Local Food = Strong Economy

Think Global, Buy Local | Project for Public Spaces (PPS)

n the name of efficiency, low prices, and consumer choice, we have also eliminated one of the fundamental exchanges that have supported economies from the beginning of time: providing food products within local economic systems.

The Upside-Down Economy of Place

How Your Community Can Thrive-Even in Tough Times | Project for Public Spaces (PPS)

New economic theories point out that our city and regional economies may no longer function as they once did, but have been turned upside-down. This research suggests that human and creative capital of our communities are now the catalysts of economic growth rather than mere results of that growth.

According to Soji Adelaja, Director of the Land Policy Institute (LPI) at Michigan State University, keeping and attracting people is the most important strategy in this new economic landscape. Services, which are inherently local and include everything from doctors’ visits to construction projects, now account for a larger share of the economy than goods. A Land Policy Institute study shows that half of total economic losses stemming from drops in population are caused by a loss of service jobs and income. That means when people move they take a piece of the economy with them.

This represents a vast change that cities, towns and regions need to recognize. In the past, a vital local economy was based on attracting large companies by offering inexpensive locations and a cheap labor force. The qualities of a particular place mattered little, and people migrated to where the jobs were. Moreover, much of that economic growth was based on cheap oil, which encouraged people’s work, homes and shopping destinations to be spread far apart. That’s all changed, and now communities with lively destinations that are easily reached by walking and transit gain distinct advantages.

A small step in the right direction....

newsobserver.com | City takes step toward legalizing hens

Durham is one step closer to joining the ranks of hen-friendly communities throughout the state. The Durham Planning Commission voted 10-4 Tuesday night to recommend legalizing female chickens inside the city limits.

Developers win, we all lose; or the $343 million water quality bailout

newsobserver.com | State rules may trump local cleanup plans Federal and state law sets quality standards for reservoirs and their tributary streams. Jordan and Falls lakes are below standard due to pollutants flowing in from the Neuse and Cape Fear river watersheds. The state Division of Water Quality is under mandate to reduce pollutants to acceptable levels. Part of the proposal for Jordan Lake calls for improving stormwater runoff control in already-developed areas. Durham's public works department estimates that alone would cost the city $334 million, and that the tab for all local governments in the Jordan watershed would total $2 billion. [...] The most polluted section of Jordan Lake is fed by streams running through southern Durham County, which has grown dramatically in the past 25 years. Major tributaries of Falls Lake flow through eastern Durham County, projected to be the county's fastest-growing area in the next 10 to 15 years. There, Ellerbe Creek, Lick Creek and Little Lick Creek are the major streams, and all are polluted. City Councilman Mike Woodard calls eastern Durham "ground zero" for a clash of interests for residents, conservationists, developers and city and county governments -- over how to restore and protect streams, manage development pressure and property rights and rewrite regulations, all while waiting to see what comes down from Raleigh. Durham, along with other governments, is fighting the proposed Jordan Lake rules, especially those for existing development. This week the city council discussed adding $100,000 to $30,000 already approved for legal expenses. The council also discussed appropriating $1.2 million for planning and designing a watershed protection plan for Third Fork Creek, a Jordan Lake tributary.

Durham has allowed development for many years with minimal concern for impacts to water quality. (I'm not even going to talk about Wake County, it would be too depressing.) Now that it's time to pay the piper, it's almost certainly going to come out of the tax coffers, instead of the developers' fattened wallets as it would have if we'd required ecologically-aware development to start with. I expect a huge outcry from John Locke Foundation puppets claiming loss of property rights, and developers whining about lost income and jobs in the current economy. I will lend those cries about as much credence as the average American gives to AIG's whining about bailouts while they were soaking in hot tubs and drinking wine. Seriously, when are Durhamites going to wise up to the reality that these people do not have our long-term best interests at heart? I find it equally disturbing that the City is allocating $100K+ to fight the state lawsuits, instead of directing that cash to retrofits, outreach, and policing of existing regulations. And, given how long it takes to get a Plan together, why have they waited so long to push for a Third Fork Creek Plan?

Earlier this year, residents formed a "Preserve East Durham County" organization (olivebranchroad.org) to oppose development without stronger pollution controls, and press the city, county and state to better enforce existing regulations. South-Durham residents' groups are also opposing clear-cutting for new development and stricter pollution controls.

We have to wait for citizen groups to form before the government pays any attention? There seems to be a serious disconnect between the central administration and the on-the-ground reality of land use in greater Durham.

