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Background for the Sustainable Lansing Community ForumReleased May 4, 1999 A sustainable community meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Thus it aims at long term cultural, economic and environmental health and vitality. Sustainable development can secure a community's future by creating good jobs, improving the environment and quality of life, saving money, strengthening the economy, and building trust. To place sustainability in the forefront of community decision making, the forum will bring together a diverse group of people to begin a dialogue on what we want Lansing to be like in 50 years. This is an opportunity to redefine progress and take charge of the direction we want to go. It is not an attempt to push a particular agenda or create conflict over growth vs. environmental protection. Rather, it aims to give ordinary people a voice in the process of development, start a conversation, and help all concerned to define quality of life for themselves. Endorsed by dozens of local groups, including the cities of Lansing and East Lansing, the forum will highlight connections among economic, community and environmental concerns. Our overall well-being depends on how things fit together. A good environment, healthy people, trust in the community, a strong economy, solid education - all depend on each other. Join with us to help shape an integrated vision of a diverse, healthy, self-reliant, open, productive, and sustainable community in the decades to come. What is sustainability? Sustainable means. . .living off of income not capital. Living off capital is like burning pieces of your house to stay warm in the winter. Living off income means using things up only as fast as they are replenished, either by nature or by normal practices, such as going to work to earn pay, or producing new paper from recycled stocks or from timber harvested at a sustainable rate. There are three types of community capital - the natural capital of the environment, human or social capital, and economic capital. The natural capital of the environment is all the things that nature provides for us, such as raw materials to make clothing, buildings, and food. It also includes the amenities or services that nature provides such as air to breathe, protection from ultraviolet light, rain to water our crops, and wetlands to filter water and prevent flooding. Human and social capital include the people that make up a community and their education, skills, and health. Another important part of human capital is the connections among people, the way people work together to solve problems or run a community. It includes volunteer efforts and the community’s governing structure. Economic capital includes built structures like roads, bridges, and buildings in the community. It also includes manufactured goods, information resources, and the net worth or monetary assets of the community and its members. A sustainable community is one that nurtures all its capital so that the community continues to improve. The community lives off the interest of its community capital instead of using up that capital. All three types of capital are equally important. They need to be balanced and managed carefully to ensure that the community does not deteriorate. So sustainability is not only about the environment, it is as much about our communities and economic systems - how each sector and all the members of the community can flourish through each new generation. Back to Sustainable Lansing Home Page Energy and WaterHow we obtain our energy and water in Michigan, and how efficiently or inefficiently we use them, illustrate several contrasts that deeply affect sustainability. Renewable Vs Non-RenewableAll of our fresh water comes from renewable sources. Here in Michigan they are plentiful. But if we allow them to become contaminated with harmful substances, then our water sources cease to be renewable, or are renewable only on a much larger time scale. Contaminating fresh water supplies is one way our natural capital can be degraded. Nearly all of our energy supplies, on the other hand, come from fossil fuels and most from outside the State. So our energy sources are mostly non-renewable - everyday we are burning up a portion of the world’s remaining stocks of fossil fuels. Multiplier EffectThe dollars we spend to obtain and use energy and water can do more or less good for the local economy. If the dollars stay in the local area and stimulate more buying and selling then they do more to help the local economy. This is called a “multiplier effect.” In other words, the dollars stay in the local economy longer to buy other types of local goods and services. That increases local business and supports jobs. A conservative estimate is that each retained dollar produces about $3 in multiplier benefits. Not all the money we spend leads to a multiplier effect. When we buy imported items, for example, the money spent leaves the local economy, possibly for good. In many communities, the first issue of wealth is not so much our ability to acquire new capital. It’s to keep our existing capital from leaking away at a dangerous rate. On average in the U.S. 70-80 cents of every energy dollar immediately exits the local economy. What sort of energy bill do we have here in Michigan? How much of our wealth leaks away through energy expenditures? Michigan's Energy BillIn 1994, the latest year for which data is available, Michigan spent a total of 17.8 billion dollars on energy -- nearly $2000/person and 10% of Gross State Product. The largest share, $7.3 billion, was for petroleum and most of that was for gasoline to drive our vehicles. The next largest share was for electricity, $6.4 billion. To fuel the power plants that made the electricity, we spent one billion on coal. The same year we spent 3.9 billion on natural gas, almost half of which was to heat homes. The total transportation bill in Michigan in 1994 was over $5 billion. For energy used in buildings, both residential and commercial, we spent over $8 billion. All of the money we spent on coal and most of the money spent on oil or natural gas left the state immediately. Local Government Energy BillThe same leakage applies to local governments, too. There are 78,000 state and local governments in the U.S. These local governments spend $30 billion a year on energy. Half of them are not taking advantage of economic, off-the-shelf energy efficiency technologies. Plugging LeaksIn the case of both water and energy use we can make supplies go farther, save money and improve the local economy by plugging leaks. Many readily available efficiency measures - low-flow shower heads, attic or roof insulation, new compact fluorescent light bulbs - will pay for themselves in a few years or even a few months by saving energy dollars. Cost effective improvements in energy and water use can...
