Final Personal Project Wrap Up

For my final personal project update, I wanted to first share some of the research I've compiled over the semester, as well as some recommendations I've made to Mr. Merchant, the teacher in charge of IHS's recycling program, and then wrap it up with the future steps they plan on taking.  Yay!

To accompany my little schpeal below, I made a Prezi (which you should totally check out; however, don't let the awesomeness of my presentation fool you, it was ridiculous and I totally will always be a Powerpoint kid).

So, to first give you an overview of the current recycling program at IHS:

• It's coordinated and collected by Mr. Merchant, an agricultural science teacher who also advises multiple clubs at school.
•  The high school recycles only paper products: white paper, notebook paper, newsprint, etc.
• Recycling is only at the high school.  There are two more schools (a K-2 and 3-6) but they do not do recycling of any kind.  Which sucks.

That's rightttt.

 
During the first part of the semester I mainly focused on gathering some research.  Though there wasn't a lot of literature on expanding an existing recycling program (most was how to start one in the first place), I found a couple really helpful documents (here, here, and here) that do talk about how to expand existing programs, and have helpful hints on how to go about doing that.  I also looked into types of recycle bins that are prevalent in schools (which you can look at here as well).

Or, they could make art projects out of bottles.  Like a house.

I also emailed schools around the district, asking about their recycling program, just to get some comparison to the type of program that exists at IHS.  I only heard back from two schools, and one school told me some pretty generic information (they only recycle at the high school, and only paper products, but they rely on their National Honor Society to collect).  However, the second school's recycling coordinator faxed me her copy of their application to become a Michigan Green School, which encourages environmental education, as well as a Green School certification program.  Her information gave me some great ideas about how to expand IHS's program, especially in the future by (hopefully) expanding to the other schools.  This school, Breckenridge, focuses on environmental education in each of its schools.  They encourage students in the elementary to help preserve animals by building bird habitats, they melt and re-use old crayons for elementary school kids, and participated in an energy audit at the middle school.  And these are just a few of the activities this school district engages in.  The Breckenridge school district provides an excellent model for IHS to follow.

You get a flag for $20!  And trust me, they're super excited about their flag.

So, finally, a couple of weeks ago, I provided some recommendations to Mr. Merchant:

• It may be a good idea (though with budgetary concerns I doubt this will happen) to have a full-time staff member be in charge of recycling.  This way the program could begin expanding to the other schools, and someone would be able to devote their full attention to it.  
• Another way in which the recycling program could encourage expansion is by letting the National Honor Society, or another student group, be in charge of collecting the recycling.  One problem Mr. Merchant mentioned was the fact that he did not have the time to go over to the other two schools and collect the recycling, so if a student group was in charge they would a) have more time to travel to the elementary schools and b) be able to split up the work in order to in a more efficient manner.
• Thirdly, I suggest expanding the recycling program to the other two elementary schools in the future.  This will not only promote environmental education, but it will also get children in the mindset that recycling is important early in the games (why yes, I am suggesting that we warp their minds at an early age).  I think if the recycling program were undertaken by a student group, it would be so much easier to expand into the other schools.
• I also suggested meeting with recycling coordinators in the other schools in order to share ideas and collaborate.  Collaboration is uberawesome.
• Finally, my last recommendation to Mr. Merchant was to consider encouraging IHS to become a Michigan Green School, because, again, not only does the MGS promote environmental education, but they also provide a lot of free education materials.  And it doesn't hurt to be able to say "Why yes, my school is a Michigan Green School."

I did receive word from Mr. Merchant a few days ago that they are planning to go ahead with the expansion of the IHS recycling program.  They are currently looking into which recycle bins to purchase, as well as where to place the bins in order to make it convenient for students as well as janitors.  So I was pretty excited to hear that.  Their goal is to get the bins implemented by the end of the upcoming semester.

They're doing a happy dance because they can't wait to recycle plastic bottles.

After having completed my personal project, I learned that it's a lot of work to try and coordinate and expand a program, even by a little bit.  I also learned what not to do when implementing a recycling program in a school (i.e. rely on a teacher - they have way too many other things going on, and it's kind of unfair for them).  Overall, I'm glad my project ended the way it did because I do feel like I made somewhat of an impact and changed a small piece of the world, which feels pretty empowering.  And hey, I learned how to make a Prezi, so that's pretty cool too.

Sustainable Event Numero Tres!

