Michael Shuman's Small Group Discussion

The session was principally oriented on discussing and clarifying some suggestions Michael Shuman made of things for communities to do in the next year. The basic idea was to move a local community toward self-reliance and away from depending on things that are outside the community and possibly unstable - dependencies on things that are here today and perhaps gone tomorrow.
1. The first task might be to find out who is socially and environmentally responsible in the community. Shuman suggested finding those local companies who fit that description and also a way of rewarding and recognizing them. For example, the community could develop a Seal of Service award to be posted in stores, restaurants, and factories, if they meet a set of criteria proposed by the community. These businesses are the stars of the community, and models for new business to go in the right direction.

2. Develop a set of indicators which describe the local community, such as voter participation and volunteering, etc. Measurement is important.

3. Do an analysis of the local assets which would be useful for local business creation. This would consist of such positive assets as land, labor skills, technology, and capital (such as banks, etc). He would also include negative assets such as the number of unemployed people, the presence of brownfields, pension funds which may not be in local banks, etc. It was pointed out that "negative assets" sometimes can be made into positive assets. For example, brownfields can be potential places for new business structures.

4. Assess imports into the local economy. Where does the energy come from? Also, are there any local sources of energy that could substitute for external inputs into the community. Along the same lines, find out if the local community is granting subsidies to outsiders to come into the local community. Shuman mentioned the City of Lansing's effort to keep GM in our area. Other forms of subsidy to look for are grants, loans, tax exempt bonds, and free trips to outside places by local politicians.

At this point, someone asked him to define exactly what he means by the term "local." He said that the term would be defined differently in large metropolitan areas than in small towns. It is the smallest unit which makes sense in the context which it is used. He made the point that each local unit should attempt to be as self-reliant as possible under the circumstances it finds itself. One of the participant's argued that there are some problems with being too independent. For example, much of urban sprawl is caused by the lack of cooperation between townships and cities on common problems. Shuman acknowledged that this form of localism can lead to regional problems. However, he said that one can strive for self-reliance and still be friendly to other local communities so that regional cooperation is possible. Currently, what is called "regional cooperation" is often nothing but hot air.

Shuman then lead a discussion about how locally owned business might be able to survive in a world of globalization. For example, one way to promote local control of business is with the use of community stock. The Green Bay Packers team is owned by such a system. The Packers will never leave Green Bay to go elsewhere, if game attendance goes down for a few years. There was a question or two about the practical aspects of using a community stock system to stabilize local business enterprise. Shuman then talked about the advantages of having a system of local currency. Coupons are a form of local currency, for example. Those can be traded in for goods and services. The legal aspects of local currency may vary from state to state.

Someone from a small town near Lansing wanted to know where does one start in going local. We discussed the idea of a bandwagon effect. If one started giving Seals of Service Awards and this caught on, then it would be easy to go to the next step and assess inputs and outputs, for example. The bandwagon effect works within communities and also across communities when they hear about successes. Another suggestion for a starting point was to develop a system of exchanging goods, skills and services, such as a skill exchange cooperative. With respect to inputs of foods, one might work with the local farmers and promote farmers' markets. This might help to eliminate high shipping expenses, while increasing the quality of the food that is brought into the community.

The last point which came up in the discussion was that people have to have faith and confidence in themselves to go local. A number of people at this session wanted to find ways of getting information about how to become more self-reliant. That sort of information is available locally through such institutional sources as Urban Options and M.S.U.'s Center For Urban Affairs. For example, the Center has developed a way of working with local citizens to measure all the money flowing into the local community and all the money which flows out of the community to companies and non-local government agencies. The Center has a manual for this process, and the whole accounting system can be run on a structured spreadsheet set up by the Center.

The discussion ended with a reminder to network with people who have the information and resources to help to sustain the local economy. One can start small and still do most of the things Michael Shuman suggested for the next year. They will put the community on its way to sustaining the local economy and becoming a much better place to live.

Small Group Discussion - Intentional Community

The Intentional Community Breakout Group consisted of about five people from the Lansing and Jackson areas. The focus was on developing communities in an intentional fashion -- the community determines how the community would like to be and takes the steps necessary to make that intention a reality. The following steps were identified by the group:

1. Recognize resources - people, spiritual, community groups, government, business, buildings, open spaces, etc.
2. Optimize diversity - by empowering all people in community, unique solutions can be found.
3. Break down barriers to shared understanding - communication, status, race, etc.
4. Set goals - determine what form the community will take and what steps are necessary to get there.
5. Implement steps and nurture community relationships to maintain momentum.

The group strongly felt that to create a community, a sense of community had to be created.

