What can we do for Green. . .

Come here to talk about topics that are not related to development, or even Kansas City.
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DaveKCMO
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Re: What can we do for Green. . .

Post by DaveKCMO »

aknowledgeableperson wrote: But where at in KC?  Access to public transit always?
you don't need public transit to live without a car. you can be carfree with children. you can have a job without a car or access to public transit. you don't need to be surrounded by leafy, contiguous sidewalks to live without a car.

is it more difficult? yes. is it cheaper and safer? yes.

these are the lies we tell ourselves to make the daily death, destruction, and inefficiency of private auto ownership acceptable.

once you're without, the lies don't fade because the social pressure to own a car trumps the reasons people don't.
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Re: What can we do for Green. . .

Post by mudjack »

Highlander wrote: So is there a mrs Mudjack and little rugrat Mudjacks?  I think that is where the difficulty starts to come in. 
Not back then.

Even with a wife, kids, and a house, public transit would be doable now, almost. I could find a job on or near a transit line. I could consolidate my trips to Home Depot so that it would be affordable to rent a truck from time to time.

Getting out to Grandma's house would still be a problem and in the dead of summer I wouldn't want to wait for ages at a bus stop. I have known people in larger cities who never carried a bus schedule, but just showed up at the bus stop knowing that a bus would be by in a few minutes. I wish we had that kind of service. We may never get it.


As someone said, it's a cultural problem or a symptom of our mindsets. I liked walking and taking the bus, but was never too confident dating without a car.
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Re: What can we do for Green. . .

Post by aknowledgeableperson »

DaveKCMO wrote: you don't need public transit to live without a car. you can be carfree with children. you can have a job without a car or access to public transit. you don't need to be surrounded by leafy, contiguous sidewalks to live without a car.
That still doesn't answer the question of where mudjack lived in KC.
I may be right.  I may be wrong.  But there is a lot of gray area in-between.
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Re: What can we do for Green. . .

Post by mudjack »

aknowledgeableperson wrote: That still doesn't answer the question of where mudjack lived in KC.
I didn't realize it was a question. When I was riding the bus, I lived near KU Med and worked in the crossroads.
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FangKC
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Re: What can we do for Green. . .

Post by FangKC »

Article discusses how roads and parking lots paved with intelligent solar panels could generate energy and transmit power, communications at the same time. The panels can also melt snow on the road and parking lots.

In one estimate, one mile of solar paneled roadway could power 500 homes on four hours of sunlight daily.

Power would transmitted using roads and streets, so hanging power lines would not be required, and power outages from line breakage during storms eliminated.

http://www.gizmag.com/solar-panel-roads/12780/

http://www.the-open-mind.com/solar-road ... rking-lot/

http://solarroadways.com/intro.shtml

More pics here:

http://www.solarroadways.com/hirespics.html

Image
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FangKC
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Re: What can we do for Green. . .

Post by FangKC »

It appears that no matter what we do to curb carbon emissions, Miami and New Orleans will be lost for good within this century. Many parts of New York City could become un-livable by 2085.

Other cities are at threat if we don't make major changes in carbon emissions. I don't know why, but it never really occurred to me that Sacramento would be at risk. Mostly because it's not on a coast. Many parts of Sacramento are only 23-to-30 feet above sea level, so a rise of 32 feet (as predicted in some climate models) would affect all or major areas of the city. Kansas City, at its' lowest elevation, is 690 feet above sea level.

Sacramento is in more danger than many parts of San Francisco, a coastal city.

Sea level rise will swallow Miami, New Orleans: study
MIAMI (AFP) - Say goodbye to Miami and New Orleans. No matter what we do to curb global warming, these and other beloved US cities will sink below rising seas, according to a study Monday.

...

Scientists have already established that if we do nothing to reduce our burning of fossil fuel up to the year 2100, the planet will face sea level rise of 14-32 feet (4.3?9.9 meters), said lead author Ben Strauss, vice president for sea level and climate impacts at Climate Central.

...

For cities like Miami and New Orleans, the limits are already exceeded.

"In our analysis, a lot of cities have futures that depend on our carbon choices but some appear to be already lost," Strauss said.

"And it is hard to imagine how we could defend Miami in the long run."

