90% reduction in greenhouse gases in NYC by 2050 ?!?

All anybody talk about is electric cars and moving away from gasoline. And sure, that has great potential, but honestly I really don’t think we are ready. Have we considered what we will do with these giant batteries in the cars? How we will safely dispose of them while at the same time do it in an environmentally friendly way? And have we begun to train EMT’s on how to properly handle a car crash with an electric car that poses more danger than a normal car accident? The idea of electric cars is probably what is going to save our planet the most in the long run, however, just not yet.

I’m Julia from Houston, Tx. I have traveled to many European cities, but the one that stood out in terms of low carbon footprints are is Rome. The main difference is that in Rome, they walk everywhere. The few times I was in a car, it was traveling to the airport. Even if there is somewhere far enough not to walk, there are wonderful busses that are much more efficient than personal cars. Not only does that lower the overall cabon footprint, it is why Rome and other places in Europe maintain an overall healthy weight as opposed to America’s rising obesity rates. Also, in Rome, they have public water fountains. If this were more common in other countries, it would cut down on the number of plastic water bottles people use, lowering the overall carbon footprint. The final thing that I have found is that, for the most part, food is grown locally and is all very fresh. Because the food is very fresh and sustainably grown, it cuts down on packaging and transportation of food. If all of these changes were implemented to my city, it would be a very sustainable place with low amounts of plastic wastes, and low amounts of carbon emmisions from cars, not to mention healthier people. Below is a linke for an article that discusses the resons that Europe is greener than the United States.

I’m Jessica from Houston, TX. Houston is a very big city with a lot of people in it so it’s surprising that there is no public transportation system. That means that everyone who lives in Houston has to drive in their own private cars to places they go daily. If we set up an underground subway system, we would be decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air by a huge amount. You might have to walk farther than you would if you drove, but that means more exercise. Every city should have a public transportation system.

My name is Sara, and I am from Houston Texas which is a pretty busy city that is constantly moving. The main mode of transportation in Houston is to drive. Well it is one of the biggest cities in the nation, and with everyone driving, we really pollute the air and add to global warming. I think it would help if we had more bus services to transport people or if we had trains or something like other big cities. For example, New york is huge, but they have metros and stuff. It would help if Houston did that too. If it does not work with the city planning then I think the city should promote buying eco friendly cars like hybrids. Hybrids help the environment and could help us reduce the polution we add to the air. The car might not even have to be a hybrid, but just having eco friendly cars in general could really help! Below i have posted a link that says what the most environmental friendly cars are.

Living in Texas you know its winter when you go to school bundled in sweatshirts and fuzzy socks. Now I know that 60 degrees Fahrenheit might not seem like much to those of you who live in constant cold climates but here in Texas it’s a big deal. Now in the winter season I want to be nice and warm. Doing this requires using a heater which can greatly increase your carbon footprint. This parlays into using the air conditioning when its hot in the summer. Both use a lot of energy and can be quite costly. That’s why in the winter I always make sure I have a good supply of warm clothing and blankets. Also if you have a fireplace that isn’t a gas fireplace (because they use a lot of energy) then you should really use that. I have found that my fireplace can defintely warm up a whole room and sometimes quicker than my heating system. Now when it is hot outside and you need to cool off try to use a small fan if you have one. You could also make a cool refreshing drink which i have found can always cool me off. Anyway the main point is to find ways to reduce your carbon footprint by reducing the energy use in your house. If you have other tips on saving energy please comment and share!

