags: wind power, environmentally friendly campuses, wind energy, sustainability

New Network Supports Water-Refill System

By creating a network of partner cafes and restaurants that pledge to offer the public water refills, cities can reduce waste and promote local water sources. And the network of cafes and restaurants that pledge to offer free water refills can be accessed by those who need water when away from home or office by using a PC or mobile phone.

By providing a convenient alternative to single use containers for water consumption, PET plastic waste is reduced and local water use increases. The TapIt Water initiative has used it’s website at www.tapitwater.com, and social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, to reach out to communities and promote a new way of getting access to clean water. The TapIt water blog has also served as a platform to raise awareness of water issues such as conservation, purity and public access.

Local businesses that are part of the TapIt network, educate customers on the benefits of tap water. Local governments and nonprofits help outreach by displaying links to the TapIt map system.

Technorati Tags: waste reduction, water conservation, clean water

Toyota Supports New Sustainable Housing Effort

Toyota Housing Corp. of Japan has started selling houses in a new “green” residential development in Kasugai City, Japan. The residential development is large, featuring 171 lots in total.

Each lot is equipped with an underground water tank to store rainwater for home use. The use of rainwater will not only reduce water consumption, but also reduce energy consumption at water filtration plants, thereby saving overall power consumption in the district.

In addition, the company established guidelines both for planting greenery and exterior designs with an aim to create a beautiful area and living environment surrounded by lush greenery that will contribute to reducing carbon dioxide (CO2).

The houses built in the development are also well-insulated to save energy and reduce CO2 emissions. The company also encourages customers to install other eco-friendly systems in their houses, such as a solar power systems and heat pumps.

Technorati Tags: eco-friendly homes, eco-friendly systems, reduce carbon dioxide, green homes, reduce water consumption

Santa Monica Bans Non-Recyclable Plastics On Beaches

The city of Santa Monica, Calif., has banned the use of non-recyclable plastic disposable food service containers within Santa Monica. Expanded polystyrene and non-recyclable plastic together make up the largest amount of waste that ends up on Santa Monica’s beaches.

This plastic waste causes significant environmental damage to the beach and marine environment. It can also harm marine animals and birds who mistake it for food.

Polystyrene is made from crude oil and when improperly disposed persists in the environment for hundreds of years. By banning these types of disposable plastic food containers, the ordinance will help to reduce the amount of these materials that pollute Santa Monica’s beaches and the bay, the council stated.

An education and outreach campaign was developed to educate the community, food vendors, distributors and manufacturers. Workshops, presentations and site visits were offered.

An office gallery of non-recyclable, compostable and recyclable products used by Santa Monica food vendors and other communities was created and maintained by a team of student interns, and available to the public at the Office of Sustainability and the Environment.

Emphasis was placed on developing clear labeling of bio-plastics as “compostable” and the requirement that that these products meet compostability standards.

Technorati Tags: recycling, green cities, environment, clean beaches, reduce plastic waste

Crosstown 116 – Greener Cities

The Harlems in the the New York area were typical of many innercity areas, characterised by low incomes, rundown housing, poor air quality resulting from pollution, and inadequate job training and work opportunities. The communities also face inadequate open space, lack of cultural facilities, a fractured urban architectural fabric and inadequate transportation.

Confronting the issues of cultural preservation, economic development, adequate shelter and sustainable environment, the Crosstown 116 initiative was formed via partnerships between various institutes to address the most pressing needs of the community.

As a result, the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum began conducting a Crosstown 116 program to allow high school students from New York to be the participants. The workshops allowed students to work with urban planners and architects to analyze and re-design the 116th Street corridor from the Hudson to the East River to better serve the community.

Technorati Tags: green community, sustainable environment