CT Green Scene

Cohabitation in the New Haven Area

by Eileen Weber

I grew up in Easton on three acres of land with apple, pear and peach trees in the far field. It was an idyllic setting that my parents adored. There was one teensy-weensy problem with it, as far as I was concerned: Where were all the freaking neighbors?!?

I seethed with jealousy at my friends who had close-knit neighborhoods. They could just flop in any direction and there were kids to play with as far as the eye could see. While I had to arrange with my parents to drive me 15 to 20 minutes away for a play date, my friends could trick-or-treat within yards of their homes. I had the old guy in the far field across the street that, not surprisingly, wasn’t very fond of children.

Wouldn’t it be great to have the best of both worlds: An affordable home in a community setting? That’s exactly how the members of Green Haven Cohousing Community feel. For the last few years, they have been working toward building a sustainable existence in the New Haven area. They have hired sustainable business consultants, architects, and permaculture experts. They are planning for 33 single-family units that they hope will include a community garden and the ability to raise animals.

Originally, the group of cohousing members looked in downtown New Haven to make the community more accessible to the city center. But they couldn’t find a tract of land big enough to support their needs. Now, they’re looking at seven acres in Milford.

Ghost Farm

by Eileen Weber

Connecticut is known for its rolling hills and green farmland. But unfortunately, that farmland is rapidly dwindling. For at least the last five years, Connecticut has been steadily losing this precious commodity. Many experts agree that if this decline continues, the remaining farmland will simply disappear in only a few generations.

According to an article dated July 20th in the Norwich Bulletin, there were as many as 500 active farms in the state in 1990. By 2007, there were less than half that number. And today, we only have 151 active farms registered in the state.

“In the 1940s, there were about 2,000 to 3,000 farms,” said Bill Duesing, Executive Director of Connecticut’s Northeast Organic Farming Association (CT NOFA). “The drop off has been significant.”

Part of the reason behind this decline is how much it costs to run a farm and how little the return is. The Norwich Bulletin also disclosed that at the beginning of this year the average dairy farmer was paid only $1.07 per gallon of milk—down 25% in the last decade. With a $1 billion dairy industry in this state that accounts for over 4,000 jobs, the state Department of Agriculture estimates a loss of $1 for every gallon of milk produced. Clearly, the odds are stacked against the small farmer.

“We need to protect our farmland,” said Duesing at a recent showing of the movie FRESH at the Pequot Library. “We’re losing it.”

CTGBC Awards For Green Design

by Eileen Weber

There is another use for the term “intelligent design” and this one has no spiritual connotations. For the Connecticut Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (CTGBC), it refers to the design and construction of a building or home that uses its resources wisely in an environmentally friendly way.

According to a recent press release from the CTGBC, five separate structures were recently awarded for the sustainable building practices utilized in high performance, design and construction, and energy efficiency.

The Most Intriguing Residential Award was given to Easter Fields House in New Milford. Mark and Jim Picton of Picton Brothers LLC, were the developers. According to the Picton’s web site, it is one of the most energy efficient homes in Connecticut.

“The most amazing thing about it is that the house is so liveable in such a compact form,” said Mark Picton, Co-Founder of the Washington Depot-based company of the 900 square foot home. “It’s good for a family of four or a retired couple. It’s a lot of function in a small space.”

Picton Brothers chose a sustainable building site in the Merryall section of the town. The home was officially awarded a LEED Platinum certification this past winter for not only making the most of the living space efficiently, but for using local materials like reclaimed wood, photovoltaic installation and foam insulation. As a result, the house has a significantly reduced carbon footprint.

Be Neat

by Krista Richards Mann

Last week, I stowed away with a friend on her business trip to Barcelona.  I hadn’t spent much time preparing for the trip, so my expectations were limited to Gaudi architecture, tapas and what I had seen in the Olympic games in 92. 

My girlfriend worked and I wandered during the days (a perfect division of labor).  As soon as I walked out of the hotel room on the first morning, I fell in love with this city.  It was impossibly neat. 

