Audrey Henderson's posts on Justmeans

The Mouse That Roared at Wal-Mart: Capitalists as Conservationists Revisited

Audrey Henderson — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:44:09 GMT

"Tell me why I should care about an endangered mouse in Arizona?"The question above was posed by H. Lee Scott Jr., the recently retired chief executive of Wal-Mart. The dialogue resulting from this query inspired Scott to impose a new, ostensibly more environmentally conscious direction in merchandising for the retail giant. In addition, the implication was that the action by the behemoth retailer has resulted in a wave of changes in the manufacturing, packaging and marketing of dozens of other companies, willingly or less so and even for companies which are not actual suppliers of Wal-Mart.Was Scott touched by the plight of the mouse? Not so much. The mouse was fortunate enough to be sitting on Wal-Mart's bottom line. The new green focus is all about keeping finances in the black. Some months ago, in Earth for Hire -- are capitalists the new conservationists?, I commented on an editorial article in Conscious Choice which addressed the growing alliance of corporate America and environmental initiatives. The piece closed with a question: what happens to those "orphan" environmental causes which cannot be justified for the allocation of resources by a more robust bottom line?It was a legitimate question at the time, and with the ongoing financial crisis, it has become even more legitimate. Because Scott was able to see a direct connection between "greening" Wal-Mart and maintaining the company's profits, he directed his employees and his suppliers to become more environmentally conscious. As a result, Wal-Mart's largely working-class customers can purchase concentrated laundry detergent which uses half as much water and fluorescent light bulbs which use only a quarter of the electricity of incandescent bulbs.This is all for the good, according to Jib Ellison, the founder of Blu Skye, and who has worked as a sustainability consultant for Wal-Mart. "If all this sustainability stuff is just for the well-to-do, it's not going to make a difference," according to a recent quote attributed to Ellison in the New York Times.Fair enough. And with the ongoing economic downturn, everyday citizens are faced with the increasingly difficult issue of how to make ends meet. If struggling individuals and families are given the opportunity to make a small contribution to sustainability as they save money, so much the better.The hard truth is that for many , concern for the environment takes a back seat to putting food on the table and a roof overhead. Is there an endangered mouse in Arizona sitting on the budget of a family with a laid-off breadwinner? While a compelling argument could be made that there is indeed; in the present economic environment it is understandable, that for that family, holding off foreclosure trumps concern about decreasing the levels of phosphates in laundry detergent.However, along with the economic crisis, many in the environmental movement as well as the scientific community believe that the prospect for climate change is no longer one of prevention, but of mitigation. If many ordinary Americans literally cannot afford to focus their efforts on environmental concerns, who will take up the slack? Is the cause of environmentalism truly safe in the hands of a corporate America which has to ask whyit should care?On the eve of President Barack Obama's 100th day in office, his overall ratings are generally high. More importantly, these ratings are high across the board, including among Republicans (who presumably did not vote for him). The consensus is that he has bought considerable political capital with his performance at the beginning of the term, even with the misery of the economy.Along with tackling the compelling challenges of the economy and the ongoing war in Iraq, President Obama should devote some of this political capital in meeting the expectations for his performance on environmental issues. While the task of championing the cause of the environment is certainly not the President's alone, he is certainly charged with the duty of leading the direction of this country. That direction should lead not only to economic recovery, but to increased awareness of looming climate change and related issues.In many respects, the environmental and economic health of the country, if not the planet, are interrelated. There is indeed reason to be concerned with an endangered mouse in Arizona, even in the absence of a profit-driven motive to take action.

Waterworld: The Promise of Blue LEDs

Audrey Henderson — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:40:14 GMT

Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink. It’s only a turn of phrase for most of us in the industrialized world, but it’s a tragic reality for many in the developing world. And while Australia, an industrialized country/continent totally surrounded by oceans of seawater, concentrates on developing desalinization technology to address its chronic drought, the process is far too expensive (approximately US$.90 per 264 gallons) for poor countries in Asia and Africa, especially those which are landlocked.