An Intentional Community Group is forming in Southern Michigan. People from the Ann Arbor, Lansing and Jackson areas have begun exploring the possibility of establishing intentional communities in Southern Michigan. Some want to establish a rural community in between the three cities, others want an urban community in Lansing. This group is just beginning to have regular meetings to set priorities and begin the planning process. Regular meetings are in Ann Arbor on the 1st & 3rd Tuesday evenings beginning June 15th. The group shares the concepts of limited financial investment, shared resources, mutually supportive community, enhanced personal development, and sustainable development using earth friendly techniques. During the last 30 years models for successful communities have been developed that help to assure success. A shared e-mail box has been set up to share news and views. E-mail: coho2@umich.edu or if you don't have e-mail, call Rob Milton in the Lansing area at 517-339-4391.

Small Group Discussion -
The Concept of Sustainable Development: From Global to Local

In the session, a general definition of sustainable development was suggested. The definition presented was that of the United Nations' World Commission on Environment and Development (the Bruntland Commission). It states that sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present generation without jeopardizing the prospects of future generations for meeting their own needs. Sustainable development suggests that the environmental, social, and economic realms of a community are interconnected. It also implies a sense of intergenerational equity.

Nation states have been attempting to develop national sustainable development plans, often in response to the 1992 Earth Summit. Local communities are also looking at sustainable development, reviewing national and global agendas, and adopting their own versions of sustainable development plans. The Sustainable Lansing Community Forum is an example of the last sort of effort to clarify what local sustainable development would look like.

In the small group discussion, the idea of values and environmental ethics was integral. Participants suggested that Eastern Metaphysical Philosophies share some similarities with the sustainable development concept. As sustainable development offers alternative ways to consider our relationship to the environment, Eastern Philosophies offer alternative ethical guidelines for humanity's relationship with nature.

The discussion concluded that the main challenge facing a sustainable Lansing may be in how we perceive our relationship to the environment. If one sees themselves not as separate from the environment but part of a larger whole, they may be guided by values and choose actions that lead to a more sustainable community.

Small Group Discussion - Solid Waste Reduction

INDICATORS AND ASSESSMENT

• Inventory local waste practices
• Assess local big waste producers and practices:
• Recycling participation rates
• Assess local scrap recycling
• Assess product life cycles
• Inventory opportunities geographically? export - import?

Quantities land filled

Where do we get the base data? (Note: At the reporting session for the whole forum, Jon Coleman pointed out that Ingham County is in the process now of developing and approving a new solid waste management plan, and thus the data should be available from the County. This may be true of all three counties in our area, and should be checked.)
• Review existing studies that have already been done, and then use triage techniques to figure out what actions to take to try to make a difference.
• Who wants to go green? civic groups, government, business?
• Work with already-participating groups
• Combine with an educational component

Organizations and Resources

• Tri-County Regional Association
• Ingham County, Eaton County, Clinton County, cities of Lansing & East Lansing - Solid Waste & Recycling Offices.
• Local waste management companies (perhaps especially including those that are locally owned).

REDUCE WASTE SUPPLY

Actions for education and program designs

• Make programs really easy to participate in
• Encourage company self-assessments of product life-cycles
• Encourage more participation in recycling programs
• Adding more materials to recycled ones
• Elementary school education
• Garbage pick-up - put stock-piled materials into waste stream for processing (amnesty day, low-income, other incentives)
• Hazardous waste day - more accessible. Connect with other events. Are white goods going to recycling? freon recycling - what are the hazards?
• Remove barriers of resistance. Make it harder to throw things away.
• City pays for advertising campaign. Link to city garbage services.
• Strong enforcement for illegal dumping. Utilize use of Internet complaint service, similar to police departments; advertise ability to complain.
• Advertise code compliance (junk cars, etc.)
• Include yard waste in efforts

Other issues for Waste Reduction Consideration

• Explore how we can reduce the negative impacts of solid waste.
• Could our area support a local paper mill? Small paper mills are starting to locate near population centers, so they can take advantage of the ready availability of quantities of recyclable paper.

