Friday Five: July 6, 2012

Thankfully, from a resource efficiency point of view, we are returning to more density in our urban areas.
Central cities now growing faster than suburbs, confirming trends for walkable lifestyles, shorter commutes
"But the biggest change of all may be demographic: the portion of the housing market claimed by families with children, the prime market for suburban living, has been shrinking at the same time as the Millennial generation, which strongly favors walkable lifestyles and urban living, has been coming of age. Retiring baby boomers are also in many cases giving up large-lot living in favor of city life."

And as we find ways to provide quality food even in low income areas through creative social entrepreneurs....
Let them eat kale: In Harlem, a farm share for the people
"The folks behind Harlem-based Corbin Hill Farm don’t see sustainably grown local produce as a passing craze for the foodie elite; on the contrary, they’re figuring out a way to make it accessible to low-income communities on a large scale."

Hopefully we can understand how tenuously we currently organize our communities...
Another Way of Looking at the Blackouts
"In some ways, America is much richer and stronger relative to the rest of the world than most people think. But in lots of aspects, to a degree that many Americans really have a hard time imagining, the U.S. has become a backward place. (Roads are bad; cell phone coverage is really bad; internet access is slow compared with Japan or Korea; health-care system is a PITA.)"

And adopt solutions that make us stronger.
Utility Works to Unlock Smart-Grid Potential of Solar-Storage
"It's day six of the storm-induced power outage that has crippled much of the Eastern United States under unrelenting heat and painfully slow repairs. The unmistakable irony for more than 1 million people still without power on Thursday is that the sweltering sun that followed the brutal storms was tailor-made for rooftop PV with battery storage — a combination that keeps the lights on even in a blackout."

In honor of Independence Day, I admit that for all their negative impact, I love fireworks, and would welcome any change that makes them less damaging.
Green Fireworks-Environmentally Safe, That Is
"One rarely gives much thought to the toxic environmental pollution that accompanies a fireworks display. Amidst the choking black-powder smoke and sulfurous stench of a pyrotechnic Independence Day celebration, pounds of volatile compounds and heavy metals go up in smoke to make colorful explosions that pollute the air and contaminate ground water."

Happy Friday!