is Chicago going Green? (Wyoming: houses, public schools, disposal)

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

I am an architect, and the city is putting big pressure on developers to create LEED certified buildings. For example, I was working on an apartment tower downtown that required some zoning changes, so the city used that as a bargaining chip to push for LEED Silver. There are only a few LEED certified buidlings now, but there are several in the planning stages.

Thats all fine and dandy, but what about all the pollution coming from cars and factories? What you are talking about is not a bad thing, but it seems like window dressing to me.

What about the lack of real recycling by the City of Chicago? The stuff Daley is doing is all on the surface its not going to have a major impact on our air quality or water quality. It sure as hell is not going to cut down on all the waste that comes out of this city that is tossed into dumps.

Chicago ranks pretty low amongst large cities that have recycling programs.

What you state is a postive step forward , but it is only the tip of the iceberg. It is neither your fault nor mine.

[Lookout Kid]

Just adding to the dialogue, AvengerFire. I agree that a lot more could and should be done.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Just adding to the dialogue, AvengerFire. I agree that a lot more could and should be done.

I know. I just needed a launching point to elaborate more myself. :-)

I was not ripping on yout post at all.:-)

[Wild Style]

avengerfire

I thought daily setup some biking routes and has that biking terminal in Lincoln park i think right? What are your suggestions for the city? I am really interested to hear you guys thoughts. Besides NYC, Chicago is the only other city I would want to live in.

Also do you think the expansion on the L will get more people out of cars?

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Wild Style

avengerfire

I thought daily setup some biking routes and has that biking terminal in Lincoln park i think right? What are your suggestions for the city? I am really interested to hear you guys thoughts. Besides NYC, Chicago is the only other city I would want to live in.

Also do you think the expansion on the L will get more people out of cars?

Well, other than rehabbing the train's infrastructure and improving the CTA's performance on a whole,there is not really many options to extending lines in the city itself. Bus lines need to be altered in respects to their schedules and routes .

A north-south train in the western (around Cicero Ave) part of the city would help tremendously. Traffic in the city tends to be much more north-south than east-west. The Red line and Orange Line can be extended within mostly city limits and would be a great help too.

As far as my suggestions, I am drawing up a large plan as we speak. When I have it completed I will unveil it here first.

I am not sure what would get people out of cars. Maybe even higher parking and vehicle charges? Tax the crap out of gas? I am not sure. I think many people have more than enough money to afford to drive. Even when it wastes 2-3 hours of their day commuting.

It has to happen on another level.

The biking trails will never take a huge number of vehicles off the road. In many cases these bike lanes are taking an extra lane of a street and making traffic and commute times worse.

If anything,removing the ability to park from (in congested areas) 7am to 7pm on many major streets like Addison,Belmont,Fullerton,Halsted,Western,Damen,et c,might do the trick...

[hafner99]

One thing I like about Chicago and Illinois in general is the urgency towards the health of the environment. I've been reading a lot lately how Illinois hotels have been heading in the right direction, striving to become “green” and “eco-friendly” through some creative initiatives and techniques. A few weeks ago Hotel Arista in Naperville became the first LEED hotel in the state. The hotel seems to be doing everything to conserve, from motion-sensor thermostats to LED lighting. It’s cool to see!

[url]www.hotelarista.com[/url]

[Carantini]

city halls roof is all a garden

[RichMonk]

City-wide recycling would be good...

[Carantini]

I still, to this day, cannot believe anyone really voluntarily recycles or does anything at all to genuinely save the environment. i can only see it if its an immediate monetary benefit, like bums with cans for nickels, or when theres no other light bulb available but the greener one.

i mean, i know they do, but i just cant believe it. i probably sound ignorant as hell to some of you who do recycle and such, but cmon, green? you wanna make our city cooler in the summer by painting our roofs white and putting gardens on them? our city is freezing all the time, let us be hot for one season dammit.. i welcome urban heat island effect. i want to feel hot in the summer, not cool. so does most everyone else. environment? please, what do we really care about it? we have nukes and kill people in far away lands everyday, so ppl are dying anyway, what are we doing?! argh! I cant believe it. the hippy hypocrites won this battle, so far. but we non hypocrites will win the war.
if we all do a little we can do a lot. is that the mentality. then i get it if its easy to do, like put a can in a can garbage in a chipotle (damn theyre good), but painting the sears silver? cmnon, leed certification for some expensive stuff that pays you much much later? cmon. we need money now, not later. unless your filthy rich, your a bad biz man if your do something like this.,

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by Carantini

i probably sound ignorant as hell

Change 'probably' to 'always' and you would be correct.