Most of us assume that if the words  ¨eco¨ ¨green¨or ¨sustainable¨ are in the headline of an article, than the writer is speaking about an environmentally and socially responsible subject. These articles inform public understanding of the environmental terms used and shape the culture that either embraces or rejects them.

Writers hold a dangerous amount of power-  not enough of us readers are questioning whether it´s alright to determine that a product is green just because it, for example, is a natural sweetener . If we don’t know how these natural sweeteners are harvested- whether the environment is being unreasonably exploited or not, or if the harvesters are paid fair wages – then, as readers, are we supposed to understand  that agave syrup is ¨green¨ because it´s healthy? With this discourse, wouldn´t an energy sucking  treadmill be green too?

So, you see, these words cannot not be written thoughtlessly, or they generate public confusion. Journalist´s and blogger’s lack of questioning the standards for  terms they use has made it acceptable for any and all company’s to greenwash their products.

When, a couple weeks ago, the New York Times green column published an article titled Coverage of Green Issues Becomes More Specialized,  my first reaction was ¨great! Finally somebody is going to acknowledge the necessity to better define these terms¨. However after finishing  the column, I was even more disappointed with journalist coverage of green issues than I was before I started.

Writer Kate Galbraith speaks about the recent history of green coverage, starting with the unsettling comment, ¨Journalists spotted a trend and responded with enthusiasm¨. She then goes on to speak about the ¨natural evolution¨ of green issues falling off the front page of newspapers. Journalists are ¨a little less wide-eyed and a little more picky¨, she writes as she notes that cutting edge topics are now questions like ¨who´s not going green?¨and ¨what are the difficulties of going green?

I don´t see this change as a ¨natural evolution of journalists becoming more picky¨, like Galbraith suggests, so much as I consider it a natural progression of journalists having lost their readership due to the unsupported nature of green claims. When there is no standard for what makes an initiative ¨sustainable¨, the adjective becomes meaningless, and we,  as  readers,  lose interest.

Journalists and bloggers have blindly dug themselves into a tunnel of ¨eco-mania ¨, chasing self-proclaimed green-products and -companies without ever questioning  whether they were really headed in the right direction. Now. they’ve found their only way out of this ¨eco-trend¨ is to retrace their steps and criticize  the very subjects that  they might have supported six months ago.

Journalists aren’t getting more ¨picky¨. If they were doing that, they would begin to treat these buzz words differently. They would weed out the truly environmentally-responsible initiatives from the impostors. The New York Times would begin to regain the readership that has lost patience with their writer’s empty green-claims if they were to feature only real examples of environmental leadership.

Or, perhaps they are…

The last New York Times Magazine´s travel section featured the ultimate eco-resort , Nihiwatu , which also happens to be the most exclusive and lavish surf destination in the world. The story, set on the indonesian island of Sumba,  boasts characters such as  a count and countess, an heir to the Hermès name and fortune, a French diplomat, and the artistic director for the fine jewelry division of Louis Vuitton. Jeweler, Lorenz Bäumer, is quoted as begging the reporter,  Adam Fisher,  to keep the destination a secret.

All of those big names in one place starts one´s  thinking… how much money does it actually cost to experience this eco-resort? A closer look at Nihiwatu´s website won´t give you prices, but it will answer your question about where your maid can sleep, if you choose to bring her along…

I guess Ms. Galbraith got it right when she reported that ¨Companies taking measures to go green still can make headlines, but whatever they do that gets such attention usually has to be unusual in some way¨. Journalists are getting pickier-  The new york times will feature your eco-resort, but only if it is inaccessible to anyone but those who belong to the fortune 500.

Setting aside the bourgeois undertones, it´s interesting to note that this article actually  begins to dig a little deeper at the meaning of ¨eco¨. Although the  Nihiwatu´s efforts  to insure that the island´s ecology and local culture be left undisturbed uncomfortably double as efforts to ensure the resorts exclusive prestige,  the  initiatives are worth acknowledging.

The off-the-grid resort manages to produce much of its own food, electricity and diesel fuel. Dried coconut meat (copra) is pressed for oil and fed to Nihiwatu’s biodiesel  generators. The article points out that, because copra can be harvested with nothing more than a machete, it puts cash directly into the hands of those who need it most. Nihiwatus owner, Claude Graves also plans to  eliminate air conditioning entirely for the next round of guest accommodations, which will be treehouses built from bamboo grown on site. Graves also has a strict policy about visitors: only 30 outsiders on the property at any one time, and never more than 10 in the water. This is to ensure that the beach stays wild.

In short: Nihiwatu is very good at conserving the Sumbanese paradise, which makes it´s visitors very happy.

(photo credit :archipelago-travel.com)

Achieving environmental conservation of an area by restricting human access to it is not a new phenomenon. However, i´m not sure the story has ever been told like this. This article stirs interesting questions about how privilege and environmentalism are related, and perhaps inter-dependent. It suggests that ultimate luxury is to have access to preserved nature. It suggests that preserved nature needs luxurious funds to stay that way.