What to do? It is estimated that 40% of the world’s population lacks access to clean drinking water, so the issue is compelling, even urgent. With climate change, desertification and pollution, the problem is only getting worse with time. Apart from the acute need for water to sustain life, without clean water, water borne diseases loom as a deadly threat. There are already calls naming water as the new oil, with the specter of water wars a very real threat as the planet’s fresh water supply becomes depleted.

Berlin physicist Dr. Michael Kneissl claims to have found a solution to purify contaminated water which is both effective and inexpensive – blue LEDs (light emitting diodes) combined with solar cells to generate ultraviolet light waves, which destroys or damages the DNA of viruses, thereby killing them. According to Dr. Kneissl, the blue LEDs cost approximately ten Euro cents each and small solar cells cost one Euro each, making the total cost of each LED unit less than two Euros.
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The principle behind the technology is not new. Ultraviolet light has long played a significant role in both chemistry and medicine – especially in disinfecting water. Mercury-vapor lamps have been used to disinfect water since the beginning of the 20th century. However, the new technology of blue LEDs and solar cells is far more effective, much cheaper and much more durable. It only takes minutes to purify a bottle of water using this method. Further, the LEDs and solar cells only need replacing about once every 40 years, even if they're turned on and stay on for many hours each day.

So this brilliant new technology will soon be in wide use across the developing world, saving lives by efficient, affordable means, right? Not exactly. There are still a few technical issues to work out, so the venture is presently still in research, although a pilot project will soon be in place in South Africa which will purify 3 thousand liters of drinking water a day. Dr. Kneissl hopes to move into mass production by 2011. In the meantime, his work at Berlin's Ferdinand Braun Institute is funded by the state, because of a lack of interest in blue LEDs from the private sector.

Dr. Kneissl is pragmatic in his acceptance of the situation. "Naturally the most profitable and largest market is what you pursue first – and that means white light LEDs for general usage. The volume there is huge, and so is demand," he says. In other words, to paraphrase Willie Sutton – white light LEDs are where the money is, at least for now.

Nonetheless, it would seem that the prospect of finding an effective, inexpensive way of solving the critical issue of clean drinking water would be compelling to would-be investors, if not for the sake of social good, then for the potential boon to the bottom line.

If the pilot project in South Africa indeed proves to be successful, look for a boom market in “Blue LED Water Purification Kits” come 2011.

Thank God, the technology is cheap.

Rap, Reindeer and Rifles: reflections on crime, culture and globalization

Audrey Henderson — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:39:48 GMT

For those of us who celebrate traditional Western holidays, and especially Christmas, this time of year is a multicolored array of shiny ribbons, twinkling lights and gift wrapping. Nonetheless, the pervasiveness of green awareness has made its way into the holiday season.    One article offers advice on “How to Have a Green Christmas,” another makes the suggestion to forego gift giving entirely and donate the money instead.

However, if sustainability is considered to be a social justice issue, which I strongly believe it should be, it is completely insufficient to “go green,” or even to give to charity. In any discussion how human activity impacts the environment, it is also imperative to consider our interactions with other human beings.

Why?   Especially as the demand worldwide for finite resources becomes more intense, disputes are assured to arise, not just between sovereign nations, but also among neighbors in overcrowded communities with a lack of clean drinking water – or even in a store with a limited stock of flat screen TV’s at fifty percent off. Whether those disputes are negotiated more or less peacefully or erupt into violent conflict will depend heavily on whether the players involved view one another as fellow human beings or merely as competitors.

If one needs convincing of this fact, it is necessary to look no further than the tragedy which occurred on the day after Thanksgiving, when a worker at a Wal-Mart store in New York State was trampled to death shortly after 5 a.m. by shoppers intent on snagging Black Friday bargains. Even as life drained from the man’s body, people continued to shop, with some becoming belligerent when the police insisted they leave. Wal-Mart actually re-opened the store later that same afternoon, and there was a crowd of people waiting to be let back in, apparently oblivious to the police tape strung across the entrance, the bent metal doorframe and the shattered glass door.