For my last Sustainable Event of the semester, I decided to attend an event thrown by the Sustainable Development Association (SDA) last Monday that dealt with some cool sustainable internships from this past summer.  Though I already completed my SPEA internship, I was really interested to hear what other people had to say.  And, oh yea, one of the presenters was my awesome friend and one of our classmates, Jen B.

For those of you who don't know, Jennifer was in AFRICA all summer, which makes me insanely jealous.

Yea... She got to look at this while I was stuck in Michigan.  Jealous?  Yes, I am.

Specifically, her internship was located in South Sudan and she worked for East Africa Ventures, focusing on micro-finance.  Basically, she was in charge of a lot of groundwork for this new company.  Her position largely centered on tasks such as market research, client base, as well as how to improve on the sustainability of the office.  One of the goals was to make the business more financially sustainable after around three years so locals can take control.  I know from talking to her that this really plays into the type of work she wants to do when we graduate and (*hopefully*) get big kid jobs.

The presentations also included Katrina Folsom, who worked at the Office of Sustainability on campus, Ben Inskeep, who worked with the Nature Conservancy, and Craig Aubuchon, who worked with the American Water Works Association.

Personal Project Update

Since my last update, I've mainly been compiling research to pass on to Mr. Merchant, the teacher in charge of recycling at Ithaca High School.

I also heard back from two schools in the area that have recycling programs.  One interesting note is that each school has an appointed recycling coordinator who is not a teacher, but some other member of staff, so they have less responsibilities and more time to devote to recycling.  I think this would be hugely beneficial for my high school, because not only does Mr. Merchant teach and oversee recycling, but he's also the advisor for a few popular school organizations.

Anyway, in the first school, St. Louis High School, the recycling is coordinated and picked up by the National Honor Society.  They recycle various types of paper, cardboard, and plastic bottles.  The coordinator did mention that recycling is only in the high school.  The second school system, Breckenridge, gave me a plethora of information, including their application to Michigan Green Schools, a sustainable school certification program.  They do a lot of activities, including recycling, in order to become certified by this program.  

I think my last step in this project is going to be compiling all the research I've done over the semester and come up with a set of recommendations for Ithaca High School's current recycling program that largely focuses on how to improve it.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Mapping The Way Toward Sustainable Cities

I'll be honest - when I read the readings for the week, I had absolutely no idea what I'd blog about.  And I'm usually pretty good at coming up with an interesting (to me, at least) topic to share my perspective on.  Economic development (really, anything economic) is so far outside of my scope of knowledge, it's scary.  Don't even ask me how I survived v517.

Yea, that was me in v517. 

But as I perused Roseland for a second time, I read about Green Maps, which are environmentally themed maps that promote sustainable areas within a city (like recycling centers, green businesses, community gardens, etc.), and voila!  I decided to blog about it, taking the chance that you guys know as little about it as I initially did.

The general purpose of Green Maps is to serve as an all-encompassing sustainable guide for both city dwellers and tourists.  Not only does it encourage eco-tourism, but Green Maps also fosters economic development within the community by highlighting businesses and places that are sustainable.  By having a unique set of Green Icons, the Green Map system makes each map easy to explore while getting rid of language barriers, as well as provides an easy visual of green development (while highlighting resource inequalities).

These are a few examples of the 170 icons Green Maps currently uses. 

As Roseland stated, Green Maps began in New York City in 1992, but since then has expanded at an incredible rate.  Now, Green Map hubs exist in many different countries around the world, including China, most of Europe, Japan, and Latin America, and there are also regional hubs within the United States.

Each leaf represents a city that has a Green Map...  And this program is less than 20 years old! 

Also, an interesting tidbid that I found on this section on the Green Maps site:  in 2001, the Harmony School Education Center in Bloomington completed a draft green map for the city.  It's not listed on the website anywhere, and I couldn't find any other information about it, but there is a draft of a Bloomington Green Map somewhere out there!

Sustainable Event 2: The Name of the Game is LEED.

Today, I attended a presentation on the LEED certification process, as well as the US Green Building Council, by two LEED experts from Bloomington.  Before this project, I did have some knowledge of the basic concept of LEED, but this presentation went into detail about the levels and structure of LEED, as well as the benefits of the certification program.   

Here's what the awesome LEED plaque looks like.

The overall goal of LEED is to promote sustainable building and development practices through a rating system.  The thought behind the LEED certification program is to change the building industry.  They incorporate a 5-spoke approach that includes site planning, water management, energy, material use, and indoor environmental quality.  LEED really takes a holistic approach to green building; instead of just focusing on energy efficiency, they attempt to really encompass green design elements in every aspect of the buildings.