DEMAND FOR MATERIAL REUSE

• Create more local demand for recycled products
• Make people more aware of options to buy recycled products. Make them more visible.
• City and local governments should purchase and use recycled products. In purchasing, incorporate recycled materials as the default selection or standard option, and make it a special request to buy products made with virgin materials.
• Make recycled products more economical.
• Educate and advertise about products.
• Expand on local businesses that already recycle some plastic materials.
• Are there new plastic products that could be produced locally using recycled plastics?
• To what extent is it possible to have local packaging options that reduce waste by making containers more easily reusable and then recyclable?
• Could a county-wide or regional waste exchange help find good reuses for small quantities of materials? Could there be a local Internet "garage sale" system to help with this?
• Demolition companies can learn to salvage as much as possible from each demolition job.
• Advertise groups other than local governments who pick up or accept various materials (city churches, Volunteers of America, Goodwill, etc.).
• Office furniture remanufacturing. What is already going on locally? Can this be expanded?
• Encourage local industries to adopt pollution prevention strategies and to use a local Internet waste exchange.
• Encourage programs such as the Natural Step, industrial ecology.
• Purchasing agents need a local "green pages" like the National Green Pages put out by Coop America.
• Tree free paper & products. What are the opportunities here using indigenous species?
• New uses for straw? How much is in the local area?
• "Carbohydrate Economy" - this newsletter is a great source of new ideas for purchasing, new business ventures, etc.
• Greenhouses? farmers markets? How can waste be reduced by working more with local food production? What happens with biodegradable wastes? Can more be recycled into nutrients that go back into the soil?
• Cable TV company and rights of way. Whose responsibility is it to clean up waste materials that are in the community rights of way? We just returned many pounds of old TV cable to the company for them to dispose. They left it hanging from our city's poles when they redid the cable TV service for the neighborhood. Is this the tip of an iceberg of "waste" that is stored on our poles? Whose responsibility is it to inventory what's there and remove it and dispose of it properly (e.g. recycle it, as much as possible).
• Local circles of supply & demand. How can better industrial ecology be promoted, so that waste materials from one process are used as inputs for another?
• Could there be a localized waste exchange?
• How can the Internet be used to better facilitate the utilization of local resources of all kinds, "wastes" included. There has been a great deal of emphasis in recent years on all the ways the Internet can be used to create global business opportunities, and little by comparison in the way of information on how the Internet can be used for local purposes. This is a rich untapped resource in the Lansing area.

Small Group Discussion - Green Space

Imagine for a moment that we could watch a 10 minute time lapse film of the Lansing area. Our movie would track the changes of the last 100,000 years, and would show a landscape dominated by glaciers. The first nine minutes would be various shades of a gray snow and ice. The glaciers descend and recede, and in our time lapse film they might look like a frozen tide covering some piece of shoreline. As the last minute starts the glaciers exit, and the earth explodes with a succession of grasses, coniferous, and deciduous trees. Many species of plants, animals, and fungi flourish in the last minute of our film. In the last seconds, these trees are cut down and the land is plowed under and paved over as one species comes to dominate the landscape.

Most of the participants at the Sustainable Lansing Community Forum would agree that for any urban area to have a high quality of life for all of its people it must have green spaces. There are several ways that green spaces are valued by people. They function as places where people can go to "escape" the city and reduce their stress level. They provide valuable environmental services such as flood control, temperature moderation, and water table maintenance. The importance that green space plays in the quality of non-human life is also vital. If you walk through even the smallest city park with a naturalist's eye, you will be amazed at the diversity of life contained within the park. So, in general terms, it is relatively easy to form a consensus that values green space.

The problem is the definition of green space. Is it owned publicly or privately? Does it have to be forested, or do grassy parks count? Can green space be agricultural? What about community gardens? Should green space contain only native plants? Is green space more valuable when it is designed for people or wildlife? Can we define green space as any space that is not paved over? Or does this broad definition prevent us from differentiating between a softball field and a forested area? In order to protect green space we need to define the different categories that have value, either to people, wildlife, or the environment. After definitions are agreed upon, the existing green space in the area can be identified, protected, and expanded.

If we agree on the broad definition of green space as unpaved surfaces, we can align the protection of green space with advocates for the reduction of our reliance on the automobile as the primary means of transportation. There are many indicators of walkability and bikeability for a given area, and there seems to be value in performing a bikeable/walkable community audit. Transportation issues are entangled in green space issues because most of the paved surfaces in Lansing are roadways or parking lots, and these illustrate the dominant position of the automobile in our culture. A good starting point might be to agree that for Lansing to reach sustainability we must agree to build no new roads. Roads and green space are at opposite ends of the spectrum for how people live with nature. Roads are the mark we leave on the land, and at some point in any sustainable future we must stop paving over the earth. If we do not, we will have replaced the glaciers of snow and ice with glaciers of concrete and asphalt, and the landscape of Lansing will return to being a lifeless monotony of gray.

Note to the forum participants

The summaries above have been edited from the submissions of the group representatives who reported back for each small group discussion. We thank them warmly for their work and contributions in getting this material up on the web site. However, we will regard the information posted here as drafts, at least for the time being. They are not necessarily complete or fully accurate renditions of what happened in each of the groups. We especially encourage and welcome any comments, suggestions, amendments, or additions from any of the participants in the small groups. You can email comments to the addresses below. When there has been adequate time for comments and corrections, a revised version of the summaries will be posted here in place of the present draft. Hopefully, in this way the final version will represent a consensus of each small group on what happened, what conclusions were reached, etc. The Green Team thanks each of you for your continued participation and support.
-- Phil Shepard, web editor
    6/25/99

Send e-mail to: Information@UrbanOptions.org or shepard@msu.edu

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