While this incident generated headlines and disbelief worldwide, it is not impossible to imagine similar incidents occurring outside the United States. For anyone who does not yet fully believe in the pervasiveness of globalization, consider this fact. Rap music has made its way to Finland. That’s right. In the land where Santa Claus lives year round, there is also Sune, the “bastard” in the 2005 movie Beauty and the Bastard, complete with the ubiquitous hoodie and knit wool cap to signal his bad-boy status (which at least makes sense in chilly Finland).

Just as globalization is not a sudden phenomenon which emerged, fully formed, as the progeny of unchecked capitalism, rap music is not a new phenomenon in Finland. In fact, the first wave of Finnish rap emerged decades ago, perhaps as early as 1989 with the release of “Eläinrääkkäystä” (Cruelty to Animals) by Pääkköset, and evolved through its second wave of rap and hip hop, retaining its unique Finnish character all the while. Indeed, the rap performed by Sune and his crew in the movie could hardly be classified in the same category as that of someone like Snoop Dogg. It’s actually more like a Finnish version of Public Enemy if anything.   Nonetheless, even with lyrics in Finnish, it is instantly recognizable as rap, and that’s the point.

Finland has retained its unique character in more than music, through such Nordic conventions as “Everyman’s Right,” which allows for the unobtrusive use of land and resources nearly anywhere they are found. Also, in Finland, individuals as young as 15 are allowed to own guns with a valid permit. Nonetheless, and despite its high per capita gun ownership Finland has a low crime rate. Most of its guns are actually rifles used for hunting game, not handguns used to cut down crime victims.

However, in the case of two school shootings in Finland, one in 2007 and the other less than a year later, globalization showed its hand in the videos posted by each of the young assailants on You Tube shortly before they went on their bloody rampages. Even more disturbing was the fact that the Columbine school shooting was at least an indirect inspiration in the second school shooting in Finland. These shootings generated intense debate about possibly imposing more stringent regulations of gun ownership, along with nationwide mourning.

The take-home lesson here is that Finland, with its long tradition of hunting and gun ownership, nonetheless recognized through these tragedies that the world is a different place than it was 100 or even 50 years ago, and human mores should reflect this fact. Sustainability of the human species is as much about co-existence as it is with minimizing our carbon footprint. Quite simply, we may wipe ourselves out with weapons long before we do so by the effects of climate change.

A society with no sense of culture or decorum scarcely deserves the label of society. It is a nightmare scenario which should terrify anyone. In his famous and chilling short story “The Portable Phonograph,” Walter Van Tilburg Clark paints a stark portrait of a world post apocalypse and post-civilization, with the only remaining vestige of culture being the portable phonograph named in the story’s title – and the precious recordings which are played by its owner to his honored guests. At the close of the story, once the guests have retired to their own abodes, the owner of the phonograph retires – with a length of lead pipe at his side to ward off intruders.

Food for thought. Happy holidays.

The Lorax Revisited

Audrey Henderson — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:42:55 GMT

On The Street of the Lifted Lorax, "the wind smells slow and sour when it blows; and the birds never sing, except for old crows . . . " In this forsaken place, there are decrepit signs in shoddy disrepair, tufts of grickle-grass, and not much else.

The Street of the Lifted Lorax is Dr. Seuss' mythical representation of the consequences of rampant greed and urban sprawl run amok. Although The Lorax was published in 1971, and the animated feature produced in 1972, its lessons still resonate as a cautionary tale, with some of its hardest lessons evidently still unlearned in the real world.

The destruction the Earth's natural habitats and the effects of climate change are increasingly obvious, with the ironic result of making further commercial ventures viable in regions heretofore inaccessible. The fabled Northwest Passage, long an unattainable shipping lane due to year round Arctic ice cover, may become a reality before the end of this century.