These facts suggest that one of the easiest and most readily available things we can do for local wealth is to plug the leaks in our neighborhoods. Local governments can save 10% yearly through good energy technologies. That amounts to $3 billion and it is a conservative estimate. Saving 30% on energy bills is feasible. That’s a lot of tax savings. In 1994 for each person in Michigan we spent about $1,850 on energy and water use. That’s about $1,000 less than we were spending 20 years earlier. But it is still nearly $800 more than we would need to spend if we implemented available, cost-effective measures. And each $800 saved in this way would produce a $2,400 stimulus for the local economy! Transportation and SprawlMost American cities today have become the victims of sprawl. Since 1970 population density has dropped by more than 1/5, while the number of people has risen more than 1/5. Miles driven have more than doubled and we’ve acquired more than two cars for every new person. Costs of SprawlSprawl is inefficient and costly. In the U.S. traffic congestion causes $100 billion each year in lost productivity. The average worker spends 9 hours a week in a car. Those who can’t afford to own and operate cars often are cut off from educational, job, civic and recreational opportunities. In Oregon, public facilities and services costs $25,000 per home in new subdivisions. But developers pay only a fraction of those costs - $2,000-$6,000 per home. Is Sprawl Subsidized in the Lansing Area?The Lansing Chamber of Commerce has found that the cost of public services has been increasing, while the population of the City of Lansing has been decreasing. This could be the result of sprawl, and as in Oregon it could be subsidized sprawl. When the cost of sprawl is subsidized, that means we all pay more in taxes. So it’s important to find out and to see what we can do to reduce or reverse the trends. Why Be Sustainable?There are many good reasons to be sustainable. Sustainable development. . .
Sustainable development affects many features of our communities simultaneously. For this reason, the same activity or project can produce many different benefits that support or grow off of each other. Here are three examples of ways other communities have tapped the multiple benefits of sustainable development. Creates jobsIn Austin, Texas, the city operates a “Green Builder Program.” This program has joined forces with the American Learning Institute to employ kids who have been in trouble with the law. It trains them to build homes for low-income families. But these aren’t just any homes. They are very energy efficient, because they make use of passive solar heating and water-conserving devices. That means the families who inhabit them will pay less money for energy and utilities, and it means that money that used to pay for energy will now stay longer in the local economy, creating jobs. It also means that these homes will be responsible for less of the air pollution that comes from power plants. You can see that the Austin program hits three different targets. It improves the economy by providing job skills to at-risk youth and by increasing the cash flow of low-income families. It improves the environment by reducing energy-related air-pollution. And it improves quality of life by giving kids a better future and giving low-income families affordable housing. Saves MoneySustainable development improves the local economy by saving money, not only for homeowners, but also for taxpayers. The City of Portland resolved several years ago that it would use energy efficiency technologies to save at least $1 million each year in city buildings. Today, Portland has reached that goal. In fact, it is now saving more than $1.2 million each year with simple energy efficiency measures. Obviously, this makes taxpayers happy. It retards the growth of tax levies. It frees public funds to be used for more important purposes. Improves the EnvironmentIn regard to improving the environment, Chattanooga, Tennessee, provides a great example. In 1969, the federal government declared that Chattanooga was the dirtiest city in the United States. The air pollution from its factories was so bad that drivers had to turn on their headlights at noon on many days. Chattanooga has come a long way in improving its environment and quality of life. Among other things, it has become well known for its 35-mile system of hiking and biking trails. These trails are providing a new transportation option to people all around the city, including low-income families who may not be able to afford automobiles. The trails link parts of the city that were disconnected in the past. For example, it has restored the city’s historic relationship with the Tennessee River, which had been interrupted for years by railroad yards and industrial sites that hindered public access to the waterway. Chattanooga’s trails have become a new artery of life. You’ll find people on them late into the night, every night. Restaurants, art galleries and coffee stands are developing along them. A simple trail system is producing economic, environmental and social benefits Seminar on Local Indicator Work in ProgressHosted by the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission and Urban Options At a seminar last Fall, work in progress by various local groups was described. Included were:
Land UseOn issues of land use, the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission found that during the last 16 years in the three counties (Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton) population growth has dramatically slowed down. Yet loss of farmland and open space has accelerated during the same period. The number of people per household has decreased, while more people have left the urban centers and moved out to the suburbs and beyond. The Lansing Chamber of Commerce has noticed that the cost of public services has been increasing, while the population of Lansing has been decreasing. Along with the Planning Commission’s results this suggests a need to examine the costs and effects of sprawl in this area more fully. HealthIngham County’s Environmental Health Program is now in the process of assessing the environmental health status of Ingham County. It will identify major environmental health problems, assets, and influences and try to develop, through a community-based process, goals and strategies to achieve the highest level of environmental health possible for residents. Health information will be made available in usable, easily accessible forms so that community members can influence policy changes to improve community health and increase access to health care. Education and Children’s Well Being“Kid’s Count” - a project of the Michigan League for Human Services - found that “child well-being declined overall between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s, with 13 of 19 key indicators worsening.” Studying the Allen School District on the East side of Lansing, the Community Education Research Center found that children whose home has been moved three or more times during their elementary school years are very likely to perform worse in school. To help remedy the problem they worked with the school system to develop the Housing Ambassadors Project. It advises community development agencies on the best housing acquisitions to make, based on how long previous residents have stayed in the home as well as the building’s structural soundness. Send e-mail to: Information@UrbanOptions.org or shepard@msu.edu Home/History/Principles/Forum/Partners/Posters/Indicators/Links © 2004 Urban Options, Inc. All rights reserved |