Bicycles could be rented with a monthly subscription and left at varying posts around town.  Residents drove small scooters, rode bikes or walked.  It seemed cars were left for large parties and delivery vehicles.  On every road, there was a large pedestrian and bike route.  Even as the roads were built centuries before Europeans discovered the New World, civil engineers managed to make room for strolling. 

On every block there are three trash receptacles for various forms of recycling, and not a gum wrapper or cigarette butt littered the streets.

Though, I spotted a few Starbucks, coffee was consumed seated with a friend in a café or bakery out of a ceramic cup– not sloshed from a paper cup, fitted with a spill-proof plastic lid. 

I was away from home, and speak no Catalonian.  It was a perfect time to observe and to reflect.  In the mornings, I noticed residents in the building across from my hotel hanging out their laundry to dry, and in the evenings, it was removed.  Shoppers pushed handcarts to outdoor markets with gorgeous locally grown vegetables and fresh-caught fish.  Dinner is consumed late; small plates of flavorful and satisfying tapas and is punctuated by philosophy, laughter or the occasional political (or domestic) debate. 

The simplicity of this city enhanced its luxury.  I found myself embarrassed by the suitcase of clothes I didn’t wear, and the waste that so often pervades my life.  I waste not only resources, but also opportunity.  How many lunches have I gobbled thoughtlessly, scarfing nutrients alone, I have neither savored taste nor company?  I’ve hardly stopped to breathe. 

I’m glad to stepped outside of my town and my life long enough to consider how I might bring the lessons of Barcelona home.  I’ll invite a friend over to join me for a cup of coffee and a bit of chatter this weekend.

Not So Smart Sprawl

by Eileen Weber

Sprawl. It’s a word that makes too many people cringe. It evokes thoughts of strip malls, over-developed land, and greenhouse gas emissions. Only weeks away from inaugurating a new administration, we need to take a long, hard look at how we grow our cities and towns.

Smart growth is the antithesis to sprawl. It represents a positive change focusing on mass transit, town-centered, walkable communities, and open space preservation. With smart growth for example, an existing building in the center of town would be refurbished rather than constructing a new one a little further out, leaving the old building to rot and giving the new tenant a longer drive to work.

And, a longer drive is a typical complaint of many commuters. Our national transportation policy has not changed much since the 1950s when commuting was cheap and the highway system was brand-spanking new. While gas prices have gone down since they topped $4 per gallon, those prices certainly aren’t what they were then.

Sprawl has increased the average commute by a few minutes per trip. A few minutes may not seem like much, but it adds up. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average commute increased by 3.1 minutes between 1990 and 2000. New Yorkers alone take a little less than 40 minutes from door to door. Considering New York has one of the better-developed mass transit systems in the country, the longer commute time seems absurd.

But, a survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation refuted that widely-held belief that sprawl increases commute time. It showed that while that workers with higher incomes often have longer commutes, the suburbanization of towns bring jobs with it. In other words, if you happen to be the CEO of a large corporation in the city, your commute might take longer. But, trade in that high-powered job for one selling jeans and tops at the local Gap, you’ve got a sweet little ride in less than 15 minutes.

Made to LEED without a Map

by Heather Burns-DeMelo

An article in the NY Times today reports, 'COME January, Connecticut will become the second state, after California, to begin turning its building code green. Even as the law is poised to go into effect, however, building industry officials are calling on the state to turn back."

"The law, adopted in 2007, requires that all privately financed construction with projected costs exceeding $5 million meet standards set by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, known as LEED. Renovations above $2 million will be similarly affected after Jan. 1, 2010. Residential projects with four or fewer units are exempt."

I'm the first one to admit that change isn't easy. In fact, it's often inconvenient, expensive and fraught with the unknown--which is something that a business owner in a down economy is smart to steer clear of. But does risk mean we are smart not to identify and implement our climate change business strategy? That we don't stretch beyond our comfort zone and in doing so, earn our business a place at the table as an early adopter and even a highly sought after expert? Andrew Hoffman and John Woody, authors of Climate Change: What's Your Business Strategy, published by Harvard Business Press think not.