The Durham News | New group forms to sift through Durham's environmental problems With development developing, pollution present and tough new rules in prospect from the state of North Carolina, a Durham citizens' group convened this week to start a six-month review of the city and county's rules protecting the land, air and water. "We want to get ahead of the curve," said City Councilman Mike Woodard, who, with County Commissioners Chairwoman Ellen Reckhow, joined 10 knowledgeable citizens to form the Environmental Enhancements to the Unified Development Ordinance Steering Committee -- "EEUDO" for short. "I don't want us to keep responding," Woodard said. Water pollution in fast-upbuilding eastern Durham County, where streams flow into the Falls Lake reservoir, was the particular "straw" leading to the committee's formation, Woodard said. The same issues are present in already developed southern Durham, where streams carry pollution to Jordan Lake. The EEUDO group is to review the UDO's regulations and recommend changes, in the rules themselves, enforcement practices or both, to improve them. Its report, to the Joint City-County Planning Committee, is due in April.

Perhaps the two biggest questions here are: Why doesn't Durham have an Urban Open Space Plan, since Ellerbe Creek runs thru the heart of town? And why did the UDO leave out so much in regards to environmental protections when it was drafted? Seems to me it's already too late to claim ANY ability to get "ahead of the curve." And has anyone asked who will get the benefit of the $300+ million dollars? My guess would be landscape architects, construction companies, and owners of developments that spent only minimal amounts on water quality protection up front. How interesting.

Why not try this in Durham?

cryptogon.com » Archives » Mexico City Looks for Food Crisis Solution in Families’ Backyards and Roof Terraces

“We want to make people realise that they can use their gardens, yards and roof terraces to grow food,” says Adolfo López Villanueva, the programme’s director. “With the climate we have in Mexico City you can get between two and three harvests a year and that would help families keep costs down.”

The programme was launched last year. But the spiralling cost of food has given new impetus to plans for its expansion and this year officials have decided to increase its scope by at least 50 per cent.

Together with agronomists from a local university, the city’s government gives families technical support and agricultural supplies to get their vegetable gardens going. Among the crops available are carrots, potatoes, onions, tomatoes and chillies.

“We get them to provide the land and the labour and we provide everything else,” said Mr López Villanueva.

Art As Waste, or Lighting Up At the End

Bull City Rising: Plensa/DPAC/Goodmon: It's a go (if City Council says so)

The City would be able to operate the light on a schedule of its choosing, but with one key caveat: the 7,000 watt light would have to be operated at least during the nights of scheduled DPAC performances. An operating schedule is important for at least one reason: the City of Durham would need to keep our friends over at RDU briefed about just when the artwork would be active, lest some triple-7 straight outta Heathrow try to land on the Downtown Loop: The Federal Aviation Administration has been consulted and has provided an advisory that the Raleigh-Durham International Airport control tower should be notified when the light beam is turned on, either through a written schedule sent to the tower by email or fax, or through a telephone call to the tower 2 hours prior to the beam being turned on in the case of a variation from the written schedule. Capitol Broadcasting would pick up all the installation and commissioning costs for the work, with the annual electrical bill expense for the installation -- a cost that could run as much as $3,400 per year -- being absorbed by the Durham Performing Arts Center's budget. Meanwhile, the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the artwork would be paid by the City, a cost that is estimated to cost between $4,500 and $6,500 through most of the estimated 25 year life of the work.

I've not been publishing on this blog lately, but this was just too crazy not to mention. What a waste. Perhaps I should reactivate this blog, after all. It looks as though the city could use a good wallop upside the head when it comes to sustainability. Or at least a word from a voice of sanity.

Rails, Trails, Bicycles and Buses

What will Durham be like when gas hits $6/gallon? That's a question I've been contemplating for some time now, but one which used to get me a lot of funny looks prior to the last two months.

There's been a big push in the region to convert old railbeds to walking & bicycling trails, like (much of) the American Tobacco Trail. Rails-to-Trails is a national phenomenon, so I'm not trying to unfairly burden Durham or even Raleigh on this one. However, it doesn't take a lot of foresight to realize that Norfolk Southern may not be as quick to sell off perfectly good tracks anymore. One of the "unfinished trails" often discussed by those who follow such things in the Bull City is the Duke Beltline: a rails-to-trails project encompassing the trackline that runs through Old North Durham and near the DAP. Trails aficionados lament that NS has asked "too much" for the property. Yet I am coming to the opinion that Durham may be better off in the end for it NOT having been sold off, as it may be one key component of revitalizing the rail infrastructure of Durham for a post-Peak Oil world.

