*REPOSTED* from: Teresa Hitch at 2011/03/22 at 9:46 pm
Re: Densification of Ganges Village
I support the draft Climate Action Plan, and commend you on your efforts.
My hope is that densification will lesson the growth impact of non-built up areas. What efforts are being made to ensure this?
With the aging population, densification is more likely. As I live in the Village (because I want to lessen my personal carbon foot print), I wish to share several observations:
–walking paths into the downtown core need to be improved. Roads, such as Park Drive, are preferred by pedestrians, but there are no places specifically for pedestrians. With the advent of the ambulance service, pedestrians will be further adversely impacted.
–industrial use must be limited in order for people and industry to get along in the Village. Noise pollution, air pollution, water use are among issues that may need to be addressed.
–The downtown core needs to be an attractive and healthful place to live. Air pollution is one area that must be addressed, in order to improve the Village for human densification. There are many sources of air contaminants because of industry. For example, at present, some industries contaminate the air by burning toxic refuse. Many days, the pollution is severe, and seriously detrimental to human health. There seems to be minimal control on this air pollution at present. Many people move to Salt Spring for respiratory reasons. Until there are more controls on air pollutants,, living in the Village will be relatively unattractive.
*REPOSTED* from myna lee johnstone 2011/04/18 at 4:33 am
calculations for emissions regarding transportation are not inclusive enough
if they were they would be much much higher
failure to encompass all the spinoffs from operations of vehicles
the overlap in all other areas from vehicle use is huge
i have data to show more of this
am submitting my observances to Dr Andrew Weaver for discussion
*REPOSTED* from Dennis Lucarelli 2011/04/28 at 7:36 pm
I have read the Climate Action Plan documents and the two-sided one-page flyer “Saving the Planet — One Meal at a Time and Saving the Planet — One Kilometre at a Time” and I see these as too focused upon prescriptive actions to get individuals to do this or don’t do that. These admirable steps do not begin to match the scale of the crises, nor do they match to scale of community involvement, reshaping and inventing new institutions, and developing a whole new way of life on the island.
Individual behavioural changes needed go beyond “driving less” and “eating more vegetarian food.” I see these occurring in the context of community-wide, shared, cooperative efforts. An effective call to action needs to include painting a vivid picture (or creating one) of a future that we can look forward to, rather than a scary one we are trying to avoid. Accordingly (as an example), here are my recommended Climate Action Goals — around which Climate Action should focus:
(1) growing all of our own food on-island;
(2) producing all of our own energy and importing none;
(3) dealing with all of our own waste, exporting none and re-using everything or not importing or creating it to begin with, and
(4) becoming 100% self-sufficient for our supply of money.
These steps will mean community-wide efforts, new social institutions and physical infrastructure, and 100% engagement. We cannot sit back and wait for provincial money or expect regional political structures to be able to respond quickly enough, and if it does not seem realistic to get these institutions to turn toward the goals I have outlined above, then we must undertake them ourselves. (Think back to when water supplies on the island were physically built and maintained by whoever lived in the neighbourhood). As an example, an island-wide bicycle path network needs to happen soon, in a year or two, and not in a decade. Worrying about the obstacles of that idea (and all of the others needed) and the admittedly glacial pace of government won’t do; we cannot let those stop us, and we need to figure out a way forward. Transition Salt Spring is the kind of grass-roots, broadly-based effort that is needed, and should be supported wholeheartedly so that ten or twent y percent of islanders are actively engaged.
Numeric reduction targets are not a “call to action” other than to those people who are already aware of the underlying problem. Therefore, I urge the CAC members to adopt the Plan as an Interim Plan, and engage the entire community in a discussion about possible futures on Salt Spring Island, rather than on probable dire consequences of our collective failure to understand the real problem. Not just a “discussion” actually — but doing whatever it takes to draw everyone into action.
Thank you for devoting all of the time, effort, thought and energy into this project so far.
*REPOSTED* from Nomi Lyonns 2011/05/18 at 12:18 am
Here, here Dennis!
I wholeheartedly agree and look forward to working with you again. And, I too would like to thank everyone who has, is and will be co-creating this bright new future.
The website looks great too. Good info — I learned some things.