With the law about to take hold, the argument being put forth by the HBRA and AIA in Connecticut is that LEED language is “awkward,” “unworkable” and “messed up” to the point that builders won't want to build LEED if they don't understand what that means. I have to admit: they have a point.

In fact, it makes me wonder if the law was adopted in 2007, where are the workshops, classes, books, checklists, mentoring programs, and other support needed for a paradigm shift being imposed on an industry? If our government branches intend to impose--they must also educate.

Supposedly, LEED consists of a checklist (HOW to accomplish the things on the list are to a good degree left to interpretation) and come with a project manager to answer questions, but few builders I know who have made use of such limited resources have had anything positive to say about their experience.

In the same way that we standardized driving and made publicly available manuals and training to learn to do it well, our government has the responsibility to provide our builders with the tools they need to get the job done right.

Where to find out more about the "how to" of green building in Connecticut:

The Green Building Initiative - Not LEED, but offers software for environmentally friendly retrofitting and new builds.

CT Green Building Council - Occasional classes held throughout the year.

New Haven Groundbreaking for $5,000 Per Month Apartments; Condon Argues for Doubling Size of Downtown

By Mark Abraham via Design New Haven.

Great coverage in today's New Haven Independent on the city's official groundbreaking ceremony for the 360 State development. Shovels have been in the ground for over a month, so the ceremony was largely ceremonial, but the importance of the event was not understated:

The symbolic shovelers heralded a future vision for downtown. It’s a downtown populated by medical and university-connected renters who rely on their feet and mass transit rather than cars, buy organic groceries downstairs from their $1,000-to-$5,000-a-month apartments, and help save the planet by living in a green building. “People are paying that in today’s market,” Becker said. “There’s no vacancy at all for the better buildings here downtown,” such as the Eli on Church Street.

The Hartford Courant recently published an opinion piece about the development by the Senior Editor of New Urban News, criticizing its impact on the neighborhood, its massing and pedestrian-friendliness. The importance of walkable, bikeable, and transit friendly streets has been growing nationally, as travel mode undergoes a dramatic shift away from private automobiles. New media sites such as streetsblog.net, a large national blog network created to dovetail with the work of the Transportation for America Campaign, give a sense of this phenomenon.

Although DNH believes that the urbanistic impact of decisions such as where the building's use/program, massing, windows, stair towers and entrances were placed may take years to fully assess (and are combined with the positive stimulus of 1,000 new residents in a pedestrian-rich city core), downtown designers are generally hopeful that the apparent pedestrian safety problems can be alleviated well in advance of the project. For example, the impact of the three major curb cuts at State Street can be reduced through attractive paving, improved sightlines and intensive traffic calming, including bollards if necessary.

Also, the 360 State development promises ample indoor bicycle parking for every apartment - a huge step in the right direction. Yet there are no bicycle lanes or bike boulevards in the area, despite the fact that the streets on all four sides of the new tower are heavily-used crosstown bicycle routes, and even identified by the City of New Haven as such on its official bicycle map. How will the doctors streaming out of 360 State on their bicycles get to the medical district? A greater attention to this form of transportation is needed if the community wishes to provide realistic low-cost transportation alternatives to its citizens, which should be a no-brainer in a town where the vast majority of daily trips are a couple miles or less and where almost half of residents already walk, carpool, bike or take mass transit to work.

Finally, the goal of eliminating pedestrian injuries in the area can only be achieved if speeds are reduced, particularly along State Street. There are currently no signs of plans for significant traffic calming in the area, such as a tabled intersection or speed humps at State and Chapel Streets. Although there are rumors about a complete redevelopment and narrowing of State Street, which could ultimately address those concerns, such plans may be quite distant.

Click here for the developer's new website, 360statestreet.com, where they are already beginning a leasing list. Here's the developer's description:

Walking: Not Just A Health Benefit

by Eileen Weber

The BBC News reported last Friday people who regularly walk in parks and open spaces can greatly reduce their health risks. A number of serious illnesses are kept at bay just by putting one foot in front of the other.