The LEED certification program encompasses the complete lifecycle of buildings, including homes, neighborhood development, commercial interiors, the core and shells of buildings, new construction, as well as schools, retail, and healthcare buildings.  Another interesting fact about LEED is the fact that they have an entire component dedicated to the operation and maintenance of existing buildings.  The program is really open to all types of buildings. 

The LEED certification incorporates all types of buildings.

The LEED certification program is also unique in the fact that it takes a performance-based approach.  You can’t be considered certified at any level until you actually (and most of the time, literally) put your money where your mouth is.  A drawback of many similar programs is the fact that they just provide the business with a checklist, with no proof, so they tend to be pretty lax.  After you apply for LEED certification, you have to spend time tracking your progress and proving that you are achieving the goals you’ve set; once you’ve done that, then you can become certified.  To drive home the point of just how rigorous the program is, there have been roughly 27,000 applications for LEED certification at all levels since the program’s inception, yet only around 5,700 have actually been certified.  That statistic might lead some people to believe the program is too hard, but I disagree.  It’s important for buildings to really commit to the idea of sustainability and the LEED program really demonstrates that.  I think the LEED program provides an excellent model for what my group is trying to do for our group project, the Green Business Certification Program.

The four levels of LEED certification: Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum.  

Obviously, there are huge benefits to becoming LEED certified.  LEED certified buildings are more attractive to buyers (especially if it’s a corporate space) because there are huge health benefits (especially since the inside of buildings tend to be more polluted than the outside), but they are also cost effective.  One statistic the presenters quoted regarding rental rates stated that the average LEED certified building cost $11.33/sq. ft over non-LEED certified areas. 

The Empire State Building is LEED Gold Certified, and certain areas within the  building are LEED Platinum Certified.

And LEED isn’t just for builders, engineers, or architects.  There are over 30,000 individuals that are members of LEED.  They have a program, the Green Associate program, which I’m currently looking into, that you can become a member of, and it ensures that you have a basic understanding of green building and the LEED process.  It’s a great thing to have on a resume, and only requires the completion of one course (which can be either online or in person), and the passing of a test.

You can become a LEED Green Associate by taking a  simple course (either online or in person) and passing a test. 

Before I attended this presentation, I had a general interest in the LEED certification process, but this presentation drove home the point that LEED certification is hugely beneficial to society, on the road to a sustainable future, LEED may be the way to go. 

Sustainable Event Number One!

For my first sustainable event, I attended a sustainable pumpkin carving part at Jen B.'s apartment.  We held it last Sunday, and it was the perfect way to incorporate sustainability into my favorite holiday, Halloween.

Woo Pumpkin Carving!

After we cleaned out the pumpkins (arguably my favorite part), we separated the seeds from the guts.

Who knew that three pumpkins could produce that much gunk?

We took advantage of the fact that Jen B. is now composting, and composted the guts.  Then, Jen B. ended up roasting the pumpkin seeds, so nothing from the pumpkins ended up being waste.

This was a really fun study break, and it was a great way to encourage sustainability.  We had some other friends there who weren't very familiar with composting, so it was a fun opportunity to educate them on how composting works, and how we can reduce waste through composting.

Personal Project Update Again

So a few nights ago, a light bulb went off in my head regarding my personal project.  I've been doing research on how to expand recycle programs, and what types of bins work best for schools, etc. But there are many schools similar to my old high school in the area, and it might be beneficial to get some idea as to what their recycling programs entail.  So today I began emailing four surrounding school districts to get more information about their programs.  I've already heard from one school with the coordinator's contact information, and plan to get in touch with her shortly. 

I think getting the perspectives of other schools in the area will be incredibly beneficial to compare to Ithaca's program, as well as to get ideas on how to expand it.  I'll provide another update shortly once I get some more information! 

The Brownfield Redevelopment Success Story.

In the latest chapter of Roseland, he briefly mentions brownfields.  Being able to blog about this topic really excites me because I have had some awesome first-hand experience with brownfield remediation and redevelopment, which in many ways led me to SPEA in the first place.

Just in case you aren't familiar with brownfields, they are basically idle or abandoned properties that are polluted to the point that redevelopment can't happen until the pollution is remedied.

You know, like this awesomely creepy building.

