Green Cities is founded on the idea of activating local citizens and government officials to improve their surroundings and ensuring their future.  Despite how popular the green movement may be there are still the naysayers, dare I say “haters” who oppose moving forward with sustainability.  Build Baby Build recently ran a story about local opposition to wind farms, bio fuel plants and other green projects.  The article is a great reminder that not everyone is on the green bandwagon.

Read the Build Baby Build article here.

This is actually good news.  “Green” should not always be considered synonymous with “good” and opposing viewpoints should be welcomed to any idea.   Run a quick internet search for opinions on the proposed “cap and trade” system and you’ll find good points being made on both sides.   We know the importance of starting change locally and how difficult that can be.  Communities aren’t comprised of like minded people nor should they be.  What a boring world that would be.  Instead of isolating or dismissing those with opposing views, we should try to understand where they are coming from and what they stand to lose in a greener economy.  You can’t win everyone over, but knowing why you can’t will often make your position stronger in the long run.

The saying “Necessity is the mother of invention” has never been more relevant.  The world is facing environmental degradation on one side and economic collapse on the other.  Fortunately, one can counter with the adage of “crisis is another word for opportunity” still holds true.  The Buckminster Fuller Challenge is an annual contest for harvesting big ideas and strategies that aim to solve a pressing global problem.  These strategies are systematic means of changing the world which take into consideration the complexity of such a large task.  First place winners receive a cash prize of $100,000.00 to support the on-going development and implementation of their winning solution.  The first two contests have shown just how wide the scope of focus has been.

The ”Idea Index” is a catalog of the entries submitted to the contest in its first two years.  Here you can see what issues the contestants thought to be most pressing and how they would solve them.  The 2008 winner, John Todd, focused on restoring the overly strip mined areas of Appalachia in a piece named:  Comprehensive Design for a Carbon Neutral World: The Challenge of Appalachia.  Todd suggested a four stage process that took account of all angles, including land purchasing and funding to create a better design for producing energy (namely replacing coal power with wind power in Appalachia).  This year saw 33 contestants make it to the final round of judging.  The winner was the student team from MIT’s Media Lab with their entry titled:  Sustainable Personal Mobility and Mobility on Demand Systems.  The winning entry was much more than futuristic cars and transportation systems.  A 2009 juror stated:  “Sustainable Personal Mobility isn’t just about the design of these lightweight, highly efficient, electric vehicles, it also about inserting that technological innovation into the social and cultural environment and designing an intuitive system within which they function.”  To view a detailed list of entries and submitters, the Buckminster Fuller Challenge website has created the Idea Index.  Here is where one can go to see what problems people see around them and what strategies they would utilize to solve the conflict.

Buckminster Fuller will always be known as one of the greatest visionaries and forward thinking people who have changed the world.  This challenge series will keep his spirit alive as others attempt to tackle the troubles of the world.  We’ll keep you posted with any updates for further Buckminster Fuller Challenges.

 Visit the official Buckminster Fuller Challenger site:  http://challenge.bfi.org/home

It may seem as though the green movement has caught lightning in a bottle and exploded onto the mainstream overnight.  However, Trish Riley of GoGreenAlternatives.com, has been connected with nature for quite some time now.  Ms. Riley will be featured during the Open Space Technology session of Green Cities Florida on May 21^st.  Founder/CEO of GoGreenGift.com and The author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Green Living, Ms. Riley has also been featured in such publications as:  Hemispheres, Audubon, The Miami Herald, South Florida Business Journal, Natural Health, Natural Home, and E/The Environmental Magazine.