Peace,
Nomi
*REPOSTED* from: Teresa Hitch at 2011/03/22 at 9:46 pm
Re: Densification of Ganges Village
I support the draft Climate Action Plan, and commend you on your efforts.
My hope is that densification will lesson the growth impact of non-built up areas. What efforts are being made to ensure this?
With the aging population, densification is more likely. As I live in the Village (because I want to lessen my personal carbon foot print), I wish to share several observations:
–walking paths into the downtown core need to be improved. Roads, such as Park Drive, are preferred by pedestrians, but there are no places specifically for pedestrians. With the advent of the ambulance service, pedestrians will be further adversely impacted.
–industrial use must be limited in order for people and industry to get along in the Village. Noise pollution, air pollution, water use are among issues that may need to be addressed.
–The downtown core needs to be an attractive and healthful place to live. Air pollution is one area that must be addressed, in order to improve the Village for human densification. There are many sources of air contaminants because of industry. For example, at present, some industries contaminate the air by burning toxic refuse. Many days, the pollution is severe, and seriously detrimental to human health. There seems to be minimal control on this air pollution at present. Many people move to Salt Spring for respiratory reasons. Until there are more controls on air pollutants,, living in the Village will be relatively unattractive.
*REPOSTED* from myna lee johnstone 2011/04/18 at 4:33 am
calculations for emissions regarding transportation are not inclusive enough
if they were they would be much much higher
failure to encompass all the spinoffs from operations of vehicles
the overlap in all other areas from vehicle use is huge
i have data to show more of this
am submitting my observances to Dr Andrew Weaver for discussion
*REPOSTED* from Dennis Lucarelli 2011/04/28 at 7:36 pm
I have read the Climate Action Plan documents and the two-sided one-page flyer “Saving the Planet — One Meal at a Time and Saving the Planet — One Kilometre at a Time” and I see these as too focused upon prescriptive actions to get individuals to do this or don’t do that. These admirable steps do not begin to match the scale of the crises, nor do they match to scale of community involvement, reshaping and inventing new institutions, and developing a whole new way of life on the island.
Individual behavioural changes needed go beyond “driving less” and “eating more vegetarian food.” I see these occurring in the context of community-wide, shared, cooperative efforts. An effective call to action needs to include painting a vivid picture (or creating one) of a future that we can look forward to, rather than a scary one we are trying to avoid. Accordingly (as an example), here are my recommended Climate Action Goals — around which Climate Action should focus:
(1) growing all of our own food on-island;
(2) producing all of our own energy and importing none;
(3) dealing with all of our own waste, exporting none and re-using everything or not importing or creating it to begin with, and
(4) becoming 100% self-sufficient for our supply of money.
These steps will mean community-wide efforts, new social institutions and physical infrastructure, and 100% engagement. We cannot sit back and wait for provincial money or expect regional political structures to be able to respond quickly enough, and if it does not seem realistic to get these institutions to turn toward the goals I have outlined above, then we must undertake them ourselves. (Think back to when water supplies on the island were physically built and maintained by whoever lived in the neighbourhood). As an example, an island-wide bicycle path network needs to happen soon, in a year or two, and not in a decade. Worrying about the obstacles of that idea (and all of the others needed) and the admittedly glacial pace of government won’t do; we cannot let those stop us, and we need to figure out a way forward. Transition Salt Spring is the kind of grass-roots, broadly-based effort that is needed, and should be supported wholeheartedly so that ten or twent y percent of islanders are actively engaged.
Numeric reduction targets are not a “call to action” other than to those people who are already aware of the underlying problem. Therefore, I urge the CAC members to adopt the Plan as an Interim Plan, and engage the entire community in a discussion about possible futures on Salt Spring Island, rather than on probable dire consequences of our collective failure to understand the real problem. Not just a “discussion” actually — but doing whatever it takes to draw everyone into action.
Thank you for devoting all of the time, effort, thought and energy into this project so far.
– Dennis Lucarelli
*REPOSTED* from Nomi Lyonns 2011/05/18 at 12:18 am
Here, here Dennis!
I wholeheartedly agree and look forward to working with you again. And, I too would like to thank everyone who has, is and will be co-creating this bright new future.
The website looks great too. Good info — I learned some things.
Peace,
Nomi