States, as well as the EPA in many instances, provide funding in partnership with a private developer in order to remove pollution, or find ways to cap the pollution (like through a parking lot).  The remediation and much of the funding is mainly taken care of through the state departments, but the EPA also provides a lot of funding to states and brownfields.

So, back to the story.  When I was a junior in undergrad, I was required to complete a summer-long internship as part of my major requirements.  I ended up securing a last-minute internship with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, in their Brownfield Grant and Loan Unit, which has been functioning and helping remediate properties since 1992.  It was the summer of 2009, right after the economy basically went down the tubes, and the program was getting dangerously close to hitting the last million dollars available for a grant or loan (which is the minimum amount that can be applied for).  So, the coordinators of the program knew that come the next budget cycle, they'd need more money, or the program would most likely be cut.  Which is where I came in.  Another intern (who is, ironically, a second-year SPEON as well) and I were in charge of the Brownfield Redevelopment Success Story Project.  Basically, we worked with the five coordinators of the unit, did background research on many of the properties (by looking at variables like amount of jobs created, amount of land redeveloped, land values before and after remediation, standard equalized values of properties before and after, etc.), and then decided on roughly ten properties to feature in the project, based on our 'success' indicators.  I spent the last half of my internship conducting site visits and interviews.  I interviewed everyone from city managers to economic developers to private developers.

Fun fact: The Cooley Law School Stadium, where the Lansing Lugnuts (minor league baseball) play, is a former brownfield.

Once the interviews and site visits were over, we compiled what we had found, and, in conjunction with a research team from Eastern Michigan University, put together a document that they now give out to advertise the program (my name is in there and everything - it's pretty cool).    

My favorite part about the internship was seeing how these redeveloped properties impacted communities.  Not only do brownfields tend to be incredibly aesthetically unappealing, the land is unable to be developed, so it's a waste.  One redeveloped site I visited was a hardware, and I think it created 5 or 6 jobs.  That may seem like not a lot, but in a rural community with under 1,000 people living there, that is an amazing accomplishment.

My absolute favorite site that I visited is The Village at Grant Traverse Commons, located in Traverse City, MI.  Traverse City in and of itself is one of my favorite places in Michigan, but The Village is one of the coolest places.

The Village at Grand Traverse Commons

The Village is located on the grounds of the old Traverse City State Hospital, which closed in 1989.  The property was polluted with lead paint, among other pollutants.

At the time, they had redeveloped roughly half of the main building.  This is the half that had not been remediated yet.

The State, in partnership with a private development group, used existing infrastructure and transformed the buildings into a combination of commercial and residential areas.  There are awesome condominiums on the top two or three floors, and the bottom two floors consists of boutiques and art galleries.  There is even a restaurant where the morgue used to be.

As part of the redevelopment, the existing building was used.

So my internship was pretty awesome.

Brownfield redevelopment offers a great opportunity to invest in sustainability, and many places have done just that.  Green roof technology and sustainable infrastructure are easily incorporated into many redevelopment designs.  As we (hopefully) move toward a more sustainable future, it's important to remember the possibilities that exist with brownfield redevelopment.

Personal Project Update

For my personal project, expanding the recycling program at my old high school, I have definitely made some progress.  When going into the project, I knew that they only recycled paper products, and that was it.  I had the idea that I wanted to encourage them to expand the program to include plastic bottles, which seemed like the logical step because of the fact that all of the vending machines in the school sell drink products in plastic bottles. 

You know... Like these.

Or they could re-use them and make a house!

So that is the overall goal of my project.
I've spoken with the head of the recycle program (a teacher) a few times, and presented some ideas to him about why recycling plastic bottles is beneficial and also about how to go about doing that, and he seemed to really like the idea.  He said that he has been considering the expansion of the recycling program for some time, and would really like my help with it.  Going forward, I'm going to begin researching types of bins that would be feasible for the school to use, and we are going to also look into locations for the recycle bins. 

I'm not going to lie, these look awesome.  And I'd totally throw my bottles into them.

I'm also toying with the idea of suggesting a student-led Recycle Team that would help with the recycling.  Currently, the recycling is only happening at the high school, because he doesn't have the time to go over to the elementary schools and collect the bins.  I think something like that would be out of the scope of my Personal Project, because it would take a lot of time and planning, but I might still get his thoughts on something like that, because not only would it promote student involvement, but also education about recycling, and make it more feasible to expand recycling to the elementary schools.

Urban Heat... as pollution?

Interestingly enough, most of my classes this week seem to centralize around the theme of atmospheric change.  Something that relates really well to atmospheric change and has piqued my interest recently is the urban heat island effect.