While many of Durham's best and brightest are struggling to get NCDOT to remove turning lanes from the proposed Alston Ave widening project, I'm thinking ahead to the time when such automobile-centric projects are revealed as the grandiose boondoggles of waste they are at the core. Automobile-based commuting is nearing its End Of Life, to talk in software-geek terms. Every extra dollar per gallon is going to start exponentially increasing the outcry for bike lanes, better buses, and commuter rail. More than likely, it will be the rail infrastructure that was NOT converted to trails that will be pressed into service to host that commuter rail. It will help - but it can't carry everybody and every THING everywhere.

Even if we striped bike lanes on every street in Durham, even if we somehow resurrected the long-departed downtown streetcar system, we still have another problem: RTP is ten miles away from most of Durham, but it's even farther from most of Raleigh. And because it was built long after the car became King, the infrastructure there is pedestrian- and mass transit-unfriendly. Every building has a sea of parking around it, padded by a ring of "managed green space." (managed usually meaning controlled monocultures carefully cultivated by low-wage-paying corporate landscapers, but thats another story) It could take half an hour to walk to your building from the closest bus stop - and what about trying to get to work on rail & foot alone? Eeep.

Not to mention, those who are forced by poverty or misfortune to have to ride Durham's currently available public transportation are nearly unanimous in their condemnation of the system. It's barely adequate for basic transport today, and is probably going to be unable to cope with the massive increase in ridership we are on the verge of seeing. It's much more likely that we will start to see more "underground" transportation resources emerge, like private buses, along with major increases in bicycling as a daily necessity rather than a weekend pleasure activity.

As those who moved to the exurbs but work in RTP are faced with skyrocketing fuel costs, I expect many will try to move closer to their jobs. That means Morrisville and Durham will be in line for a lot of growth, even if the economy itself isn't doing so well. A lot of expensive exurban houses are going to be foreclosed on, and a lot of currently-cheaper housing in town is going to become a lot more valuable.

Durham's push to bring businesses back into downtown will pay off handsomely, I expect, as more people seek to live near where they work, and shop near where they live. It's no wonder Cleveland-Holloway is the Neighborhood To Watch right now - it's so darn close to downtown, and so much of its infrastructure was built prior to the Auto Era, that it looks better and better all the time.

However, this sort of "gentrification" may very well lead to more class- and race-based tension in the city, as the really poor inner-city urbanites left behind by discriminatory policies of the 60's & 70's are forced to compete for housing, food, and public transportation with the (formerly?) middle-class newcomers.

Durham is going to have a lot of work to do if we are to manage this transition with any sort of aplomb. We are going to need skilled community leaders who can bring multiple parties to the table, who care about the people - ALL the people - more than lining their own pockets or stoking their own egos, and who can see far enough into the future to understand that massive change is headed our way. More exurbs are the LAST thing Durham is going to need in ten years. It's time to disconnect "development" from "bulldozer" and recouple it with "community."

So, I'm told by my Chatham County friends that planting marigolds around tomatoes will keep pests away. I'm wondering if this is also true for squash, as it appears i may be at the beginning of an issue with squash borers. i sure dont want to lose all this nice squash! marigolds. tonite.

Urban Gardening: The Crash Course, part 2

Growing a garden has made my trips to the Farmers Market quite different. Before, I would just sort of wander around, buying whatever struck my fancy, or some days nothing at all. Now, I find myself looking at what the different vendors are bringing in, comparing it to what I'm growing, and pondering the discrepancies - why is their squash so much earlier than mine? He already has Beans!? Hm, could I grow turnips? Somehow, I think the next phase will be chatting them up for hints. What grows well for you, this variety or that one? There seems to be a lot of observation in growing a garden; I would think that some of it might result in communicable information.

Along those same lines, I used to buy only starter plants, never seeds; now, I'm a regular at the Stone Bros & Byrd seed counter, and I'm waiting anxiously for my copy of "Seed to Seed" to arrive from Amazon, so I can start experimenting with seed saving. (Sometimes, I remember how much of this my grandparents would have simply *known*, and I want to scream in sadness and frustration that they aren't still around to ask.)

Oddly, I've yet to encounter another urban gardener in Durham. Oh, sure, I know some people who have a few tomato plants in a pot, and one who even put in a small bed made of old cinderblocks, but none of them seem to have the same sort of... drive? motivation? joy? for the doing of it. I'm sure they must exist... but where? I have this vision of being in a room of old geezers in overalls, and I'm the only one under 50. Really, I don't want to reinvent the wheel, or the urban garden.

