Mainstreaming Green Practices
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The document discusses strategies that municipalities have used to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly. It provides examples of eco-municipalities in Sweden that have dramatically reduced their fossil fuel usage and increased recycling rates. It also discusses how municipalities can develop strategic plans and engage stakeholders to transition to more sustainable practices in areas like transportation, energy usage, land use, and resource management.
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Mainstreaming Green Practices
- 1. Thursday: How to Mainstream Green Practices Sarah James Institute for Eco-municipality Education & Assistance www.instituteforecomunicipalities.org
- 2. How to Mainstream Green Practices in Your Community Map Credit: SeKom Sarah James Institute for Ecomunicipality Education & Assistance 47 Cogswell Avenue #12 Cambridge, MA 02140 www.instituteforecomunicipalities.org
- 5. Malmö – 96 % recycling rate Photos credit: www.malmo.se Population: 286,500
- 6. Falkenberg’s solar and wind power
- 8. GreenZone GreenZone Eco-Business Park, Umeå
- 9. Eco-municipality Accomplishments Green purchasing Ecological housing Eco-businesses Renewable energy Green building Alternatives to cars Species preservation Sewage treatment by plants Organic agriculture High recycling rates Using waste as a resource Community revitalization Ecological schools Ecological education Community awareness Neighborhood revitalization River restoration Healthy communities Eco-teams Historic preservation Compact development
- 10. landscape design water use heat power materials financing programs inc. zoning busses bike paths sewer line location fuel choice Building design curriculum cultural traditions historic sites traditional village patterns playing fields public access park maintenance watershed protection conservation easements ag. zoning development agreements eco-industrial parks zoning districts & codes site plan review overlay districts A Municipal ‘Tree’ A city, or town, is a complex system HOUSING TRANSPORT PUBLIC FACILITIES LAND USE & REGS ECONOMIC DEV NAT RESOURCES RECREATION HISTORIC PRES Site Affordability Building Design Public Transit Infrastructure Schools Water Land Agriculture Business Location Jobs Residential
- 11. 1. Use approaches that reduce dependence on fossil fuels, underground metals, minerals. . Hull, MA Wind Turbine PV solar panels at Warwick Veterans High School, Warwick, RI Commuting via Minuteman Bike Path Non-phosphorus detergents Photo credit: RI State Energy Office
- 12. 2. Use approaches that reduce dependence upon synthetic chemicals and other unnatural substances . Marblehead MA: no pesticide use on Town grounds & parks Chemical-free dry cleaning, Arlington, MA
- 13. 3. Use approaches that reduce encroachment upon nature. GreenZone Eco-Business Park, Umea Narragansett, RI LEED Platinum home Green roof at a Harvard dorm Photo credit: USGBCRI
- 14. 4. Use approaches that meet human needs fairly & efficiently. Luckyfoot Ranch CSA, East Greenwich, RI Green & affordable housing, Erie-Ellington Homes, Dorchester, MA Photo credit: www.farmfresh.org
- 16. landscape design water use heat power materials financing programs inc. zoning busses bike paths sewer line location fuel choice Building design curriculum cultural traditions historic sites traditional village patterns playing fields public access park maintenance watershed protection conservation easements ag. zoning development agreements eco-industrial parks zoning districts & codes site plan review overlay districts A Municipal Tree The Systems Approach, using the sustainability objectives HOUSING THE 4 SUSTAINABILITY OBJECTIVES TRANSPORT PUBLIC FACILITIES LAND USE & REGS ECONOMIC DEV NAT RESOURCES RECREATION HISTORIC PRES Site Affordability Building Design Public Transit Infrastructure Schools Water Land Agriculture Business Location Jobs Residential
- 22. Eco-municipalities in the U.S . Chequamegon Bay Region, WI Lawrence Township, NJ City of Madison, WI City of Portsmouth, NH Ashland Washburn Bayfield Red Cliff Tribe Bad River Tribe Concord, MA Photo credit: tripadvisor.com
- 24. Eco-municipalities are emerging in… Europe Kurdistan Japan South America USA Africa Sweden Canada New Zealand
- 25. First International Ecomunicipality Conference Helsingborg, Sweden – May, 2008
- 26. The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities & Towns Can Change to Sustainable Practices by Sarah James & Torbjörn Lahti www.newsociety.com
- 28. Sarah James Co-Director [email_address] Institute for Eco- Municipality Education & Assistance Torbjorn Lahti Co-Director [email_address] www.instituteforecomunicipalities.org
Editor's Notes