The news came from an article in The Lancet, the British journal of science and medicine. The journal zeroed in on the mortality rate between 2001 and 2005. Results of the study showed the risk of death from such diseases as strokes, heart disease and diabetes would have been greatly reduced by walking regularly. No need for huge tracts of land. Even in the tiniest of parks will do.

For many who live in inner cities and have a lower socio-economic status, hopping on the treadmill at the gym may not be an option. But, according to the study, the playing field was leveled and socio-economic status became irrelevant when open spaces were nearby.

This is great news if you live near a park or an open space with hiking trails. But what if you don’t? The U.S. has been steadily losing its open spaces to suburban sprawl. What were once havens for biodiversity and clean air are now McMansions or a Wal-Mart.

What Is Smart Growth and Why Should You Care?

By now, you probably get the idea that our planet's resources are finite, but many people are beginning to catch on to the fact that our need to design, plan and build communities that are "smart" and conserve our limited natural resources, while creating a strong sense of community is imperative.  On the financial side of the coin, developers, architects, builders and real estate agents are seeing great investment potential in smart growth, even in a slowed up economy.

So what is Smart Growth?

Smart growth as defined by experts at CT Smart Growth:

Mixed land use: "Our post World War II land use decisions have separated and compartmentalized the various aspects our lives.  We live in one place, work in another, and venture to still another place for shopping and entertainment.  This separation has created a car-centric society and taken away from the vitality of the traditional town center or Main Street. Smart growth supports the integration of mixed land uses into communities as a critical component of achieving better places to live. By putting uses in close proximity to one another, alternatives to driving, such as walking or biking, once again become viable."

Compact Building Design: "Compact building design suggests that communities be designed in a way which permits more open space to preserved, and that buildings can be constructed which make more efficient use of land and resources. By encouraging buildings to grow vertically rather than horizontally, and by incorporating structured rather than surface parking, for example, communities can reduce the footprint of new construction, and preserve more greenspace."

Housing Opportunities: "Providing quality housing for people of all income levels is an integral component in any smart growth strategy. Housing is a critical part of the way communities grow, as it is constitutes a significant share of new construction and development. More importantly, however, is also a key factor in determining households' access to transportation, commuting patterns, access to services and education, and consumption of energy and other natural resources."

Walkable Communities: "As the personal and societal benefits of pedestrian friendly communities are realized - benefits which include lower transportation costs, greater social interaction, improved personal and environmental health, and expanded consumer choice -- many are calling upon the public and private sector to facilitate the development of walkable places."

Other elements include: Strong Sense of Place, Preserve Open Spaces, Infill Development, Wide array of Transportation Choices, Fair and Predictable Development Decisions, and Community Collaboration. To find out more about the other 6 elements of smart growth, as well as valuable resources, visit CT Smart Growth. Also, check out this incredible Smart Growth project slated for Georgetown.

 

 

Charlie, Charlie, Charlie

by commonweal Via CT Smart Growth
Sat Sep 13, 2008 at 09:56:26 AM EDT

With state legislative elections coming up, you can find out where the candidates stand on smart growth issues.  1000 Friends of CT will be holding a series of legislative candidate forums over the next several weeks to help us find out where the candidates stand on such issues as property taxes, land use, regional cooperation, and strategic investment.  Here are the dates and locations:

Branford: September 27, 11AM.  Canoe Brook Senior Center, 11 Cherry Hill Rd

Farmington Valley: October 1, 6:30PM.  Canton Community Center, 40 Dyer Ave.

Mansfield/Windham: October 6, 6:30PM. City Hall, 979 Main St, Willimantic.

New Britain: October 14th, location and time to be announced.

Stamford/Greenwich: October 18, 2pm.  Unitarian Universalist Society, 20 Forest St in Stamford.

Milford: October 24, 7PM.  St. Gabriel's School Gym, 1 Tudor Rd.

More forums will be announced soon so keep checking the 1000 Friends of CT website.