Virginia LeClair, environmental coordinator for the town of Dedham, is exactly who I want to be when I grow up. (Let’s all ignore the fact that she’s also exactly my age.) Since she was hired four years ago, the town has been recognized multiple times for its sustainability efforts. I spoke to Virginia in May, […]

I confess to a misspent youth. Until about the age of 13 or so I listened almost exclusively to country music. (Alabama, Laurie Morgan, and Clint Black were actually my first concert—but usually I pass over that and claim Smashing Pumpkins.) So I have a bit of a soft spot for Kathy Mattea. I could […]

On Thursday I attended a presentation on eco-municipalities by Sarah James at the (beautiful) Cambridge Public Library. I expected more detailed case studies of specific eco-municipalities in Sweden, so I was a little disappointed that it was more of a sales pitch for the eco-municipalities framework. However, the broad principles of it were applicable for any […]

On Tuesday I wrote about Green Metropolis. But while I gave you my overall impressions about the book, I didn’t go into much detail—and there’s lots of detail! I haven’t thought much about urban planning before, so David Owen’s ideas are kind of revolutionary to me. Maybe they are to you, too? We’ll Switch to […]

There’s just too much here for one post. Check out part two of my review. Green Metropolis by David Owen gets the biggest compliment I can give a book: I wish I had written it myself. It’s a wonderfully clear explanation of why high-density, mixed-use cities like New York and Boston are more environmentally friendly […]