Last year, I bought a bunch of permaculture books, but they really just have not been the kind of resource I expected. It's all fine to talk about co-existing plants and such, but I need specific information. Growing food is about the most local you can get. My soil isn't like your soil, my compost isn't like your compost. If I ever wanted to get the dirt on Durham, well, the dirt of Durham is all over me now.

Urban Gardening: The Crash Course, pt. 1

How does your garden grow? Mine's a bit of a mess, but thanks to a lot of rain this spring, it appears we'll get a bumper crop of yellow squash, at the least.

Not long after the last thesis draft was sent off and the remaining stuff was just paperwork, I decided this would be the year I got serious about gardening. The last two years, I've borrowed a tiller from the guy down the street, tilled up a small patch of dirt at the end of the driveway, and planted a few random vegetables, none of which ever yielded anything we could actually eat. However, until either drought withered them or our absence on vacation allowed spoilage, we did get at least a few relatively healthy plants, so I knew theoretically that gardening in that spot was possible.

However, in reading about urban gardens, one of the most common problems for new gardens is the presence of lots of heavy metals in the soil, a result of exhaust fumes and other airborne pollutants sedimenting over many years. SO, I decided the fastest option would be to build raised beds out of fresh soil. I started by ordering 8 cubic yards of R3 topsoil mix from B&B Topsoil Mine, which was right around $150 delivered. In case you're bad with numbers, 8 cubic yards is a heck of a lot of dirt! Way more than $150 would buy you at Lowe's. I then built low raised beds out of 1"x12"s with metal L-brackets, and small 2"x2"x36" corner posts. The small posts not only provide extra stability for the brackets and screws, they also give you a handy place to attach wire, in case of marauding rabbits.

About a billion wheelbarrow trips later, we have four raised beds (two 12' long, two 8' long), planted in peppers, tomatoes, squash, beans, corn, broccoli, and strawberries. I rotated my plantings a bit, so that the squash plants would come to maturity at slightly different times throughout the summer; as they finish yielding, they will go into the compost and I will start planting fall crops. I missed the early spring plants, such as potatoes and carrots; hopefully, I can pick them up as late crops after the summer heat drops off a bit. I intend to try and keep something growing the entire year, even if it's just greens and a cover crop.

One thing I've realized about Durham, or at least my little part of it: we seem to be able to grow crops on about the same zone schedule that used to be used for Georgia. I put out stuff WAY before a lot of my printed information said it would be viable, and aside from one threat of frost that didn't materialize, it's been fine. And if I'd been prepared to cover them properly, they could have survived several light frosts, I'm sure. SO, I've decided to stop reading quite so much, and go with my gut a bit more on planting times.

To be continued...

It took a bit longer than anticipated, but the thesis is done, and has been sent off to the printers for binding. I've ordered an extra bound copy specifically to give to the Durham County Library, hopefully to be included in the "local room" downtown.

This leads me to a topic to which I've been giving a lot of thought lately: connectivity and information sharing in post-oil society. frankly, I'd give up fast food, cars and planes right now, forever, if it meant that we could turn all our resources to preserving and perpetuating the Internet. but you know that will not happen, so.... the Internet as we know it will more than likely not survive into the 22nd Century. if it even survives until 2050, I'll be pleasantly surprised. So, what will become of all those millions of Wikipedia entries? That may sound flippant, but there's been a significant change in how we get and share information, in how *connected* we are as human beings, all from the Internet. Need to know when to plant a seed? How to preserve food? Whether the rash you have is poison ivy or something much worse, without paying a doctor? Right now, we go to the Internet for all this. But what about when there isn't an Internet?

That's why a copy of my thesis is going to the Library, and that is why I buy books. And I buy LOTS of books. Only rarely do I ever get rid of a book. What did I buy with my "tax incentive rebate"?? Books - on food storage, greywater recycling, composting. Once upon a time, the upper crust of society all had libraries in their houses, libraries to which they could refer for questions large and small. Mark Pesce says we should think of Wikipedia as an extension of our brain, just one that we keep outside our bodies: I propose that libraries have always served that purpose, which is why the Public Library (and the advent of public education to create literacy for all) is at the core a radical institution - it is a public mind, a perpetually-recreated manifestation of communal understanding of reality.



Next up: The resurgence of the urban garden, and the Durham Farmers Market.