Here's a fun little graphic to demonstrate my point.

The urban heat island effect (UHI) is essentially when the center of an urban area is significantly warmer than the adjacent rural areas.  As you can probably imagine, there are a myriad of sustainability issues that are impacted by UHI, including water and electrical use.  For example, an article I read for another class (the abstract is here) looks at the impact of the UHI effect on residential water use in Phoenix, Az.  They compile data into two log-linear models and find that variables like mean lot size, household income, mean age of housing, percentage of units with an evaporative cooler (an alternative to traditional air conditioning), and mean pool surface area.  The article points out that UHI has both indirect effects, due to the increased amount of energy being used, as well as direct effects, which include higher outdoor demand for water use (to fill those wonderful pools).  To put this into perspective, researchers found that for each 1,000 square foot increase in size of lot, the average water use increases by roughly 1.8 percent and a 1 degree Fahrenheit increase in temperature results in a roughly 290-gallon increase in water usage per single-family residence, which obviously has incredibly large impacts on the environment and sustainability that need to be addressed.  That's huge. 

Huge pool = higher water use.

So, how do we mitigate this effect?  Well, the authors provide a few suggestions, like heavier zoning regulations that specify lot size, or regulations on the size of outdoor swimming pools allowed.  They also include four suggestions that are specific to an urban planner:
1) Looking at a city's form and structure, ie. the alignment and planning of roads or the amount of space between buildings;
2) Use of materials used in building, especially taking into consideration thermal efficiency and reflective vs. absorptive surfaces;
3) Land cover, including the amount of natural land cover being affected by the building; and
4) The geographic and cultural context of the area in question, i.e. what natural resources are already present.

Phoenix, Az.  Really pretty, and really hot.

Something that they don't cover in this article very well is what to do to mitigate the problem in existing places.  I would have liked to learn about mitigation strategies being used on existing structures in order to downplay the negative effects of the UHI.      


Finally, one thing that really caught my eye at the end of the article is the fact that the authors point out that if heat were to be considered a pollution, it could be properly regulated.  I had never thought of heat being a type of pollution, so this struck me as odd.  I couldn't find anything about heat being a pollutant on the EPA website, but Wikipedia does have some more information.  Do you guys think that heat (human-made) should be considered a pollutant?


If you are more interested in the UHI effect (I'll be honest, I totally geeked out a little when I started learning about it), the EPA has some information on the subject.

Personal Project Progress

So, I did make the switch from encouraging free recycling within my city to encouraging recycling of more materials within my old school system, mainly due to the fact that the city is under contract with a waste company for the next few years.  It took me longer than I would've liked to get in touch with the person in charge of the recycling program - I never heard back from the Superintendent, and though I heard back right away from the High School Principal, I have yet to hear back from the actual teacher in charge of the program.  I've done some research on recycling programs, so I don't want to have to give up yet.

As of right now, I'm planning on continuing my research and hoping he gets back to me soon.

Superfunds - Closer Than You May Think

Chapter 6 of Roseland includes a graph of solid waste outputs for various sectors, one of which is Superfund waste.  The mention of Superfunds strikes pretty close to home for me, because about 10 miles away from my hometown is one of the most polluted and most costly Superfund sites in the United States.

Example of a Superfund clean up site.

The Velsicol Chemical Corp. Superfund site is located in the tiny town of St. Louis, Michigan.  From 1936 to 1978, Velsicol primarily produced various chemical compounds, including DDT and PBB.  To make matters worse, the main plant site is bordered on three sides by the Pine River, which eventually flows into the Saginaw Bay, a part of Lake Huron.  Naturally, the powers that be at Velsicol decided to dispose of their hazardous waste in what was clearly the only logical way: by dumping it into the river.  In 1982, the State of Michigan put into effect a no-consumption advisory for all species of fish within the Pine River.  Almost 30 years later, it is still in effect.

Former site of Velsicol Chemical Corp. in 2009.  A slurry wall and clay cap were  added to the site as part of a 1982 Consent Judgement between the EPA, State of Michigan, and Velsicol.

The river has been dredged many times, but pollution is still present in the riverbed.  According to a 2010 MDEQ report, DDT had migrated into the city's drinking water aquifer.  Cleanup is ongoing for this site, and the MDEQ report estimates that another $100 million to $500 million is still needed in order to complete cleanup of the site.