Her new book, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Greening Business” tackles issues businesses may have bringing their companies up-to-date with the sustainability movement.  The work also covers:

·         Setting practical, achievable goals for the right green initiative

·         The difference between “Green” and Sustainability

·         Streamlining operations

·         Innovative staffing strategies to save commuting time and office overhead

·         Cutting fuel and energy costs

·         Understanding carbon credits and their value

·         Making your products greener

·         Green manufacturing, packaging, and shipping initiatives

·         Paperless marketing programs, precision-targeted to get more from less

When asked why she chose to change her focus from personal living to business Trish replied: “While it’s essential for individuals to do whatever they can to reduce their environmental footprint and to reduce their exposure to synthetic petrochemicals, the most effective changes to our planet will occur when businesses and government adopt truly sustainable policies and practices. Businesses are motivated by markets, which are dictated by the choices that individuals make. We can vote green with our dollars as well as in elections. That is how we – as individuals – have the power to save our planet. Helping businesses to go green – in response to the demand created by the public – was a logical step toward moving us into a healthier future”.  

Originally from Carmel, Indiana, where she was introduced to the wonders of nature, Trish and her partner James Steele (a veteran of natural growing techniques and web design) run Go Green Alternatives out of Gainesville;  a resource point for all of those wishing to make themselves and their surroundings as environmentally friendly as possible.  Together they are aiming “…to create a community resource to help bring these green-minded individuals, groups and businesses together to help strengthen our green community”.  Gainesville, like many other cities in Florida, is facing a myriad of sustainability issues from improving mass transit and lanes for cyclists, to eliminating pollutants from their water supply.  Her recommendation on how to tackle all these problems fits perfectly with the philosophy of Go Green Alternatives and that is “…with small steps in every direction”.

On May 21 from 1 – 4pm Green Cities™ Florida will offer sessions presented by conference participants and organized using Open Space Technology, allowing attendees the opportunity to dive deeper into topics and to get expert advice on specific questions and areas of interest.  Ms. Riley’s experience allows her to speak on numerous issues that attendees may have.  Though she states “I’d also like to share information about how to help build green communities by helping to raise visibility of environmental issues, businesses, jobs, and the people who are working toward a cleaner future.”  

Mills 50, Green Cities Florida and The Dandelion Communitea Café invite you to join us for a fun evening of networking at the Dandelion Communitea Café at in the Thornton Park neighborhood!

If you represent or have been looking to connect with the growing ‘green’ business and government community in Central Florida, join us for the second Green Cities Tweet-up on Thursday May 14 at 6pm at the Dandelion Communitea Café.

We are especially thankful for the help of the Mills 50, an organization comprised of business owners, members of community and government officials seeking s to improve the Mills 50 District of Orlando.  Come meet them and connect with other sustainably minded professionals and learn more about what is coming to Florida in terms of green economic growth.  You also grab a mighty healthy meal while you are there.   

Just a few more reasons you should join us on Thursday May 14th for THE progressive networking event of the year!

•  Meet and network with ‘eco-preneurs’, business leaders and other ‘green’ professionals from Orlando
•  Learn more about Green Cities Florida and get to know other conference attendees.
•  Get a preview of what it will be like to experience the Open Source Technology session at Green Cities Florida via intimate  one-to-one communication.

And don’t worry; you don’t have to be a Twitter expert to attend. This event is designed to be beneficial to anyone interested in creating professional connections with the ‘green’ focused businesses and sustainably minded professionals in Central Florida.

Directions to the Dandelion Communitea Café:   http://dandelioncommunitea.com/drupal/location

 If you are not on Twitter yet, click here to sign up and for the latest buzz be sure to follow us @GreenCitiesNews or @GreenerCity!

 Register today at www.greencitiesflorida.com

Dandelion Communitea Cafe. We'll see you on the couch!

Need more incentive to attend Green Cities Florida? Get a load of this:

