Note from the Netherlands

President-elect Obama’s first news conference proposed a way forward from today’s millennial mess in economy, energy and environment. That day, the Transition Team’s website shows the following clear and ambitious policy goals:
· Provide short-term relief to American families facing pain at the pump;
· Help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future;
· Within 10 years save more oil than we currently import from the Middle East and Venezuela combined;

Return to the Real
By Melissa Everett, Ph.D.

As the economy melts, the conversation in the national media has been all about managing Wall Street’s fallout onto Main Street. This is important. However, a more important question might be this: what is Main Street going to do to save its own skin and increase its control over the situation?

“Green collar” jobs – improving environmental conditions and quality of life – are an important path forward for the Hudson Valley. But in the current economic climate, it is challenging to begin imagining the appearance of any decent new jobs. How can we unleash imagination and possibility with small, useful steps that can build a foundation for a sustainable economy?

First, what do we actually mean by green? In spite of too many answers to that question, there is a decent expert consensus that a technology or enterprise is green to the extent that it:

Ulster County's Planning Board, Industrial Development Agency and Ulster County Development Corporation are in the final stages of approval for a "sustainable" economic development strategy two years in the making. Involving an estimated 150 volunteers who drilled down into economic development services, industry cluster opportunities, and more, the plan is about to be presented to the Legislature for adoption as part of the comprehensive plan. View the plan here:

http://www.ulsterny.com/ulst_tomorrow/index.htm

The Bike-Friendly City Initiative in Kingston is on a roll, no pun intended. A map of recommended routes, racks and bike shops is taking shape. And we are proud to announce a rallying event to get people out on bikes having fun: Bike to Dinner Week.

Set for the week of August 11 - 17, leading up to the ARtists' Soap Box Derby, this event offers 10% discounts for people who arrive on bike at any of the following great local restaurants:

Deising’s- 111 North Front Street (845)338-7505 and 584 Broadway
(845)338-1580
Keegan Ales- 20 St. James Street (845) 331-BREW

In another life, I had the luck to meet a group of social psychologists who were doing a study of long-term civic commitment. They were two couples, and were interviewing 200 committed citizens working in social movements from literacy to human rights. They joked that the project would make or break both marriages, and both came through fine. They uncovered some beautiful stories and some guiding principles about adult development and social movement participation.

 The Kingston Green Trail initiative is starting to see action. 

 Today, at the Tour de Kingston bike rally, we gathered over a dozen energized volunteers to advance the vision of a more bike-friendly Kingston. We filled a page with signatures on a letter to Mayor Sottile, thanking him for green initiatives already taken and urging him to work closely with Ulster County’s non-motorized transportation plan to connect trails through the City, and to work with us in establishing bike racks, lanes and other amenities as more and more cities are doing.

May 31, 2008

Everyone is worried about the cost of commuting, powering our homes, even producing our food, as fuel prices skyrocket.   A tempting path is to trim gas taxes for short-term relief, cut strategic reserves, or find other ways to cut prices without addressing the true costs of fossil fuels.

Folks, we are trying a newer, easy-to-maintain format to get you news from SHV and the world of sustainability, with reports in this blog and emails to supporters when new news is posted.