Young Folks, Technology & Sustainability: Shift happens…

From The Huffington Post:

Millennials would rather give up driving than their smartphone or laptop, a survey commissioned by the car rental company Zipcar finds.

…

More than any other age group, millennials said they make a conscious attempt to reduce the amount of time they drive by carpooling, taking public transportation, riding a bike or walking, according to the study. Millennials were more likely to communicate with friends online than to see them in person, and more likely to order online than to drive somewhere to buy something.

More here.

Chart via: ‘Millennials Say They’d Give Up Their Cars Before Their Computers or Cell Phones’ (Atlantic Cities)

The SoleFood Urban Farm on East Hastings Street is sprouting to life once again. C’mon spring!

You can find more of my pics on Instagram at @itcaughtmyeye

Seen around town: Some straphangers lined up along the rainy block of West 4th ave & Vine earlier this week.

If you don’t know what a straphanger is check out Taras Grescoe’s awesome book on the topic: www.tarasgrescoe.com/straphanger/about.html.

here are some recent reflections from around town

I’ve got some more pics here if you’re interested in checking ‘em out.

From Reuters:

The world’s urban areas will more than double in size by 2030, presenting an opportunity to build greener and healthier cities, a U.N. study showed on Monday. Simple planning measures such as more parks, trees or roof gardens could make cities less polluted and help protect plants and animals, especially in emerging nations led by China and India where city growth will be fastest, it said.

“Rich biodiversity can exist in cities and is extremely critical to people’s health and well-being,” wrote Thomas Elmqvist of the Stockholm Resilience Centre, scientific editor of the Cities and Biodiversity Outlook.

The world’s urban population is expected to surge from just over 3.5 billion now to 4.9 billion by 2030, according to the assessment by the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity. At the same time, the area to be covered by cities will expand by 150 percent, it said.

“Most of this growth is expected to happen in small and medium-sized cities, not in megacities,” according to the report, issued to coincide with a U.N. meeting on biodiversity in Hyderabad, India. More green spaces in cities can filter dust and pollution and soak up heat-trapping carbon dioxide. Some studies have shown that the presence of trees can help reduce asthma and allergies for children living nearby, it said. And the study said that cities were also home to a wide range of animals and plants.

Check out the rest of the article here.

Related:

• Video: ‘Cities and Biodiversity Outlook’ (Stockholm Resilience Centre)

(Photo: The High Line)

Kent Larson: ‘Brilliant designs to fit more people in every city’

From TED Talks via YouTube:

How can we fit more people into cities without overcrowding? Kent Larson shows off folding cars, quick-change apartments and other innovations that could make the city of the future work a lot like a small village of the past.

Getting Around: ‘Good Bicycle Karma’ (Video)

Here’s a fun, simple, and low cost idea to encourage smart and safe cycling in cities. Copenhagen’s ‘Karmaspotters’ walk the streets of the city giving out good karma presents to cyclists who are being considerate while biking around the city.

(Source: Cycling Embassy of Denmark)

Related:

• ‘When the Bad Guys Ride Bikes’ (Atlantic Cities)

Thinking Sustainability: ‘What if Can Do Can’t? The Vulnerability and Resilience of Cities’ 

Bill Rees, co-originator of the “ecological footprint” concept, explores how our green buildings, smart growth, hybrid cars, renewable energy, other hopeful techno-fixes alone won’t be enough to solve our climate and energy crises. He argues changes to our thinking and culture are fundamental to addressing them. 

You can access his presentation slides here. The video was shot in October 2009 at the ‘Gaining Ground: Resilient Cities’ summit in Vancouver, Canada.

Related:

• ‘Bill Rees: ‘CULTURE AND BEHAVIOR: The Human Nature of Unsustainability’ [PDF] (Post Carbon Reader)
• ‘Bill Rees’ Last Lecture’ (The Tyee)

(Source: Gaining Ground Summit)

Here a few brick-heavy shots of Portland, Oregon from late April of this year. I was down there with a posse to explore the city and feast at the annual food cart festival. Good times, good times!

Grow your own: ‘How we can eat our landscapes’ (Video)

From TED Talks via YouTube:

What should a community do with its unused land? Plant food, of course. With energy and humor, Pam Warhurst tells at the TEDSalon the story of how she and a growing team of volunteers came together to turn plots of unused land into communal vegetable gardens, and to change the narrative of food in their community.

Pam Warhurst cofounded Incredible Edible, an initiative in Todmorden, England dedicated to growing food locally by planting on unused land throughout the community.

(Photo source: Incredible Edible)