If I wanted a green city... (solar, organic, eco-friendly, alternative energy)

[krmb]

This is probably fantasizing, but what would a community of people need to do if they wanted to make their city completely green, off-grid, and fully functional? What might be some positive consequences of this?

[Philip T]

Fresh Water.

[DCforever]

Green and off-grid are not compatible. Off grid is wasteful of resources.

[6.7traveler]

^ I disagree that off grid and green aren't compatible. In fact they can be very compatible. Most people with a desire to go off grid, are less wasteful, more minimalistic, and more concious about the earth than 95% of the rest of America. Maybe we have different definitions of the word "green" though.

Anyways, how big of a city are we talking? 50-100 people IMO would be as big as you want it to be. Too many people would become a problem. I would think a very small town this would be easier to fantasize.
The most important thing would be water and arable land to grow and raise the community food supply. The people would have to build themselves alternative super efficient homes that needed little to no power. They would have to be close enough together where no vehicles are needed. They would have to not be whiners and be willing to put up with less and work hard to get the community set up and to keep it running. Many of them would eventually leave for the conviences of a big city. Haha this sounds like a hippie commune. Maybe you had something different in mind.

[DCforever]

You are free to disagree and be wrong.

[6.7traveler]

^ Would you care to elaborate, instead of just saying that I am wrong? How is that constructive at all? Are you trying to disclude people like myself who choose to live off grid as "wasteful" of resources and not "green"? I don't understand, shouldn't the green movement try and incorporate as many people as possible? Or are only people who live in cities allowed to be "green"?

[DCforever]

Originally Posted by 6.7traveler

^ Would you care to elaborate, instead of just saying that I am wrong? How is that constructive at all? Are you trying to disclude people like myself who choose to live off grid as "wasteful" of resources and not "green"? I don't understand, shouldn't the green movement try and incorporate as many people as possible? Or are only people who live in cities allowed to be "green"?

If you evaluate technology on both a cost and performance basis. Off grid installations require more physical plant such as batteries and backup generation. Small home sized ICE generators pollute more per unit of generation and battery disposal is an environmental consideration. People who are off grid because they are too far from central station power to get service have no choice. People who have the option and are off grid anyway are making a political statement, which is not as environmentally friendly as grid connection.

[6.7traveler]

Thanks for clarifying, I fall under the "have no choice" category living far out... Although it is my choice to live where I do, there are no utilities out here. I am certainly not trying to make a political statement by doing so, but can think of a few people I have encountered along the way who seem to be doing as you describe. The most un green thing I do , IMO would be burning fuel to get into town living far out. I try to go as infrequently as possible and have a pretty fuel efficient 4 cylinder vehicle for doing so. But other than that I try to be as conscious as possible to minimize every other thing.

If a city could make it's own hydroelectric power, it would be very green, without the individual battery banks and individual set ups. Everyone could be tied to the grid, made by "off grid" power.... A lot of areas in B.C. are hydroelectric powered and I think on a small scale, this can be very green compared to our other ways of generating electricity.

[509]

Originally Posted by 6.7traveler

If a city could make it's own hydroelectric power, it would be very green, without the individual battery banks and individual set ups. Everyone could be tied to the grid, made by "off grid" power.... A lot of areas in B.C. are hydroelectric powered and I think on a small scale, this can be very green compared to our other ways of generating electricity.

Central Washington is where you want to be.....it is where the grid starts and it is owned by the citizens of the counties. Wenatchee Valley is a community of 110,000 people and was voted 5th greenest city by Country Home magazine.

Clean green hydro power at 2.7 and 2.3 cents per kilowatt/hr (two different public utilities serve the vallley). Fiber optics for internet, phone, and cable TV service is also provided through the PUD's. Business lines at 1Gbps, and residential lines at 100 Mmbs. More info here:http://www.chelanpud.org/your-PUD.html

Pretty much self-sufficient in agriculture.

Be forewarned. The last Democrat in the valley died in 2002 and the entire valley showed up to say good-by to the last of the breed. So the valley is not known for its liberal ways. This ranking just drove the Seattle migrants living in the valley nuts!! So if your looking for green and liberal this won't work for you. But if your looking for green and conservative.....this is the place.

Here is the article:

City named one of nation's greenest places
By Rick Steigmeyer and Michelle McNiel, World staff writers
http://wenworld.com/sub/story.php?id=1173381873-824-507
WENATCHEE - Add green to the list of attributes Wenatchee can claim as it climbs the ladder of America's most desirable places to live. No, this has nothing to do with the city's famously short Saint Patrick's Day parade.
We're talking green as in air and water quality, organic food production and clean power generation. The Al Gore type of green.
Wenatchee has been named to yet another list of appealing dwelling places. This time by Country Home magazine, a sister publication to Better Homes and Gardens and Ladies' Home Journal. Country Home has 1.25 million subscribers.
"We are seeing a real interest by readers in exploring eco-friendly choices," Country Home Editor-in-Chief Carol Sheehan said in a prepared statement.
The magazine named Wenatchee as the fifth greenest city in America in which to live in its survey of 379 metropolitan areas. The listing of the Top 10 "Best Green Places" comes out in the magazine's April issue, on newsstands March 20.
"That's great!" said Roger Clute, executive director of the Wenatchee Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, who said he had not yet heard about the article.
"In my travels around the country, I've seen some pretty ugly cities," he said this morning. "Wenatchee is a beautiful environment. We certainly benefit from our natural assets, the Columbia River and the mountains surrounding us."
Burlington, Vt., earned top honors in the rankings. Corvallis, Ore. - at No. 3 - was the only other Pacific Northwest city to crack the Top 10. However, Seattle was ranked No. 5 on a list of Best Green Large Cities with populations greater than 500,000. Wenatchee was third on a list of cities under 150,000 population.
Magazine Managing Editor Grant Fairchild said data used to pick the 10 cities came from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Green Building Council.
Cities were rated based on air and watershed quality, mass transit use, power use and the number of organic producers and farmers markets.
In a news release, the magazine referred to Wenatchee as the Apple Capital of the World, and lauded its efforts to teach young people about alternative energy sources. It pointed out that local high school and college teams compete in the world's Solar Drag Race with battery-less, sunlight-propelled dragsters.
"We thought to ourselves, ‘If we could live anywhere in the U.S., where would be the best green place to live?"' said Fairchild. "That was the kicking-off point. We thought it would be a fun thing for the readers and fit right in with our theme."
Wenatchee has found itself on a handful of national lists since officially becoming a metropolitan area in the 2000 Census.
Last year, the city was named the safest metro area in Washington state based on crime stats, and the 13th most secure place to live among small cities by Farmer's Insurance Group.
The metro area was also picked by Money Magazine to have the second-fastest-growing real estate values in the country last year. In a separate survey released last week, the city was found to have the second highest home price increase in the country from the fourth quarter of 2005 to 2006.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
__________
Top 10 green cities in America
1. Burlington, Vt.
2. Ithaca, N.Y.
3. Corvallis, Ore.
4. Springfield, Mass.
5. Wenatchee
6. Charlottesville, Va.
7. Boulder, Colo.
8. Madison, Wis.
9. Binghamton, N.Y.
10. Champaign-Urbana, Ill.

[krmb]

Washington does sound like Green City. What's the average cost of living there?