Residents of Berea, Kentucky, have a goal of “50 x 25.” By 2025, residents aim to
have the town using 50 percent less energy, deriving 50 percent of the energy it uses from local sources, procuring 50 percent of its food from farms and
processors within 100 miles of town, and generating 50 percent of its gross domestic product from locally owned, independent businesses.
A lecture on climate change may not appeal to everyone, but advo- cates fi nd they can interest people in things like gardening, says Richard Olson, director of the Berea College Sustainability and Environmental Studies program. “We talk to them about heirloom seeds and what their grandparents grew and if they’d like to learn canning. We get them involved without even mentioning transition or sustainability.” Interest in climate-readiness
is spreading: Austin, Texas, has an ambitious plan to make city facili- ties, vehicles and all other operations carbon-neutral by 2020. Louisville, Colorado, now has a car share program. Charlottesville, Virginia, is creating a trail system for walking and biking to connect schools, parks and other public spaces.
Greensburg, Kansas, a city of fewer than 2,000, was leveled by a tornado in May 2007. Residents have decided to rebuild as green as they can, requiring all city build- ings to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED platinum rating for top-level environmentally friendly construction. They’ve also formed the
PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT October 2010 19
group Greensburg GreenTown to in- crease public education about green living, make resources available at the library and distribute educational materials through online and tele- phone classes and events. Green building initiatives also are spreading, thanks in part to Architec- ture 2030, a nonprofi t based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which calls for an immediate 50 percent reduction in fossil fuel consumption in new build- ings and renovations, and sets a goal of carbon-neutral design by 2030. The U.S. Conference of Mayors adopted the program in 2006. These communities hope they can lead the way toward the big
changes we’ll need, both nationally and internationally, to respond to cli- mate change. “Working at the com- munity level to build resilience is the strategy that has the most chance of success,” observes Olson. “It’s not go- ing to take until our grandchildren’s generation to see if we’ve succeeded. I think in 10 years we’ll see if we’re going to have a chance.”
For more information visit Transition
US.org.
Tara Lohan is a contributing writer to YES! Magazine, a senior editor at AlterNet and editor of the book, Water Consciousness.
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