According to the EPA's website, there are 158 federally-recognized Superfund sites throughout the country.  This doesn't include the 1,000+ sites deemed to be Superfunds by states themselves.  If Roseland's graph is still true today, and Superfunds are the second-highest producers of solid waste, then it makes sense to shift from recycling waste to encouraging the elimination or reduction of waste in the first place.

Connections galore!

When I read the title for Chapter 4 in Roseland, I have to admit, I was pretty excited.  After having delved further into the chapter, I can draw so many parallels between this chapter and the topic I just discussed in my Urban Ecology class last week.

One of the main objectives of Urban Ecology is to try and reconcile natural ecosystems and processes within a human-dominated world, specifically in an urban setting.  So, for a small scale example, I'm looking out my window in my apartment, and I see a tree right next to the sidewalk.  How does the placement of the concrete affect the tree (its ability to grow, spread its roots, etc.)?  Urban ecologists are trying to intertwine the fields of natural and social sciences.

Anyway, last week, we read an article linked here (I can only access the abstract outside of OnCourse) that relates really well to Roseland's point about creating sustainable green spaces.  Specifically, the authors draw connections between the built environment and public health.  They also promote the idea of health-promotive environments, which contain ecological elements that contribute to the overall health and well-being of its occupants.  Another interesting fact they point out is that neighborhoods with certain attributes, like abundant green space or aesthetically pleasing aspects, encourage people to walk or bicycle, rather than drive.  This concept really relates well to our class, and specifically this chapter, because creating more green spaces in urban areas has a two-fold effect: it encourages people to choose healthier alternatives to driving a car, while also cutting down on pollution.  So that's pretty cool, and a win-win for everyone involved.

Besides all of Roseland's examples about cities creating initiatives that encourage more green space and more sustainable living, I thought I'd contribute one more.  Here is another awesome instance of someone really making a difference in her neighborhood, which happens to be the Bronx in NYC.  It's a great example of people in an area that really care about and want to see change happen.  This video is such an awesome story, so I hope you have the time to watch it, because it truly is inspiring.  :)

Personal Project Ideas

So, I've been having a little trouble coming up with a personal project.  I have a few ideas floating around, so I figured I'd throw them out there and get some feedback:

1) I'm interested in proposing a shift in the way my hometown deals with trash and recycling, something similar to what Bloomington does (free recycling, but you pay for trash pickup).  I was also considering something on a smaller scale, like convincing the local schools there to recycle more than paper, or something with the local businesses.  I'm really interested in pursuing this project, but I'm not sure if the timeframe is right.

2) If that project falls through, I'd like to try and convince my apartment complex to offer recycling.  There are a lot of dumpsters around, so it might be feasible to have one or two areas turned into recycle bins.

Anyone have thoughts or feedback?  Thanks!

Civic Engagement from a Rural Perspective

"Sustainable development must be participatory development... Sustainable development is thus about the quantity and quality of empowerment and participation of people.  Sustainable development therefore requires community mobilization, i.e., mobilizing citizens and their governments toward sustainable communities."
--Roseland, p. 27

Roseland ends his discussion in Chapter 2 by pointing out that change needs to begin at a civic level, with a bottom-up approach.  I completely agree that in order to enact change of any kind, citizens need to become more involved with democracy.  What is most interesting to me is how to get people to care enough about sustainability in order to become involved in the first place.

That is especially interesting to me, because I know that all of my classmates are interested in sustainability - or we wouldn't be in the class - and I know that most, if not all, students in SPEA would love to see a more sustainable world, but what about others?

For example, I come from an incredibly rural area.  The population of my town is roughly 3,000, and it's surrounded by farms on each side of town.  There has been little to no economic growth in the past 10 years, and most people commute to neighboring cities for their jobs, unless they live on a farm.  I'm sure that people in my town generally care about breathing clean air or helping to foster economic growth within the community.  But, there is very little being done to move toward a more sustainable city.  Case in point, when I was younger, the city enacted an affordable recycling program.  Then, a few years later, the prices rose to the point that people opted out because they felt it was too expensive.  Even now, it's a rarity to see a recycling bin waiting to be picked up.  And I'm sure that there are many other cities like my town.

I'm posing this question to you guys: How do we get people to change the way they think about the world, so they begin to think about long-term solutions, instead of only worrying about solving only the immediate problems?

I'm hoping that Roseland will offer, in subsequent chapters, ways to motivate people into mobilizing.  I would love it if the next time I came home, I saw more recycle bins up, but there needs to be a strong push from citizens in order for that to happen.