Subscribe

CityStories / Citizen Reporter Stories

See Stories on the Map
 

November 16, 2009

Not In My Sidewalk!

  As I've mentioned before, some people just don't seem to like trees very much, and some of the more dramatic incidents of anti-treeism made it into my pervious posts. But in the last couple of weeks, I've been spending some time at the NYC Parks Department helping to catalogue complaints (and other correspondence -- luckily it's not ...

November 13, 2009

Assessing the Impact of California's Water Reforms

A series of measures designed to overhaul California's ailing water infrastructure has come under increased scrutiny this week since being signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday. Some call the reforms a historic achievement; others say they don't go far enough to tackle the state's complex water problems. The measures were adopted by the California state legislature last week after an all-...

November 11, 2009

City Forestry: The Next Generation

The other day I was lucky enough to accompany a New York City forester into the field -- which is, in this case, the city. Our first stop was Randall's Island. As we slid out of our beat-up, overloaded minivan to oversee a 7 am tree delivery, we were greeted by a friendly fellow with dark blue eyes, disarranged white hair, work boots, and a native New Yorker's accent, who saw us and called out with a grin, "Let me guess -- you're from Central...

November 11, 2009

The Fairchild Challenge: An Introduction

Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} Greetings Greenlight Readers! The...

November 10, 2009

What is Vertical Farming?

Raise your hand if you've heard rumblings about so-called "Vertical Farms" recently.  Keep your hands up if the name "Despommier" means anything to you.  Now keep your hands up if you can tell me who invented modern hydroponics, and where.  The best big idea to come around since the Internet has been attracting fans all around the world.  Governments and entrepreneurs think there is great potential in hydroponic food production in the urban environment, and I am here to address some questions...

November 10, 2009

Is "Wow Big Idea" a Bad Thing?

In response to the general public's fascination with, and support of, Vertical Farms, some people have recently written rebuttals of the idea. At least two blogs have attacked the economic viability of Vertical Farming, echoing one another in an empty whimper suggestive of unimaginative minds plodding along with a vague conviction that the status quo is ideal.EcoGeek just posted an article called...

November 5, 2009

Road to Copenhagen: Fears Arise Outside Closed Doors

From all I can gather, the actual on-paper negotiations are moving this week, progressing in some way towards some kind of agreement. (We'll get to what kind of agreement soon.) But we wouldn't have much way of knowing, since proceedings largely disappeared behind closed doors this week. I've been told by plenty of folks--including two former US negotiators--that I shouldn't complain about the lack of access, because it's the closed-door meetings where things really get done. Still, it's frustrating that...

November 5, 2009

Join the Campaign to “Kill the Drill” and Keep NYC’s Drinking Water Free of Toxic Chemicals

Last month, Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon vowed that his company will not drill for natural gas in New York City's upstate watershed. This may seem like a victory for the "Kill the Drill" campaign, but it's only a partial one: In five years' time, Chesapeake's leases in the watershed will expire, and even before then there is no guarantee that McClendon will remain the head of the company. That's why I am calling on the State Department of...

November 2, 2009

Chromium 6 Still Threatens California's Drinking Water

Polluters who contaminate drinking water and make people sick shouldn't get off easy. That has been the focus of my work for two decades, and I'm not planning to stop now. My work focused the attention of the world on a carcinogen called hexavalent chromium (hex chrome). In 1996, PG&E -- a multi-billion dollar corporation -- paid $333 million in damages to the people of Hinkley, Calif., for contaminating their drinking water and covering up the problem for decades while people got sick and died. This victory...

November 2, 2009

You Take the High Road

The backstory has been told many times by now: how, originally, the High Line was an elevated railway line down Manhattan's west side, serving the Meatpacking District. Built in the 1930s, it replaced a street-level rail line - one that was so dangerous to pedestrians that the city had hired the...

City Search

Join the CityWiki

Ask Questions

Follow Smarter Cities on Twitter

What's Smart Near You?

Become an OnEarth Citizen Reporter

Take our City Quiz