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Also ironically, the fossil fuels which are believed to be largely responsible for climate change have become potentially more accessible as well. In August 2005, a Russian research ship was able to reach the North Pole without an icebreaker to clear a pathway - the first time in history. Its mission? To anchor Russia's claim to virtually half the Arctic Ocean - estimated to hold a full one quarter of the world's undiscovered oil and natural gas reserves. Such reserves are nearly irresistible for industrialized and developing economies facing increasing scarcity and higher prices for fossil fuels. A Thneed, after all, is what everyone needs.

The need has become more acute as the planet becomes ever more urbanized, putting further strain on resources such as clean drinking water and arable land suitable for agriculture, never mind uninhabited natural landscapes. According to U.N. Habitat, the world's urban population will grow from 2.86 billion in 2000 to 4.98 billion by 2030, with much of that growth in the developing world, in medium and low-income countries - with many of the migrants themselves being extremely poor.

This is an increasingly urgent situation, which, if unaddressed, is a time bomb in the making. Many cities worldwide are ringed with shantytowns of unimaginable poverty. A major aspect of urban sustainability (if not bottom-line livability) in decades to come will be in dealing with this influx of people, both in numbers and in the scope of their social needs.

Adding to the urgency of the situation is the detrimental effect of human actions on many other species which populate our planet. For instance, the Baiji freshwater dolphin, believed never to have numbered more than 5000 and found only in the Yangtze River in China, is, for all intents and purposes, extinct, although there was an alleged sighting in 2007. Illegal fishing and the construction of the controversial Three Gorges Dam were directly related to its demise. Intense, worldwide coordinated preservation efforts are presently being pursued on behalf of the extremely endangered Spix's Macaw, extinct in the wild due to poaching and destruction of its natural habitat in northeast Brazil.

At the conclusion of The Lorax, a curious young passerby is entrusted with a precious gift by the Once-ler - the final Truffula tree seed. Fortunately real-life circumstances are not nearly so dire, at least not yet. Nonetheless, we would be wise to take heed of the stern warning the Once-ler gives to the young passerby:

Unless.

Earth for Hire - are capitalists the new conservationists?

Audrey Henderson — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:14:57 GMT

In an article in the April 2008 issue of Conscious Choice entitled, "Earth for Hire," writer E.B. Boyd investigates the emerging trend of businesses and communities taking on conservation programs -- for profit. Over the objections of mainline conservationists, a heretofore unlikely coalition (what more ardent commentators might label an unholy alliance) is being formed between big business, research organizations and public policy leaders to address large scale conservation projects.The end result, when such alliances work well, are that businesses gain increased profits, more efficient production -- or both; conservationists achieve their goals of protecting threatened wetlands or rainforests which might otherwise fall by the wayside; and the public gains the benefit of just that much more available natural landscape, either for leisure and recreation or simply for its own sake. As advocates of such alliances argue, everyone wins.For example, King County (Seattle) in Washington State, solved a budget shortfall in plans to repair levee systems by creating a plan to restore a floodplain, thereby letting nature do the work for much less money. Another example is a joint venture between retail giant Wal-Mart and Japanese car manufacturers which ship cars through the Panama Canal to pay neighboring landowners to restore and maintain forests on their lands. The aim is to reduce soil erosion and silt buildup in the canal; while also rewarding the corporations with lower insurance premiums for the barges against delivery delays and canal closures caused by the need for dredging.Nonetheless, mainline conservationists argue that efforts to combat the impact of human settlement and industrialization should be undertaken for their own merits, not for profit. Pragmatists respond by stating that placing a bottom line value on preservation is necessary in order to raise the necessary capital to undertake such immensely expensive endeavors.One lurking question -- what happens to those threatened environments or habitats on which no dollar figure value can be attached? What would prevent such "orphan" causes from falling into obscurity? This is an issue which would have to be thoroughly addressed before I could feel completely comfortable with this development.Read the article and make your own judgments. "http://consciouschoice.com/2008/04/earthforhire0804.html"