It suggests that, in order to enjoy the most minimally invasive nature initiatives,  one must dish out the cash to support them. Of course, it is doubtful that Nihiwatu is the only thing keeping the island from being commercialized and its nature and culture destroyed,  but the half million dollars raised at the resort each year to support The Sumba Foundation which, as the article reports, digs wells, builds health clinics, fights malnutrition and links the resort and the villagers in a circle of green development, does play an important role in helping the Sumbanese adapt to 21st century life without exploiting their natural resources. And that is what sustainable development is all about.

(photo credit:http://www.metro.co.uk)

Still, access-issues remain a controversial subject at the island of Sumba. When locals are no longer allowed to visit their own island´s beaches, and the only tourists who have access are wealthy VIPs, there is definitely a social-equity issue in question, which many people consider consider to be a key component of sustainably.

Defining these terms-  ¨eco¨¨green¨¨sustainability¨- is not an easy task, nor a task for just one individual alone. But the media has the responsibility to report the truth- and so journalists must use these terms more responsibly.

Instead of writing articles like Coverage of Green Issues Becomes More Specialized that speak about a new trends in environmental-reporting,  journalists should begin to more deeply investigate the green-claims they´ve already made. What makes an eco-resort ecological? What is the difference between ecological and sustainable? What more do natural products have to do in order to be considered green? These are the sort of stories that the audience who has checked out of readership wan´t to see. These are the stories that will generate dialog-  dialog that will produce environmental terms with acknowledged universal meaning.

While preparing the latest URBACT Biannual report, we came upon an interesting non-for-profit organization – Xarxa de Custòdia del Territori - working to foster land stewardship as a conservation strategy for the natural, cultural and landscape resources and values of Catalonia and its environment.

Established in 2003, Xarxa de Custòdia del Territori helps to develop land stewardship, a mechanism that materializes voluntary agreements between individual landowners and local authorities (municipalities, associations, etc.), in which they are transferring land management to civic organizations created in order to maintain and preserve it.

Although it is the government that is almost exclusively in charge of biodiversity conservation, nearly all of the ecological wealth is on private land, whose owners in general have neither the vocation nor the means to preserve, protect and/or recover. This factor makes it essential to involve the owners and users in the preservation of our natural, cultural and landscape heritage.

The first 34-member group was created in 2003. Today, the network is made up of 162 members (associations, foundations, municipalities, companies and individuals) and has achieved more than 700 Land Stewardship agreements in Spain.

The members’ diversity helps to deal with specific issues such as marine, river or land stewardship. The Land Stewardship Forum aims to promote land stewardship in the institutions and social partners throughout Spain, boost networking and develop joint projects.

The 1st of October – it happened! What many citizens of Copenhagen have been looking forward to. The day when they shut down one of the most busy streets for cars, Norrebrogade, Copenhagen N. The street is one of the main thoroughfares of the capital – and it will be permanently closed for three months.

North from the center – it takes you ten minutes by bicycle to get there – the, for few days ago, most busy and dangerous street of Copenhagen. It has been a fight for years, but now it is about to turn. Copenhagen is getting more green, and more pedestrianfriendly for each day – and now more than 50% of the people are using their bike to work/school each day. But some of the streets are to dangerous, and it is to little space for the cyclists. That is why they are trying this out on Norrebrogade. They will improve bus and bicycle traffic – and normally it is around 17000 private cars, 33000 cyclists and 65000 bus passangers each day. The municipality of Copenhagen hopes that this will remove 40%-50% of the private cars.

Some problems will occure – the residents will “only” have the possibility to park near their house – the shops can only get their delieveries in pointed depots – some of the other streets around will have a problem with more traffic – some streets that today works as small shoppingstreets, with great possibilities for pedestrians. Of course this is a annoying experiment for someone – but I think people should think about it twice, give it a chance – and see that the noice, and the air – will be better than ever – people can easier go around from shop to shop accross the strett – more comfortable to have a snack by the corner of the coffeshop – I think this will be a success! I just think that this is the beginning for a city without private car-traffic in the most important streets of Copenhagen, and make Copenhagen a city with more healthy environment – and more healthy citizens!

I will keep you updated on this case – I think it is very interresting to see how this will work out – and also what the citizens say in three months – and what the problems and the successes are!

It seems like there is no one, that will go in a discussion about the street either should be wider, so this is the best solution. I think, we have torn down the houses in Norrebro, that we will tear down. - Klaus Bondam – thecnic-and environmentmayor in Copenhagen, (R)

For more information – check out the newspaper Politiken

In 1997, the Urban Community of Lyon is the first French group to adopt an Urban Mobility Master Plan in its region. The objective of the plan is to re-harmonise the distribution of means of travel, to create the conditions for a pleasant town containing solidarity and thereby, in turn, favour sustainable mobility. The project for Lyon and its suburbs, and the Mandate Plan – which defines the major policy orientations for Greater Lyon up until 2007 – has a budget of 788 million Euros for investments in transport.

The Urban Mobility Master Plan (UMMP) combines a whole series of objectives, including reduction of motor traffic, development of public transport, cycling and walking, reducing the number of accidents, reducing pollution and disturbance, promoting social fairness, and the reallocating of urban space. A national committee monitors the progress of the UMMP.