- Recycling in Malmö 96% of household waste in Malmö is collected. That which can not be recycled or reused is used to create biogas (mainly organic waste) or burned in the waste-to-energy facility. Organic and food waste In Malmö it is more and more common for households to sort food waste. As of spring 2009, some 8000 households in Malmö apartment complexes sort food waste, with this number constantly rising. Similarly, in 2009, organic waste will be collected from individual dwellings in a pilot project. Food waste is primarily collected to produce biogas for vehicle fuel. The Turning Torso, one of Malmö´s most famous landmarks, is also a symbol of Malmö´s attention to the eco-cycle. Each of the 147 apartments in the Turing Torso have a garbage disposal in the kitchen sink which digests food waste and then disposes it to a central collection tank. This organic sludge is then used to generate biogas. A city built on district heating District heating in Malmö is already well-incorporated, initiated in the city already in 1959. Today a large portion of the city is connected to this grid — one of Sweden´s largest district heating networks. Simultaneously, much of Malmö´s heat energy is provided by so-called ‘waste´ sources. Approximately 25% of Malmö´s heat energy is produced by the city incinerator via waste-to-energy and 16% of the district heating is provided by hot water, warmed by excess heat release from major industrial activities in the city. Biogas buses Malmö´s entire bus fleet is engineered to run on gaseous energy sources. Since fall 2008, about 42% of city buses utilise biogas extracted from food waste. As the production of biogas increases, an even larger percent of Malmö city buses will run on biogas. Recycling is a common trend in Malmö Waste separation and recycling are commonly practiced amongst Malmö residents, as part of modern urban lifestyle behaviours. To help facilitate this behavioural trend, the municipal housing company, MKB, has constructed weather-proof complexes (miljöhus) to support waste separation in most of the apartment complexes managed by the company. Each miljöhus has separate containers visibly labelled, often with visible images, to recycle glass, newspaper and paper, cardboard, metal, plastic and batteries, as well as the accommodate the remaining waste.
- 1989, built what was at that time largest solar array in world. Now the eighth largest. Covers about 2 acres of land. Solar array heats water for city district heating system and produces electricity. (1.8 gigawatt hours/year) Developed windmill farm of 10 turbines (12.5 gigawatt hours/year). Enough to heat & power 600 homes for a year. Sit on land leased from local farmers. (cost about $650,000. Payback in 9 years). 90-95% parts can be recycled. “ Falkenberg Enery department now has all-electric cars. This car runs on clean wind power” Falkenberg now generates 30% of power from renewable sources. Many of the eco-municipalities have reduced fossil fuel use, and hence greenhouse gas emissions, by 40-90%. In Sweden, municipalities are responsible for provision of heat and power to businesses and homes.
- Tegelviken Elementary School, Eskilstuna - planning begun in 1995. About 450 pupils No chemicals used anywhere in building. Only natural materials - wood, brick, stone, glass, organic-based paint. No plastic products. School tracking health of teachers & staff. As of 2001, fewer health problems, improved health conditions, and less absences. Cost - around US$11.2 million. 20% higher than conventional design. City officials realized that potential human & building remediation costs could be much higher. School has saved $$ thru reduced heating & operating costs.
- GreenZone has worked toward this system condition in a variety of ways. First, it has cut way down on resource consumption though reducing its energy (by 60%), power 60%), fresh water needs (by 70%), 100% of power comes from renewable energy sources. 100% stormwater reused on site Reducing use of virgin materials. Buildings like the McDonalds are constructed with wood harvested from a sustainably-certified local forest and lumber company. Buildings are constructed so they can be disassembled and their parts re-used. Components are screwed or bolted into place. This of course reduces the amount of virgin building materials that must be used. Overall, 99% of the materials used in GreenZone’s construction are recyclable.
- Studies, Reports, recommendations: Coast 2050 Plan – restoring wetlands & ecosystems (LA Dept of Nat. Resources + other) Brookings Institution rebuilding plan Guiding Principles for Just & Equitable Rebuilding of New Orleans (env. Justice groups, NRDC, Physicians for Social Responsibility Smart Growth America recommendations New Orleans Hurricane Preparedness Plan Hazard Mitigation Plan (city, FEMA)
- Without this, runs risk of being a community effort outside local government, and will not be institutionalized, no long-term change this is what makes departments and other sectors of the community realize that the municipality is serious about this. Or business employees in business case.
- Examples of training processes: Umea: first trained all 50 department supervisors, then set aside an entire day for all municipal employees. Falknerberg - 2,000 staff - 60% of all municipal employees Sundsvall : 2 day training for municipal employees that in turn trained others in their departments Eksjo: 1400 employees in two six-hour sessions Robertsfors - training all sectors of community (started with teahers & school staff) Overtornea - all citizens