Author name: Northern Section

The “lists” of greenest, etc., compiled from other organizations’ surveys reveals the methodological flaws in most surveys. However, the special issue covers a variety of intriguing topics. It’s worth at least a skim.

for the Tri-County Porland Area was approved. This is a remarkable success. Read the story.

It wasn’t easy, took more than two years and it didn’t please everyone, but a plan to shape the next 50 years of development and preservation in the tri-county Portland area was approved Friday by the state Land Conservation and Development Commission.

Did you know that urban planning is in vogue these days!

Check out this article in the NYT reviews the contributions of Buckminster Fuller to urban planning.

. . . R. Buckminster Fuller [was] one of the 20th century’s most enthusiastic champions of urban innovation.

Though his major projects did not see the light of day, Mr. Fuller was prescient in discussing environmental problems that are now central to green urban planning.

Explore ZETA homes for their innovative approach to Net-Zero via pre-fab modular home production. Manufacturing Facility Tour Event Details – Wednesday, August 24, 2011 (05:30 PM – 07:30 PM),  McClellan CA (Sacrmento Area; map) ZETA Homes Modular Manufacturing Facility Tour and Presentation Please join us for an encore presentation of the ZETA Communities Modular Manufacturing

Virginia Tech’s Metropolitan Institute’s Sustainable Communities Initiative and the concept and work of their Sustainability Lab are high-level, valuable summaries of the state of sustainability planning. They are well worth a few minutes of reading.

The Initiative covers the topics of climate change, design, public health and planning, sustainability planning, transportation, and urban regeneration. Of particular interest is the topic of sustainability planning, the introduction of which provides a good summary of the topic and their approach, including their take on eco-cities.

The work of the Sustainability Lab is contained on another website, and appears to be a rich resource.It has

See post in Sustainbility 2030 Clips. A recent Sage column written by an climate studies undergraduate summarize the key challenges and points and provides citations to supporting recent studies.

See post in Sustainability 2030 Clips.

The Case of Freiburg, Germany, cross post from Planetizen.

See a regional ecological-economic design proposal for Appalachia.

Email Promotion of 8-4-11. Web Registration and further info: click here. Greetings Scott, What could an understanding of the Living Building Challenge lead to in your community? Green leaders with varied backgrounds and hometowns all over the world are making use of the information offered in our 6-hour workshop to spark new conversations, create some