CNT Celebrates 30 Years of Innovative Urban Sustainability

Audrey Henderson — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:58:43 GMT

Delicious, sustainably sourced and prepared food and drink, a jazz combo complete with standup bass, strings of colorful beads freely bestowed to the revelers in attendance, all set against the backdrop of a star-filled evening sky , among exotic plants from around the world. An upscale Mardi Gras fête? Not exactly, but a celebration nonetheless. On September 17, 2008, the staff and board of the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) gathered along with more than 375 supporters to celebrate its 30th anniversary in the beautiful Garfield Park Conservatory on Chicago’s Near West side, fittingly located adjacent to an elevated train stop which bears the name of the conservatory.

The celebration also featured three awards. Two Champions of Sustainability Awards were presented, one to Adele Simmons and Sadhu Johnston for the development of the Chicago Climate Action Plan, the other to Illinois State Representative Julie Hamos for her role in preserving and expanding transit funding for the state. A Planting the Seeds for Sustainability Award was presented to the Al Raby High School, represented at the ceremony by the principal and two students. The school is the only secondary institution in the country which includes a two-year Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping technology sequence in its curriculum.

When CNT opened up shop in Chicago in 1978, the staff immediately puzzled observers by growing tomatoes – in the office! – as well as promoting such outlandish ideas as putting dirt on the rooftop for a garden. CNT was at the forefront of expanding the concept of conservation beyond the traditional realm of preserving pristine nature to promoting diverse ways of “living lightly on the land,” including land which had been settled and developed, namely, the built environment. CNT has promoted urban sustainability in Chicago and worldwide since the days when we called it “ecology.”

Remember ecology?

CNT has always maintained that cities provide assets which enhance the quality of life for their residents. Public attitudes are finally catching up, perhaps aided by escalating gas prices which has made living in far-flung suburbs increasingly costly, if not, well, downright unsustainable. The innovative Housing and Transit Affordability Index, originally produced in 2006, measures housing affordability in light of the costs of commuting and other transportation expenses. The index was recently updated to reflect the impact of the recent sharp increase in gasoline prices.

Transit-focused urban development has been a major area of focus as well. In 1998, CNT introduced the U-Pass system in which offers discounted rides on public transit to students at area colleges and universities. CNT also created the I-GO shared car program as a link within a seamless transportation scheme of walkable neighborhoods, bicycle friendly thoroughfares, reliable public transit – and cars for those instances where there are no alternatives. I-GO has proven to be ground-breaking, with nearly half of its participants who owned cars when they joined reporting that they sold their cars after six months of participation in the program.

Throughout its existence as a self-labeled “think and do” tank, CNT has investigated (and initiated) new ways of thinking about pressing issues pertaining to urban development, such as energy use, housing costs and the role of plants in water management. Highlights among its accomplishments include building solar greenhouses in low-income neighborhoods throughout Chicago in the 1970s and rehabbing a former weaving factory into its own non-toxic, energy efficient headquarters in 1987.

Thirty years after planting those first tomato vines, CNT is positioned to continue its work in sustainable urban development for another 30 years and longer.

Thank goodness.

An Open Letter to the President-Elect

Audrey Henderson — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:54:19 GMT

Dear President-Elect Obama,

I am one of your proud constituents. I was one of the thousands of revelers at Grant Park in Chicago on Election Night. I was lucky enough to have been invited as a "plus one" to the ticketed area of the rally by a friend who had scored tickets. I followed the returns on the giant screen mounted in Hutchinson Field, although I could see the stage in the distance as well.

When the announcement was made that you had been declared the winner of the Presidential election, I was jubilant. I jumped up and down and yelled. I hugged my friend and high-fived complete strangers. At that moment, there was nowhere else in the world I would rather have been.

