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Livable Communities Budget Proposal To Improve Transit
"Investing in important mass transit projects like these is key to rebuilding our cities and creating livable communities - it will stimulate economic development throughout our nation," the Vice President said. For fiscal year 2001, according to Gore, the budget will request $9.1 billion for transportation systems, $25 million for regional smart growth efforts, and $125 million to fund crime solving technologies to improve community safety. The Natural Resources Law Center is sponsoring a conference entitled Water and Growth in the West. Scheduled for June 7-9, it will cover demographics and water-use trends, improved planning and efficient use, implementation of TMDL and ESA requirements, groundwater management, tribal water resources, environmental protection, social costs of water transfers, climatic variability, and related issues. The third day of the event will focus exclusively on Colorado water issues, and is available for separate registration. For more information, contact the Natural Resources Law Center at 303-492-1272, e-mail nrlc@colorado.edu, or to visit the website click here. New Report On The Costs of Sprawl Paying
the Costs of Sprawl: Using Fair-Share Costing to Control Sprawl,
authored by Ken Snyder and Lori Bird, focuses on how sprawl is often
subsidized and looks at
"For
the last 50 years, sprawl has been the dominant growth practice
in the United States." "For the last 50 years," say the authors, "sprawl has been the dominant growth practice in the U.S. In 1950, 84 million people lived in 168 U.S. metropolitan areas, 60 percent of which lived within the ‘central city.’ By 1990, the demographic proportions of these 168 metro areas were reversed with 159 million residents sprawled outward, only one-third of them living in central cities." Energy Efficiency and Renewables Help Resist Disasters The Department of Energy and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have joined forces in a new initiative to focus on using renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies to make homes more resistant to natural disasters. The pilot project will focus on two communities: Wilmington, North Carolina; and Oakland, California. For more information, visit click here. The eighth annual Business for Social Responsibility conference, to be held in New York City November 8-10, 2000, will build "the case" for doing business in a way that demonstrates respect for ethical values, people, communities, and the environment. Conference sessions will discuss the demands of measuring corporate social responsibility, examine existing models, and explore the role of stakeholders. For more information, visit http://www.bsr.org/events/index5.asp. The PlaNetwork Conference, to be held May 12-14 in San Francisco, will explore the ways in which information technology can contribute to creating a sustainable future. "As we enter the new millennium,"
explain conference sponsors, "two global phenomena stand out as the
most dramatic aspects of
"The
Internet could play a pivotal role in the search for solutions
to our current ecological problems." For more details, visit http://www.planetworkers.com/planet.html. Conserving Our Past -- Developing Our Future Sponsored by the National Association of Resource Conservation & Development Councils, this June 18-21 event in Ogden, Utah will feature sessions dealing with watershed management, rural job creation, and heritage tourism -- as well as training in fundraising, liability coverage, and partnership building. For more details, visit http://ogdencvb.org/drag_n_drop/rcd/RC&Din.htm. More than 120 new high-tech buses, driven by a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system and using "regenerative" braking to recharge the batteries, have been ordered by New York City Transit. They are more fuel efficient and less polluting than conventional buses. Ithaca, New York, also will receive two of the hybrid electric buses, according to an announcement by New York Governor George Pataki. In addition, New York State is purchasing 70 compressed natural gas buses. For more details, click here. Developing Naturally: Enhancing Communities This June 12-13, 2000 conference in Clemson, South Carolina will explore innovative social and environmental approaches to improving community quality of life. Discussions will address topics such as place enhancement, public empowerment, designing for quality of life, and enriching community environments. For more information, click here. Housing Awards Applications Solicited The National Association
of Home Builders Research Center (NAHBRC) is soliciting applications
for its 2001 EnergyValue Housing Awards. This annual conference of the Energy-Efficient Building Association (EEBA), to be held October 26-27 in Denver, will gather participants to exchange information on the latest technology and product applications for better-performing buildings. For more information, contact EEBA at 651-268-7585 or visit http://www.eeba.org. Architectural Design Awards Competition The United Nations Educational and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Renewable Energy Network (WREN) are seeking student entries for projects focusing on low-energy urban housing. The deadline for entries is May 15, 2000. More information on competition requirements, submissions, and other issues is available at http://www.wrenuk.co.uk/competition.html. Empowering People & Creating Dynamic Communities Take advantage of the sessions, tours, exhibitions, and other features of this October 29-November 1, 2000 Phoenix, Arizona conference. Learn how to implement projects to strengthen your community or organization in the new millennium. For more information, visit http://www.nahro.org/conferences/nat2000.html. Sustainable Buildings Symposium This June 7, 2000 symposium in Washington, D.C. will address performance characteristics and properties of sustainable materials, emerging technologies, installation techniques, economic analysis, code enforcement, and other subjects related to environmentally sound and affordable walls and roofs. For program agenda and registration information, visit http://www.nibs.org/betecsym.htm or e-mail Arun Vohra at arun.vohra@hq.doe.gov. Advancing the Land Conservation Debate The purpose of this July
28-29 conference in Minneapolis is to advance the debate about private
land conservation and the use of conservation easements. "In recent
years," explain conference planners, "there has been modest growth in
the number of acres protected both by government agencies and non-profit
organizations through conservation easements. But what of this success?
Will it continue? How can current public policy be changed and current
law strengthened? What are the current concerns and directions in the
academic, legal, and conservation communities working in the field of
land conservation? Where do we go from here?" For more information,
visit http://www.geog.umn.edu/summit2000.
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Vice
President Al Gore has announced that the Administration will seek
$211 million for new transit system work in 12 urban regions as part
of its $9.3 billion 
Through these awards, builders who voluntarily incorporate energy efficiency
into all aspects of homebuilding, including design, construction, and
marketing, are recognized. The deadline to submit applications is May
26, 2000. For more information, visit the NAHB Research Center website
at |
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