Category Archives: recycling

15 years after the tornado – Planning lessons from Greensburg, Kansas

May 4, 2007, will always remain a pivotal day in the history of Greensburg, Kansas. On that day, much of the city of Greensburg was obliterated by a EF5 category tornado. Thankfully, most residents survived the tragedy due early and … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, Advocacy, Alternative energy, Alternative transportation, architecture, art, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, book reviews, books, branding, business, charities, cities, civics, civility, climate, commerce, culture, downtown, economic development, Economy, ecosystems, education, energy, environment, geography, government, health, Health care, history, Housing, humanity, infrastructure, land use, literature, nature, pictures, placemaking, planning, politics, recycling, Renewable Energy, revitalization, Small business, solar, spatial design, Statistics, sustainability, technology, topography, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel, Uncategorized, urban planning, volunteerism, walking, water, water conservation, weather, writing, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A comparison between Burning Man’s Black Rock City and the Greater World Earthship Community

The American West is blessed with two modern utopian communities — Burning Man’s Black Rock City on a high desert playa in northwestern Nevada and the Greater World Earthship Community located west of Taos, New Mexico. As Burning Man/Black Rock … Continue reading

Posted in adaptive reuse, Advocacy, Alternative energy, architecture, art, branding, cities, civics, Civil Rights, civility, climate change, Communications, culture, deregulation, deserts, diversity, economic development, energy, entertainment, entrepreneurship, environment, food systems, fun, futurism, geography, government, health, history, Housing, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, literature, Maps, marketing, minimalism, nature, peace, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, politics, product design, recycling, Renewable Energy, social equity, spatial design, sustainability, technology, third places, tourism, Trade, Travel, urban design, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Simple New Year’s resolutions to help our planet

Providing a quick list of simple solutions to help save our planet seems like an appropriate blogpost topic for the New Year, as we can all add some/all of these to our list of resolutions. Please feel free to pass … Continue reading

Posted in agriculture, air travel, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, Bus transportation, civics, climate change, consumerism, ecosystems, electric vehicles, environment, fair trade, Food, food systems, health, humanity, minimalism, nature, Passenger rail, politics, pollution, product design, recycling, Renewable Energy, Science, shopping, social equity, sustainability, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It all ends up in the lake…or the bay…or the stream

  When you live near the Great Lakes as we do, or any body of water, it is a fact of life that storm water runoff from your yard, roof, garden, building, parking lot, factory, or farm is going to … Continue reading

Posted in cities, civics, civility, climate change, ecosystems, environment, government, health, humanity, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, nature, Pets, planning, pollution, recycling, rivers/watersheds, sustainability, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mapping America’s Dumping Grounds

At what point are we going to change our wasteful ways? At what point will we take recycling, repurposing, and reuse seriously? The two (2) maps provided should break every American’s heart. Sometimes, while driving our nation’s highways, I am … Continue reading

Posted in commerce, environment, geography, government, health, infrastructure, land use, Maps, planning, politics, pollution, recycling, Statistics, Trade, urban planning, visual pollution | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Designer dumpsters of Traverse City

It’s not often you see dumpsters that once could call “artistic,” but here in Traverse City, there is a series of painted ones dotting the downtown alleys between Front and State Streets. These designer dumpsters were painted by elementary school … Continue reading

Posted in art, business, cities, civics, civility, culture, downtown, economic gardening, environment, infrastructure, land use, placemaking, planning, pollution, product design, recycling, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s a beach, not a litter box for plastic!

This disgusting and disgraceful view is what we were greeted with upon arriving at the beach of San Jose Island on the Texas Gulf Coast 10 days ago.  The largely uninhabited island sits on the north side of the mouth … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, civics, civility, consumerism, education, environment, planning, pollution, recycling, sustainability, tourism, Travel, visual pollution | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A vision of velo purgatory

I recently stopped by the Michigan State University (MSU) Surplus Store and had to take a couple of photos (above and below) of the many forlorn bicycles that are caught in what appears to be best described as “quasi-velo purgatory” – somewhere … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, Advocacy, bicycling, Biking, civics, colleges, commerce, culture, economics, education, entrepreneurship, environment, historic preservation, history, humanity, pictures, product design, recreation, recycling, schools, sustainability, Trade, transportation, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

PROVOking the birth of bike sharing

Near the conclusion of his outstanding book, entitled In the City of Bikes; The Story of the Amsterdam Cyclist, author Pete Jordan reveals an unknown [at least to me], yet significant part of bicycling history – the birth of the bike … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, Advocacy, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, book reviews, books, branding, cities, civics, civility, Communications, culture, education, environment, Europe, fitness, geography, government, health, historic preservation, history, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, literature, marketing, new urbanism, planning, politics, product design, recreation, recycling, spatial design, sustainability, transportation, Travel, urban planning, volunteerism, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Don’t reward bad behavior!

As an Environmental Planner who administers wetland regulations as part of my responsibilities, the most common problem I’ve encountered is not from the developers or original owners of new homes impacting wetlands, it is the subsequent homeowners and neighbors who … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, cities, civics, civility, Communications, consumerism, culture, environment, government, humanity, planning, politics, pollution, recycling, sustainability, urban planning, Wildlife, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments