ONONDAGA CITIZENS LEAGUE NEWS
OCTOBER 2009
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE GREEN?
"What Does It Mean to Be Green?" , OCL’s current study, explores the questions: What defines an environmentally sustainable, or “green” community? What is currently being done to establish Central New York as a green community? What are other communities doing and how can we accelerate efforts to incorporate green principles into our public policies, business practices, and individual lives? Get involved by attending study sessions, following the process on the OCL Green Blog and Facebook, and adding your opinions to the mix.
OCTOBER STUDY SESSIONS
Tuesday, October 13, 4:30 – 6:00 PM
Sustainability: The Big Picture
Diane Brandli and Peter Arsenault, Greening USA
Syracuse Tech Garden
235 Harrison Street
Tuesday, October 20, 12 – 1:30 PM
Syracuse 2010 Revisited: Land Use Planning
Megan Costa, director of planning services, SOCPA and
Steve Kearney, senior urban planner, City of Syracuse
The Warehouse, 4th Floor
350 W. Fayette Street
Tuesday, October 27, 12 – 1:30 PM
Managing Solid Waste
Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce Board Room
572 South Salina Street
Tom Rhoads, OCRRA, Greg Wright, Syracuse Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and
Tim DiGiulio, Region 7 Solid Waste Engineer, NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Free and Open to All!
Call 315.443.4846 or e-mail ocl@syr.edu for more information.
OCL Green Blog Post: Is It Easy to Be Green?
If you read New York Times columnist Paul Krugman in September, you might have found conflicting answers to the question. Economist Krugman maintained in his September 24th column that It’s Easy Being Green. His argument is that saving the planet would not kill the economy, as many opponents of climate change legislation maintain. Instead, he says, studies suggest that by eliminating practices that waste huge amounts of fossil fuels but don’t add to our standard of living, consumers could actually save money. Secondly, analysis shows that restrictions imposed by the House’s cap-and-trade climate bill on greenhouse gases would cost the average family only about $160 a year in 2020.
A few days later, however, Krugman was feeling despair over the fate of the climate. One scientific report after another predicts imminent environmental catastrophes linked to global warming and the effects of man-made greenhouse gas emissions. “In a rational world, then”, he postulates, “the looming climate disaster would be our dominant political and policy concern. But it manifestly isn’t. Why not?”
While the climate threat is worse than we care to admit, the economic cost of addressing the issue is lower than we fear. “So the time for action is now. O.K., strictly speaking it’s long past. But better late than never.”
JOIN OCL!
As someone committed to civic participation, you should be a member of OCL! The Citizens League is a member-driven organization. Your tax-deductible support helps to ensure that the study process will continue to provide well-researched, community-based thinking and recommendations to improve the quality of life in Central New York. Join OCL today!
OPT OUT Please let us know if you do not want to receive e-mail from
University College.