Founders of cities may find it challenging to properly plan and achieve their goals when setting up a sustainable organization, especially in urban cities. You may ask yourself, “What can my community do to increase the responsibility, actions, and opportunities to make a city green?” It’s simple. We all need to work together. If we all work together everyday to help our economic, cultural, and daily lives, then we can all come together to make a change in our cities and how they affect the atmosphere. Living in a very populated city, we could all start by walking or biking anywhere that we can. If this doesn’t work for you, then you can make a carpool with someone instead of individually polluting the Earth. Another thing that majorly affects our city is electricity. We should start our journey of change by starting with the little things. We should immediately unplug that cell phone when it’s finished charging. We could also turn off the lights when we aren’t using them. If everyone takes part then who knows? Maybe our cities may turn to solar power!
Our ideal city is a place where we want to live; it’s a place of choice. Many may think these changes are insignificant, but if we come together and make a change then think of the many lives you may be saving in the future! We have the ability to make our world a better place. The only necessity we need is to become motivated to help our Earth, the same place our descendents will live. They are our future. They will be affected by the choices that we make.

Living in California, I see many different kinds of cities. There are huge urban centers like LA and San Francisco but also small farming and mining towns. To create a sustainable city, I think one must think of what makes both of those places enjoyable but also sustainable. For something to be both liveable and “green” you must take many ideas and put them all together. My city would be one with plenty of parks for the public to get away from urban life, and a priority on public transit. If the people have access to mass transportation and the city builds bike lanes throughout the streets, they will be less encouraged to drive cars and release more emissions. My city would promote solar energy on all buildings, and have all construction projects be LEED certified as low energy and low waste. Some buildings could even have gardens or “living roofs” on their roof such as the City Hall of Chicago. The grocery stores would cooperate directly with local farms instead of large corporations for meat and produce and host farmers markets on the weekends. Finally, the city will actively participate in activities to get the public interested in new ideas. The city can host marathons (for if the people exercise, chances are they’ll want to start eating healthy) and festivals that promote eco-friendliness and carbon cutting practices.

The idea of an “ideal” city can have many meanings to different people. Some like the quiet, “homey” city where there is no need ot do anything in a rush. To others, an “ideal” city would be a “hustling-bustling” city, always moving, with no down time. And to others, the “ideal” city would be “green”, recycling, and environmental friendly. Since I live near Houston, there are few breaks, and the city is always moving and doing something. In the area where I live, my community is trying to keep the area clean, by putting dog waste pick up stations in various areas. Although this is a great addition, my “ideal” city would be green-friendly, but not too calm. The city would have many bike-friendly areas, and biking would be the main mode of transpotation. People could also walk from place to place if they do not want to ride a bike. The city would aslo have many home-grown fruits and vegetables, so they would be organic, instead of inorganic which can have various chemicals, and in my opinion, do not taste as good as organic fruits and vegetabels. Also, the meats and chicken would be organic, instead of “mass-produced” and filled with various chemicals so the meats would grow faster to meet the needs of the population. The ideal city would also be very Earth-friendly, with many recycling areas, because almost everything can be recycled. Grocery stores would bag up the groceries in paper bags, or people would bring their own reusable bags. My ideal city would be biker friendly, with little to no use for cars; organic, all the produce would be grown in the city and would be Earth friendly, with paper bags instead of plastic, or even better reusable bags.

When one thinks of an ideal city, people may think of the adjectives “pretty”, “beautiful,” or “busy”. Cities like New York, Chicago, or San Francisco might come to mind, if you live in the United States. But what would be an “ideal” city? Must this ideal city be “beautiful”? Imagine a city in which everything is recycled and nothing fulfills its purpose only once, a city where used Coke cans were compressed and used as walls for buildings. Or a city where instead of building up, we built down, making all the things we live in underground. A city where there were recycle bins everywhere there was a trashcan so there would be no cause for “lazy trashing.” A city where everything was powered by either solar energy or water turbines. A city where everything was grown in and underground the city naturally and organically. A city where everyone wore their clothes more than once and continued to wear them until they stopped fitting, not until they went ‘out of style.” A city where people could walk anywhere and everywhere. This ideal city would not be very beautiful, but if every city looked like this one, it would be beautiful compared to those around it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and beauty doesn’t have one definition. Something that is beautiful today might not be beautiful tomorrow, and something that would not be beautiful today might be beautiful tomorrow. This idea of “ideal city” is ever-changing, and maybe one day this city full of environmentally-wary ideas and people could exist and be considered truly beautiful.