That said, Mr. President-Elect, I have a confession to make. I had serious doubts that this moment would ever occur. When you announced your candidacy nearly two years ago, I lamented that the country was not ready for a President who was not a white male. My reasoning was that had you opted to finish out your Senate term and run in 2012, you would have answered what I viewed as the only real knock against your competency to assume the post of Commander in Chief: lack of experience on the national level. You would still be young, and your Presidential candidacy would have been bulletproof.

I despaired that this one legitimate question would be used to mask the ugliness of racism which would prevent so many from bringing themselves to actually vote for a biracial man for President. I recalled the racism so evident when Harold Washington made his historic run for the Mayor of the city of Chicago in the early 1980s, racism which created scores of instant Republicans and inspired vicious underground cartoons of caricatures in blackface swinging on vines and dropping banana peels on the floor.

But even I never dreamed that a man's middle name could be seriously considered as a campaign issue, even after the tragedy of September 11, 2001. When I heard the first disparaging mention of the name "Hussein" and the thinly- veiled insinuations of terrorist disloyalty, I laughed in ridicule. After the second and later references, I shook my head in helpless disbelief. The election was lost. Of course, I was wrong - and no one could be happier.

In your inspiring acceptance speech, you resisted the temptation to gloat, graciously acknowledging the courageous military record and long political service of your political opponent, John McCain. Thank you for that. You emphasized the urgent need to reach toward one another across the political spectrum to heal the wounds of eight years of divisive "us against them" and "real Americans" versus, well, I never actually figured that out.

In his own classy and gracious concession speech, John McCain put his finger on the pulse of the phenomenon which generated such excitement in your campaign and propelled you to victory: the hope you inspired in so many people who had felt disenfranchised and detached from the power and workings of this country. He was right. More than once, your run for the Presidency has been compared with that of another young Commander in Chief, John F. Kennedy.

And while the analogy is imperfect, in many important aspects, it is legitimate, not least of which in the audacious, yet timely and apt goal you have set for the country of becoming energy independent within the next decade. This lofty objective echoes Kennedy's declaration, unimaginable at the time, of America's "landing a man on the Moon, and returning him safely to the Earth" before the end of the 1960s.

In the tense atmosphere of the ongoing Cold War, Kennedy recognized the need to answer the challenge made by the USSR in achieving the first manned space mission. It was imperative that the United States was able to uphold and reinforce its status as the world's Democratic superpower to all observers, in every aspect. Much more than American prestige was at stake.

In the 21st Century, the accelerating demand for and depletion of fossil fuels reserves threatens to undermine world security and wreak irrevocable environmental harm. It is inevitable that at some point, oil will run out, whether in 20 years, 50 years or even further in the future. Your visionary goal of promoting the exploration and development of sustainable, renewable energy sources demonstrates the astute observation that we (as a country or as a species) cannot drill our way out of energy dependency.

In your moment of triumph, you emphasized the reality that your victory was not the pinnacle, not the goal - but rather the beginning of what will be a long, difficult pull to right the course of this country. You recognized that while your election represents a sea change for America and for American politics, the urgent issues which compelled so many to vote for you remain.

"Obama is President!" a man seated on a bench near a public transit station exclaimed loudly as I passed by the day after the election. "Obama is President!"

A pause, then more yelling. "I'm still colored! I'm still poor!" His friends laughed, more in recognition than amusement.

Your election was neither a silver bullet nor a magic wand to wave away the financial crisis, the tragic inequities (and inadequacies) of the American health care system, dependency on oil deposits located in geopolitically unstable areas of the world, or anything else. It was a beginning. An important beginning, imperative even, but a beginning nonetheless. Now it is time for the entire country to put its collective shoulder to the wheel. Gear up; strap in - it's going to be a bumpy (yet hopefully exhilarating and productive) ride ahead.

Mr. President-Elect, I believe we are ready.