Achieving Climate Neutrality: The LACCD Sustainability Plan Wednesday, 05/20/09 02:30PM to Wednesday, 05/20/09 03:30PM
Alternative Energy Innovations Thursday, 05/21/09 09:00AM to Thursday, 05/21/09 11:30AM
Building Florida’s Clean Tech Economy Wednesday, 05/20/09 02:30PM to Wednesday, 05/20/09 03:30PM
Effective Actions and Collaborations for Addressing Climate Change Wednesday, 05/20/09 04:00PM to Wednesday, 05/20/09 05:30PM
Federal to Local: Translating the Stimulus Package for local governments Wednesday, 05/20/09 01:00PM to Wednesday, 05/20/09 02:00PM
Green Roofs, Living Walls, and buildings as Green Space Thursday, 05/21/09 09:00AM to Thursday, 05/21/09 10:00AM
Leadership in Florida’s Green Local Governments Wednesday, 05/20/09 04:00PM to Wednesday, 05/20/09 05:30PM
Local Government: Setting a Course of Action Thursday, 05/21/09 09:00AM to Thursday, 05/21/09 11:30AM
Preserving Florida’s Water Supply and Quality with LID Practices Thursday, 05/21/09 09:00AM to Thursday, 05/21/09 10:00AM
Re:Visioning The American City Wednesday, 05/20/09 02:30PM to Wednesday, 05/20/09 03:30PM
Renewable Energy Policy and Programs Panel Wednesday, 05/20/09 04:00PM to Wednesday, 05/20/09 05:30PM
Self-sufficient Urbanism: Contraction of the American City Thursday, 05/21/09 10:30AM to Thursday, 05/21/09 11:30AM
Sustainable Hospitality: In Search of Low Hanging Fruit Wednesday, 05/20/09 02:30PM to Wednesday, 05/20/09 03:30PM
The Bridges: Sustainable Community Design Wednesday, 05/20/09 01:00PM to Wednesday, 05/20/09 02:00PM
Transit Oriented Design and Central Florida’s Sustainable Future Wednesday, 05/20/09 02:30PM to Wednesday, 05/20/09 03:30PM
Understanding the Dynamics of the Global Carbon-Climate-Human System Wednesday, 05/20/09 11:00AM to Wednesday, 05/20/09 12:00PM

]]> http://greencitiesmedia.com/2009/05/apa-approves-more-green-cities-florida-courses-for-credits/feed/ 2 http://greencitiesmedia.com/2009/02/green-energy-our-future-depends-on-it/ http://greencitiesmedia.com/2009/02/green-energy-our-future-depends-on-it/#comments Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:13:17 +0000 admin http://greencitiesmedia.com/?p=115

In July 2008, Al Gore challenged the U.S. to generate 100% of the electricity we need using clean, renewable, sustainable sources within 10 years. “When you connect the dots,” he said, “it turns out that the real solutions to the climate crisis are the very same measures needed to renew our economy and escape the trap of ever-rising energy prices.” Gore connected the dots to the crises we face and drew a picture of nonsustainability. We could meet the “Gore Challenge” via the deployment of 250 gigawatts of wind generation capacity and 50 gigawatts of solar, and it would cost approximately $911 billion. But is “clean, renewable, and sustainable” energy really necessary?

[http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/feb2009/db2009024_215385.htm]

Destiny, FL  is the first large-scale sustainable community in the United States, where the ecosystem is integrated into its infrastructure, creating working green space and preserving the overall quality of the environment.  This the fruition of thinking big.

Strategically placed in the heart of Florida’s Clean Tech Corridor, Destiny is mere 30 minutes from the ports at Vero Beach, 60 minutes from the state’s creative center of Orlando and a two and a half hour drive from the hotspot of Miami.  Making home in the county of Osceola, Destiny will be based in one of the fastest growing interior regions of Flordia.  Osceola is quickly becoming the destnation for those wishing to move to the Sunshine State.  Companies like Disney World Wide, Lowe’s Mercury and Tupperware are among the corporations making Osceola one of their homes, which is flooding the area with the nation’s young and bright minds.

Destiny’s backbone of sustainability is not limited to it’s impact on the environment, but also extends to their plan to create industry and commerce.  Conserving, reducing and preserving is the name of the game.  Through their “Cluster” design  industries are able to share infrastructure, reclame locally recycled materials and lower the miles between business and consumer.  This idea is encompassed within 41,300-acre “new city”, which will ultimately become a sustainable, networked community centered around an urban core hub.  

The overall goal is to create a self contained city of like-minded, forward thinking companies and individuals that is not only environmentally sound, but will also serve as an oasis of technological advancements that will help shape Florida and the world.  Again, this is the fruition of thinking big.

Here is a video for more information on Destiny.  The background music might put you to sleep, but overall a good point of reference.