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Get Smart To Go Green?, Alfred R. Light Sep 2012

Get Smart To Go Green?, Alfred R. Light

Alfred Light

This article critiques the LEED Neighborhood Development rating system. As presently constituted, LEED-ND is unlikely to succeed in the way other LEED rating systems have. The rating system ignores important aspects of the quality of life in modern American suburbia such as security and privacy. If the proponents of smart growth and the new urbanism are to attract ordinary Americans to their quest for traditional neighborhoods, they must incorporate standards that recognize such missing dimensions. The aesthetics of a traditional neighborhood may not be completely congruent with factors which encourage environmental sustainability. LEED-ND ignores technological innovation, such as the implications …


Climate Hawks And California's Carbon Offset Program, Ross Astoria Sep 2012

Climate Hawks And California's Carbon Offset Program, Ross Astoria

Ross Astoria

Abstract Two non-profit organizations composed of climate hawks are presently challenging the legality of the offset portions of California’s greenhouse gas cap-and-trade regulations. They claim that the offset protocols do not guarantee “additionality” as required by AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act. In this paper, I look at the general regulatory framework in which California offset projects are to be developed and argue that for the most part climate hawks ought to use the protocols to develop buy-in and disseminate expertise, two “incidental” yet indispensible aspects of successful GHG mitigation policy. The degree to which these two goals can …


Fairness In The Bay: Environmental Justice And Nutrient Trading, Rena I. Steinzor, Robert R.M. Verchick, Nicholas W. Vidargas, Yee Huang Sep 2012

Fairness In The Bay: Environmental Justice And Nutrient Trading, Rena I. Steinzor, Robert R.M. Verchick, Nicholas W. Vidargas, Yee Huang

Rena I. Steinzor

Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and other states in the Chesapeake Bay region, with support from the Environmental Protection Agency, are working toward developing water quality trading programs intended to help meet federal pollution limits for the Bay. This white paper from the Center for Progressive Reform warns that even if a trading system succeeds in reducing overall pollution in the Bay, it might still have a dire effect on low-income and minority communities in the Bay region. If trading programs are not carefully designed and monitored, trading can cause localized concentrations of nutrients and accompanying contaminants in local waters, posing a …


No Justice, Just Peas: Why Wal-Mart Will Not End D.C.’S Food Deserts, Emily R. Citkowski Apr 2012

No Justice, Just Peas: Why Wal-Mart Will Not End D.C.’S Food Deserts, Emily R. Citkowski

Emily R. Citkowski

Without a significant policy shift away from corporate subsidies and towards local capital development, local entrepreneurs may need to abandon traditional for-profit business models in favor of alternative non-profit models that build upon existing community assets. Legislation meant to solve the problem of food deserts should prioritize community-based enterprise because of the capacity to localize capital, create living-wage jobs, and build accountability to community.


American Stewardship: A Path Already Laid (Conference Draft), Colin W. Maguire Jan 2012

American Stewardship: A Path Already Laid (Conference Draft), Colin W. Maguire

Colin W. Maguire

The United States of America continues to be a global leader in many economic and social areas. However, the environmental movement has been given a lukewarm response in America. Far from being a global leader, the United States lags behind in the implementation of green building technology, efficient automobile use, and renewable energy technology. It is a tragedy that is slowly being addressed but one that is often an issue divided along political lines. American conservatives, whether calling themselves Republicans, Libertarians, or Independents, often lament the progressive underpinnings of the green movement and fail to give full support to green …


Tribes As Essential Partners In Achieving Sustainable Governance, Prof. Elizabeth Burleson Jan 2012

Tribes As Essential Partners In Achieving Sustainable Governance, Prof. Elizabeth Burleson

Prof. Elizabeth Burleson

Indigenous peoples have modeled sustainable development around the world. Incentivizing the innovation and instillation of wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources can come in the form of public funding, including renewable portfolio standards, feed in tariffs and green tag programs. This article analyzes ways in which tribal communities are helping to expand cooperative good governance.