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OCTOBER 1 2007
AMERICANWAY
U
UNITEDSTATES
Albuquerque, NewMexico; Austin, Tex-
as; Fresno, California; New Haven, Con-
necticut;
and
Salt Lake City, Utah
, all of-
fer free parking inmetered areas to green
cars. Drivers of vehicles that getmore than
50miles per gallon, have low emissions, or
are powered by alternative fuels can forget
about thequarters.
Supporters of the Yellow Bike Project in
Austin,Texas
, canvolunteerat theorganiza-
tion’scommunitybikeshop for12hoursand
then custom-build their own bike from do-
nated parts at that shop. Similar programs
can be found in
Portland, Oregon; Lexing-
ton, Kentucky; Roanoke, Virginia; Copen-
hagen, Denmark; Lyon
and
Paris, France;
London,England;
and
Barcelona,Spain
.
Boston
has launched Boston CleanAir
Cabs, a program to replace ordinary taxis
with cleaner vehicle technology. The new
vehicles have a green stripe to signify that
the taxi is cleaner for the environment and
that its negative impact on public health
hasbeen reduced.
In 2011,
California
will be home to the
world’s largest solar-power farm. Clean-
tech America has announced that it will
build an80-megawatt, 640-acre farmnear
Fresno
— that’s seven times the size of the
world’s biggest plant anddouble the size of
the largest planned farm, bothofwhichare
inGermany.
Locatedoff thecoastof
CapeCod,Massa-
chusetts
, is the future site of America’s first
offshorewind farm.CapeWind, as theproj-
ect is called, will feature 130wind turbines
that will produce up to 460megawatts of
clean energy and supply three-quarters of
thearea’s electricity.
In
Catawba County, North Carolina
, a
new EcoComplex is being developed that
will turn landfillwaste into somethinguse-
ful. Currently,methanenaturallyproduced
in the landfill is being used to generate
electricity, while a brick-making company
uses the heat generated from sawdust and
wood waste to dry its bricks. Future plans
include a vegetable greenhouse that uses
carbon dioxide emissions to speed up the
growthof plants.
In
Chicago
, 2.5 million square feet of
planted rooftops now conserve building
energy, filter rainwater, andhelpkeep sum-
mer temperaturesdown.
The BigD looks to a greener futurewith
Forward Dallas
, a program designed to
increase the city’s sustainability by imple-
menting strategies toextendmass transpor-
tation, develop walkability, encourage the
constructionofgreenbuildings, fosterbetter
school planning, and improveairquality.
In
Madras, Oregon
, those living in the
Yarrow neighborhood are required to use
water-saving controllers that use satellite-
based scheduling software and real-time
weather forecast data to automatically
adjust water-application rates and times
basedonplant needs.
Developmenthasbegun in
Miami
on the
Brickell Financial Centre, the first LEED-
precertified building in Florida. Architects
havedesigned thewindows in theprismlike
glass structure to withstand heavy wind
loads, anddieselgeneratorswill ensure that
there will be continued business operation
duringweather-causedpower outages.
ThePittsburghHealthySchoolBusFund
will retrofit diesel school buses in
Penn-
sylvania
’s Pittsburgh Public Schools with
new filters, which could reduce particulate
emissions by at least 85percent.
Portland, Oregon
, which has long been
lauded for its environmentally conscious
residents, was the first U.S. city to have a
plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
In 2006, to commute to work, 13 percent
of the population used public transporta-
tion, 2percent rodebicycles, and 11percent
carpooled.
In
SanAntonio
,homeownersareencour-
aged to takeadvantageofprogramsoffering
free low-water-use toilets, $100 rebates is-
suedonyourwaterbillwith thepurchaseof
high-efficiencywashingmachines,and$150
WhataWonderfulWorld
Check out the citieswhose enviro-friendly initiatives are
setting the trend for eco-harmony around the globe.
CompiledbyAngelaChang, HaleyShapley, andJanaWallis
In theUnited States each year,more than 100billionpounds of food iswastedby consumers, retailers, and restaurants.
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