Miami's low elevation and porous limestone foundation mean that sea walls and levees will not help, he said.

The state of Florida has the most number of big cities at risk from sea level rise, holding 40 percent or more of the US population living on potentially affected land.

After Florida, the next three most affected states are California, Louisiana and New York.

One beloved landmark of American food culture and jazz music, New Orleans, is already sinking.

"New Orleans is a really sad story," Strauss said.

"It is a lot worse looking than Miami."

New York is also in peril, and under a worst-case scenario, the city could be un-livable by the year 2085, according to the study.

...

A total of 14 cities with more than 100,000 residents could avoid locking in this century, including Jacksonville, Florida; Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach in Virginia; and Sacramento and Stockton in California.

...
http://www.france24.com/en/20151012-sea ... eans-study

http://www.nola.com/environment/index.s ... rlean.html

http://choices.climatecentral.org/#12/4 ... treme-cuts
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Re: What can we do for Green. . .

Post by flyingember »

Here's a couple more good pieces why Miami is especially vulnerable.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2015/ ... arker-text
At two feet they will be sitting out in the ocean,” says Hal Wanless, chairman of the University of Miami’s geology department. “Most of the barrier islands will be uninhabitable. The airport is going to have problems at four feet. We will not be able to keep freshwater above ocean levels, so we’re going to have saltwater intrusion into our drinking-water supply. Everyone wants a nice happy ending. But that’s not reality. We’re in for it. We have really done a job warming our ocean, and it’s going to pay us back.”
This next piece explains the water source problem really well. This isn't a problem in the future, this is a problem that's already happened. There's 6 million people in Miami that will need to get water from elsewhere or spend a fortune getting it from the ocean. Miami doesn't need to be underwater to see an exodus of people.

http://www.marketplace.org/topics/susta ... king-water
To describe that process, it will probably help if we first clear up a question: If there’s really no barrier between saltwater and fresh underground water, why isn’t all the drinking water salty already?

The reason is gravity. Saltwater is heavier than freshwater. Some seawater has always moved into the limestone, but it sits under the freshwater, which floats on top.

Then sea levels rise. Saltwater pushes up to where that freshwater was floating. It doesn’t have to push all the way to the surface to cause problems – just to the depth where the local well got sunk a few decades ago.

...

Jennifer Jurado directs Broward's environmental planning division, which means she oversees the county's long-term water planning. She shows me maps of where the saltwater has already come – and where it’s heading: Hollywood, Hallandale, Dania Beach, Fort Lauderdale ... the list goes on.
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Re: What can we do for Green. . .

Post by earthling »

Fascinating stats about world population projections and global change toward smaller families, even in 3rd world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6m81dIF75Q

Start about 7 minutes in to jump to stats. Hans Rosling (RIP) can come across with a sensationalized tone, give him a chance.

Global car usage is expected to double before 2050...
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/109 ... 035-report
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Re: What can we do for Green. . .

Post by FangKC »

Biden pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 52% by 2030

https://www.axios.com/biden-carbon-goa ... denclimate
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Re: What can we do for Green. . .

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FangKC wrote: Thu Apr 22, 2021 5:46 am Biden pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 52% by 2030

https://www.axios.com/biden-carbon-goa ... denclimate
Good luck getting that Lexus Lane added to US-69, OP...
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FangKC
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Re: What can we do for Green. . .

Post by FangKC »

I don't know how many times I've looked at some location in Kansas City, and wondered why they don't plant more trees there.

The magic of urban trees
...
The thermal impacts of trees are not trivial, even in our cool climate. According to the US Department of Agriculture, the cooling impact of a single healthy street tree is equal to 10 room-size air conditioners operating round the clock! As deadly heat waves become more common, shade becomes a civic resource, returning our bodies to more normal equilibrium. Temperatures on exposed streets compared to canopied ones tend to be anywhere from 5 degrees to 15 degrees F cooler, according to National Geographic.
...
According to a 2017 issue of Yale Environment 360, trees in 10 megacities around the world save $500 million per year in heat costs, energy expenses and environmental protection. They reduce air pollutants, reduce storm water run-off and air conditioning costs.
...
https://www.cnu.org/publicsquare/2020/0 ... rban-trees

Free trees are being giving away this Saturday at the Anita Gorman Discovery Center at 4750 Troost. No registration required.

https://mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/mdc-offers- ... ansas-city

Volunteers with Bridging the Gap and KC Parks will plant free trees on your street.

https://bridgingthegap.org/heartland-tr ... esforkcmo/
Last edited by FangKC on Fri Apr 23, 2021 8:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
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grovester
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Re: What can we do for Green. . .

