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WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY?
by JANE
BOGNER
SUNDAY, February 16, 2003
Now
that Vallejo is back to politics as usual, we can all
get on with our lives. Our lives, however, have changed
because many of our citizens have become involved and
have voiced their opinions about their visions for our
city.
Throughout the recent debates, we kept hearing the term
“sustainability.” Sustainability is a relative new
and scarey term for city planners.
I can compare it to the three “R’s” of the
recycling triangle: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Most people
understand Recycle but few comprehend the importance of
the concepts of Reduce and Reuse which come with more
commitment to avoiding the waste stream. Reduce simple
means making choices that will not create a need to
recycle or throw away.
I searched the internet and came up with a good
definition for the term sustainability. From the
Sustainable Measures website (www.sustainablemeasures.com),
Maureen Hart asks hard questions about planning a
community.
“What does sustainability really mean and how can you
tell if your community is sustainable? Sustainability is
related to the quality of life in a community -- whether
the economic, social and environmental systems that make
up the community are providing a healthy, productive,
meaningful life for all community residents, present and
future.”
Here is a sampling of her questions that citizens,
politicians and city staff need to consider: “How has
the quality of life in your community changed over the
last 20 or 40 years? How has your community changed
economically? Are there fewer or more good-paying jobs?
Can people find homes that they can afford and what is
the status of poverty and homelessness? How has your
community changed socially? Is there less or more crime?
Are people willing to volunteer, run for public office
or work on community boards? Has your community changed
environmentally? Has air and water quality in the urban
areas gotten better or worse?”
City planners need to look beyond the economics of
development as the sole purpose for building. There
needs to be a consensus between the community's
economic, social and environmental interests.
Hart says: “Traditionally, economic development
councils try to create more jobs; social needs are
addressed by health care services and housing
authorities and environmental agencies try to prevent
and correct pollution problems. This piecemeal approach
can have a number of bad side-effects.”
Solutions to one problem can make another problem worse.
Creating affordable housing is a good thing, but when
that housing is built far from workplaces, the result is
increased traffic and pollution.
“Sustainability is about more than just quality of
life. It is about understanding the connections between
and achieving balance among the social, economic, and
environmental pieces of a community.”
Vallejo is taking steps toward sustainability. We have
successful a solar power grid at the Corp. yard and
solar panels are being installed on City Hall. The city
has purchased several fuel-cell cars to cut down on
gasoline expense and pollution. And the City Council has
renewed its commitment to follow through with the
original Mare Island Reuse plan that was developed
“sustainably” by a group of citizens, planners and
other experts.
UPDATE
Information about Ready Made Magazine from my last
column can be found at www.readymademag.com or by
calling toll-free 866 851-3369. |
VALCORE
Recycling Vice President Jane Bogner's "A Sorted Affair"
is published every other week in the Times-Herald, Community
Outlook Section. For recycling information call Genie Kaggerud,
VALCORE Recycling Manager at 645-8258 or visit www.VALCORErecycling.org.
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Website: www.VALCORErecycling.org 