Sincerely,

Audrey Henderson

Ecotourism and Social Responsibility

Audrey Henderson — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:08:40 GMT

For many people, ecotourism is a means of minimizing the “footprint” left behind in ecologically sensitive regions of the world, while satisfying an urge for visiting exotic places. While it is generally recognized that travel, especially internationally, broadens one’s perspective, for many people it has become difficult to justify indiscriminate wanderlust. Never mind the expenditure of fuel on long airline flights (and the resulting exhausts into the atmosphere); the sheer mass of visitors in some areas is literally killing entire ecosystems. Ecotourism is seen as a socially responsible way to balance wanderlust and preservation of fragile areas.

This is well and good. However, in this age of globalization, it should be evident that sustainability in tourism extends beyond preserving natural habitats. Many areas which are popular with ecotourists are inhabited, oftentimes with indigenous people who have lived there for hundreds of years. Many of these people are also desperately poor.

For instance, in Bolivia, the average per capita income is the equivalent of just 650 Euros, or less than one thousand dollars. Bolivia is also an increasingly popular destination for ecotourism adventures. A quarter of the country has national park status, which speaks to its incredible natural beauty. Up till now, most of the profits involved with ecotourism went to major tour operators, while indigenous peoples, who make up more than half the population of the country, saw little benefit.

However, in the Pilón Lajas (Amazon River) area, Mapajo , founded and operated by locals, offers accommodations built in the traditional style, catering with foods prepared by locals and a center for ecology and culture. The profits of this venture have funded schools and hospitals. The benefits have extended beyond immediate profits – young people also have an increased incentive to remain in the area rather than escaping at the first opportunity in order to seek a better living. This in turn increases the chances for survival of indigenous languages and culture in the area.

There are those who decry the exploitation of aboriginal peoples, especially the practice of turning sometimes sacred cultural rituals into entertainment for rich (white) outsiders. Indigenous peoples should be left alone, they say. However, except for the very most inaccessible regions of the world, this is impossible, and increasingly so as globalization takes hold and becomes the norm. With socially responsible ecotourism, travelers gain a deeper understanding and respect of the regions they visit, as well as for their inhabitants, rather than acting as spectators for “colorful local pageantry.”

Transportation and Affordable Housing

Audrey Henderson — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:01:02 GMT

What is affordable housing? The traditional guidelines for housing in the United States advise that shelter should cost, at most, no more than 30% of the gross income of a given household. Even beyond the fact that this is an unattainable goal for many families and individuals (some of whom spend far more than half their income on housing); it is also incomplete as a measure for affordability.

For instance, many young families move far away from the city center in order to obtain single family detached homes, and large yards for their children, which are oftentimes prohibitively expensive or simply unavailable in the city center. However, in many instances public transportation to these distant enclaves is scanty, unreliable or nonexistent. This means either extensive driving time and gasoline consumption – or never venturing into the city at all. Especially now, with escalating gasoline prices, these far flung suburban domiciles hardly seem affordable at all.

Many low income families face the problem of lack of transportation access as well, because they cannot afford cars or sometimes even the price of bus or train fare. This precludes being able to obtain or hold down well-paid jobs, which are nearly always located far away from their decimated neighborhoods, frequently devoid of even basic amenities such as grocery stores or banks. The necessary solution in many instances is that apartments and houses meant to accommodate one family are instead home to two, three or more households, including children.

Reliable transportation offsets higher housing costs to a certain extent because households can get by with one car or even none, saving substantial sums on gasoline, parking, insurance, maintenance, municipal registrations, etc. Close-in neighborhoods with reliable transportation are increasingly attractive to suburbanites – many of whom have decided that their way of life is unsustainable, either ecologically or financially.

Reliable transportation also removes one hurdle standing between willing workers and jobs which can support a family – including safe, adequate housing. This can also substantially lessen the need for subsidized housing as well as other support services.

Of course, providing reliable transportation alone will not eliminate the need for subsidized housing for the very poor. Nor does it absolve municipalities or developers from the necessity of providing reasonably priced housing for residents with moderate incomes. But transportation, or more specifically, access to reliable transportation, is an essential element of sustainable urban development, including affordable housing.