The Ecopolitan

The Greening of America Starts in Your Neighborhood

The campus of a Lutheran college in inner-city Minneapolis was recently transformed--almost literally--into an ecovillage, as neighborhood activists swapped ideas about how to make the Twin Cities greener.

Several hundred people climbed out of bed early on a Saturday morning for the Neighborhood Sustainability Conference, organized by the local green network Alliance for Sustainability. I was on hand to share stories from my recent book The Great Neighborhood Book, but I also learned a lot about inspiring backyard revolutions around the country.

Alliance for Sustainability President Terry Gips former Director of Ecological Affairs at the Aveda Corporation, outlined how a growing number of cities now see themselves as eco-municipalities, including Madison and three other towns in nearby Wisconsin.

• Santa Monica, California, for instance, has implemented new policies that resulted in a 17 percent increase in transit ridership, a 10 percent increase in public space, and mandated new organic gardens on the grounds of every public school.

• San Francisco has banned polystyrene take-out containers from restaurants.

There was also exciting news on the local front.

• Food at the conference was served with compostable plates, glasses and utensils provided by the local Eureka Recycling Company.

• The Twin Cities Free Market is making the "reuse" part of the three green Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) much more practical with a handy online service where you can easily connect with other people and trade worthwhile items you no longer need. Sometimes it's as easy as putting out your garbage for someone else to pick up.

© The Green Guide, 2008

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