default blog post image

Peter Gleick vs. $4 water.

By Admin / On February 11th, 2010
On his City Brights blog, Bottled and Sold author Peter Gleick writes: In the latest skirmish in the war on tap water, the sports arena that hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team -- with the lovely name of the Quicken Loans Arena concession -- has removed its drinking water fountains. The only way for thirsty fans to get water now is to wait in line at the concessions counter for a free small cup or pay $4 for bottled water or try to drink water from the bathroom faucets.
default blog post image

Water for Haiti

By Admin / On January 14th, 2010
Peter Gleick on the earthquake crisis in Haiti: I urge people to make donations to whatever organizations they trust to deliver help. I've donated to the American Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, but there are many more. In any disaster like this, after search, rescue, and immediate medical care, clean and safe water becomes a critical need. Without it, water-related diseases rapidly become a serious health threat for the survivors.
default blog post image

The End of an Error?

By Robert B. Gramling / On October 23rd, 2009
Between 1958 and 1968 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dug the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO)—pronounced as Mister Go. The outlet was a huge canal with an original bottom width of 500' and a depth of 36'. It was designed to bring shipping into the heart of New Orleans from the southeast, bypassing the Mississippi River. The construction required the excavation of more dirt than for the Panama Canal.
default blog post image

Getting to the Root of Recurring Water Conflicts

By Holly Doremus / On April 21st, 2009
The western United States is characterized by highly variable and seasonal rainfall patterns. To deal with the constant threat of drought, the West relies on intensively managed water systems. Today, those systems face two challenges that were not anticipated when they were developed decades ago: increased demands that water be left in streams to sustain aquatic systems; and global climate change, which will decrease snowfall, leaving less water for farms and cities. The inevitable result is heightened conflicts over water allocation.

The Distributed City

By Peter Newman / On February 2nd, 2009
The seven key innovations of resilient cities are set as city models (being detailed over the next several weeks here at “Eco-Compass”). While no one city has shown innovation in all seven areas, some are quite advanced in one or two. The challenge for urban planners will be to apply all of these city characteristics together, to generate a sense of hope through a combination of new technology, city design and community-based innovation, which together will create the Resilient City.
default blog post image

Green Products and ROI

By Walker Wells / On October 14th, 2008
Financing isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you here the term green building. Instead it's usually solar panels, bamboo flooring, or a piece of plumbing equipment you're not sure you really want to understand. But just like other building materials, green products cost money. What makes them different is that green products typically provide a greater return on investment than conventional products.

Pages