Post by grovester »

FangKC wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 1:56 am I don't know how many times I've looked at some location in Kansas City, and wondered why they don't plant more trees there.

The magic of urban trees
...
The thermal impacts of trees are not trivial, even in our cool climate. According to the US Department of Agriculture, the cooling impact of a single healthy street tree is equal to 10 room-size air conditioners operating round the clock! As deadly heat waves become more common, shade becomes a civic resource, returning our bodies to more normal equilibrium. Temperatures on exposed streets compared to canopied ones tend to be anywhere from 5 degrees to 15 degrees F cooler, according to National Geographic.
...
According to a 2017 issue of Yale Environment 360, trees in 10 megacities around the world save $500 million per year in heat costs, energy expenses and environmental protection. They reduce air pollutants, reduce storm water run-off and air conditioning costs.
...
https://www.cnu.org/publicsquare/2020/0 ... rban-trees

Free trees are being giving away this Saturday at the Anita Gorman Discovery Center at 4750 Troost. Registration required.

https://mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/mdc-offers- ... ansas-city

Volunteers with Bridging the Gap and KC Parks will plant free trees on your street.

https://bridgingthegap.org/heartland-tr ... esforkcmo/
Say no registration required fyi.
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FangKC
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Re: What can we do for Green. . .

Post by FangKC »

I see a lot of plans showing building with greenery (vertical gardens) attached to the architecture.

Here is an example of one already-built in Sydney, Australia, called One Central Park.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Central_Park


https://www.google.com/maps/@-33.884112 ... 8192?hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/@-33.885585 ... 8192?hl=en
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Re: What can we do for Green. . .

Post by missingkc »

I think the monumental and monumentally plain garage for the former Federal Reserve is a great candidate for this treatment.
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Re: What can we do for Green. . .

Post by flyingember »

Street Lights. Switching out all street lights for LEDs would do a ton

https://ksite.org/images/meeting/092614 ... final_.pdf

200,000 streetlights in KC metro
208 gigawatt hours per year of power use
They say moving to LEDs decreases use by 35-45%

From a green standpoint, removing 1/3, or 68 gigawatts of energy use each year, would be a lot less demand for coal power


Going all the way down to page 56-57, there's a side by side that green costs the same for the bulbs and the electrical cost is lower so it's just finding the up front labor to do it.
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FangKC
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Re: What can we do for Green. . .

Post by FangKC »

That is a good point. Seemingly small things help a lot.

The other thing is for businesses to ask their employees to power down their computers, monitors, and the overhead lights are shut off after the custodian staff comes through. I see a lot of empty office buildings with lights on in the middle of the night that obviously don't have night shifts because their aren't cars in the parking lot. Sometimes you can see computer monitors left on at desks. When I lived on Quality Hill, I used to walk by Kansas City Southern's offices at night on walks and see many computer screens left on.
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Re: What can we do for Green. . .

Post by flyingember »

I just did the math on the cost of engine idling and incredibly, it's tiny relative to the work needed to get to a small change.
I was wondering the result of replacing traffic signals with roundabouts more places if we got something for the cost. Especially knowing that new concrete is far from green.

Idling uses up to 0.5 gallons per hour. I used that number just to be the biggest gain possible.

If you sit 30 seconds less at 10 fewer stoplights per day that's 10 minutes per day. That's 2500 minutes per year or 41 hours. That's 20 gallons of gas annually wasted.

The country uses 150 billion gallons of gas.

If all 248 million cars stopped idling that much per year it's 4.96 billion gallons and that's only 3% of gasoline used.
Sure, it's something, but we could gain a lot more value by focusing on industrial pollution than trying to make cars stop less often.
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Re: What can we do for Green. . .

Post by FangKC »

Disguising solar panels as ancient Roman tiles in Pompeii

https://techxplore.com/news/2022-12-dis ... roman.html
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