The principal objectives for the Lyon transport policy is to draw up a global strategy, guaranteeing the coherence of all the decisions made concerning means of transport and seeking their complementarities. This is to seek improved harmony between the different means of transport, with a priority on public transport, developing cycling and walking, and mastering the development of the private car. Last, but not least to improve the quality of the services pro­vided for all Lyon inhabitants, with the aim to strengthen the solidarity of the city and its suburbs and guarantee everyone easy travel within the city.

An urban mobility consultative committee is set up to co-ordinate and monitor the various initiatives. It includes the decision-making partners: The State, Region, Department, Greater Lyon Council and SYTRAL (JointTransport Administration for the Rhone department and the Lyon Conurbation), economic partners and four qualified user representatives. Any local mayors concerned by the agenda are invited to the working meetings of the Consultative Committee.

A mobility observatory is created to assess the various actions. This observatory will, among other actions, undertake an extension of the air-quality monitoring network and the creation of a transport account to register all mobility related expenses and assess the market share of the various modes of transport.

Today the public transport system in Lyon (TCL) offers many possibilities. Besides metro, tram, funiculars and bus there is also the possibility to rent a bike anywhere in the town. Bike rentals up to 30 minutes are free and subsequent hours cost between 0.50€ and 1€ per hour dependent on subscription type. However, the system is in practice virtually free to users, as over 90% of journeys last less than 30 minutes.

The subscription costs 1€ a week or 5€ a year including a credit card based deposit mechanism to encourage bicycles to be looked after and returned. It is also possible to choose taxis or taxi bikes for the price of a bus fare when traveling to a destination where there is no metro, bus or tram. Public space plans (road capacity, lane specialisation, quiet areas, etc.) will in time favour walking and cycling and discourage people from resorting to their cars.

source: SustainableCities

The Dutch artist Anne Chienmeier has already done small gardens on the bus roofs and airplanes. And her last project is movable community garden. Citizens can take it directly to their front door, or park it on a suburban industrial zone and pick fresh vegetables for lunch, and drive it away when winter comes. But more than fresh vegetables important is community sense, meet and talk to neighbours, cultivate together, celebrate garden celebrations and eat the cultivated crop together.

You can read about Annechien Meier, her Mobile garden project and more other projects (but in Dutch) in her web page.

Info from www.nextnature.com

The Dutch artist Anne Chienmeier has already done small gardens on the bus roofs and airplanes. And her last project is movable community garden. Citizens can take it directly to their front door, or park it on a suburban industrial zone and pick fresh vegetables for lunch, and drive it away when winter comes. But more than fresh vegetables important is community sense, meet and talk to neighbours, cultivate together, celebrate garden celebrations and eat the cultivated crop together.

You can read about Annechien Meier, her Mobile garden project and more other projects (but in Dutch) in her web page.

Info from www.nextnature.com

Pinks dots all over the street. That is project by STUDIO VOLLAERSZWART.  LET’S STICK TOGETHER-812U

a colourful virus of 45.000 stickers was unleashed onto the buildings of the Witte deWith street for annual art festival “World of Witte de With” in Rotterdam, September 2006.

STUDIO VOLLAERSZWART – is Dutch design studio for interdisciplinary design and visual communication. The public space is the platform for their design activities which focuses on the interaction between architecture, the audience, the functionality  and ambiance of a space.

They have created the term CITY DRESSING for projects which provide the outside space with a recognizable and striking irradiation. The LET’S STICK TOGETHER 812 U   Is  an example of  citydressing.

See more about STUDIO VOLLAERSZWART here.

Info via http://girlinthegreendress.blogspot.com/

Last year since 2007 September until years end New York City has visually transformed. Taxi, yellow icon, blossomed in all colors and became a mobile artistic canvas, or Garden in Transit. This art, education and creative therapy project was created by 23 000 children and adult volunteers. They have painted 80,000 flowers on 750,000 square feet of adhesive panels for a four month public art exhibition featured on thousands of city taxis.

In 2007 yellow cab commemorated the 100th anniversary.
Garden in Transit was part of Portraits of Hope project.
“Portraits of Hope” is creative therapy program for seriously ill and physically disabled children. All projects culminate in the visual transformation of public environment.

Here, In the web page of Portraits of Hope, you can see more of their large scale art projects on blimps, buildings, tugboats and airplanes

Last year since 2007 September until years end New York City has visually transformed. Taxi, yellow icon, blossomed in all colors and became a mobile artistic canvas, or Garden in Transit. This art, education and creative therapy project was created by 23 000 children and adult volunteers. They have painted 80,000 flowers on 750,000 square feet of adhesive panels for a four month public art exhibition featured on thousands of city taxis.

In 2007 yellow cab commemorated the 100th anniversary.
Garden in Transit was part of Portraits of Hope project.
“Portraits of Hope” is creative therapy program for seriously ill and physically disabled children. All projects culminate in the visual transformation of public environment.

Here, In the web page of Portraits of Hope, you can see more of their large scale art projects on blimps, buildings, tugboats and airplanes