“It’s gratifying to be recognized for our stellar work in environmentally responsible design,” said Mark Wight, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in the company’s press release. “Each of these projects posed a different challenge, all of which were met through a team effort with our clients and partners.”

As a member of government or as an educator you can work with people within your community without having to re-invent the wheel. The process is already formed and the specific actions are determined by the individual communities.

According to the Transition US website, the stages for Transition initiatives are:
The Initial Stage: typically, a group of people start to meet each other, start to discuss the Transition concept, and begin the process of enthusing each other to initiate the process.
At this stage you have an opportunity to reach out to community leaders who are interested in sustainability.

The ‘Mulling’ Stage: contact is made with Transition US and the individuals or groups read the Transition Handbook, download the Transition Primer, and let us know of their ‘mulling’ status.
This is a great stage to listen to the concerns of people in your community and give them a chance to “lead” the government.

Formal Transition Initiative: the ‘mulling’ stage can last for a few weeks or for many months, depending on the group. In order to proceed to formal status, the group completes a declaration of intention, which lists the guidelines and asks for information about the initiative, as well as checking that the initiatives in the best possible position to proceed successfully. Many initiatives have told us that they cherish their formal status, and are very proud of having reached that point.
This stage provides the opportunity to mesh citizen and government priorities.

Transition US provides training, resources and events. The website has a 12 step process to transition and even has answers to the 7 “buts”.

The next training is in Ashland, OR on August 16. Trainings in October include Los Angeles and Monterey, California.

The President is a fan of high-speed rail. In June 2008, noting that engineers in China were developing a 300-mph train, he told the U.S. Conference of Mayors, “I don’t want to see the fastest train in the world built halfway around the world in Shanghai. I want to see it built right here in the United States of America.”
The U.S. currently has just one high-speed rail system – the Amtrak Acela Express system that connects Boston to Washington, D.C., via New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Acela trains average 68 miles per hour but do reach 150 mph during the trip.
Internationally, trains are considered “high-speed rail” if they reach 125 mph. But the FRA defines express, regional and emerging high-speed rail as three separate entities.
• High-Speed Rail – Express: Frequent, express service between major population centers 200–600 miles apart with intermediate stops. With top speeds of at least 150 mph, these systems are intended to relieve air and highway capacity constraints.
• High-Speed Rail – Regional: Relatively frequent service between major and moderate population centers 100–500 miles apart with some intermediate stops. Top speeds of 110-150 mph, grade-separated, with some dedicated and some shared track. These systems are designed to relieve highway and, to some extent, air capacity constraints.
• Emerging High-Speed Rail: Developing corridors of 100–500 miles with strong potential for future Regional and/or Express service. Top speeds of 90-110 mph on primarily shared track (eventually using positive train control technology) with advanced grade crossing protection or separation. Intended to develop the passenger rail market and provide some relief to other modes.

In April, the FRA released it’s a plan for development of high-speed rail in the U.S., identifying 10 corridors as potential funding targets.
• Northern New England Corridor—Boston, Portland/Auburn, Maine; Montreal, Canada; Springfield, Mass.; and New Haven, Conn.;
• California Corridor—Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego;
• Pacfic Northwest Corridor—Eugene and Portland, Ore.; and Seattle and Vancouver, Wash.;
• South Central Corridor—Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okla.; Little Rock, Ark.; and Dallas and San Antonio, Texas;
• Gulf Coast Corridor—Houston, New Orleans and Mobile, Ala.;
• Chicago Hub Corridor—Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Kansas City and St. Louis, Mo.; Louisville, Ky.; Milwaukee and Minneapolis/St. Paul;
• Florida Corridor—Tampa, Orlando and Miami;
• Southeast Corridor—Richmond, Va.; Raleigh and Charlotte, N.C.; Columbia, S.C.; Atlanta; and Jacksonville, Fla.;
• Keystone Corridor—Pittsburgh, Philadelphia; and
• Empire Corridor—Buffalo and Albany, N.Y.
On June 17, the FRA issued interim guidance to applicants covering grant terms, conditions and procedures until final regulations are issued. The agency will evaluate grant proposals for their ability to make trips quicker and more convenient, reduce congestion on highways and at airports, and meet other environmental, energy and safety goals. The FRA plans to begin awarding grants in mid-September.

The village has made becoming the country’s first zero carbon emissions community its goal, according to a piece by Sarah Mukherjee, environment correspondent for BBC News. It all started when Garry Charnock, a local resident, attended a literary festival where he heard the government’s former chief scientific adviser, Sir David King, talking about the need for action on climate change. “I came away wondering how I could make a difference,” he told the reporter. “And I realized that the little things, switching off lights, turning down your thermostat, that sort of thing, could make a big change overall if you did it at a community level.”
Charnock pulled Roy Alexander, another villager who is also professor of environmental sustainability at the University of Chester, on board, and the idea took off. Now, by doing the easy things like turning down the thermostat, the village has reduced its energy consumption by 23 percent. Charnock and Alexander even convinced the skeptical owner of the local pub to pitch in, telling him he could save as much as £250 by turning off his cooker in the mornings and keeping the beer outdoors rather than running the cooler in the winter.
Now the village is home to solar panels, wind turbines and other sources of alternative energy. And residents have successfully lobbied for a path linking the school, the railways and other communities to encourage walking. But the biggest plus to come out of the whole endeavor was the sense of community the project inspired. “I’ve lived in the village for 25 years, and I’ve met people I’ve never met before as a result of the project,” Lynn May, a local businesswoman, told the BBC.

Montana State University in Bozeman is employing roof tiles that include 80 percent recycled content to put the lid on its Zero Energy House Project. The house, a project of the university’s Extension Housing and Environmental Health Program, is designed to educate builders, architects, engineers, homeowners, students and the general public about resource efficiency.

The Majestic Slate tiles were donated to the project by EcoStar, a Carlisle, Pa.-based division of Carlisle SynTec and a leading manufacturer of sustainable, environmentally friendly steep-slope roofing products. The tiles are made from 80 percent recycled materials and contain little to no inorganic filler material.

“We were excited about the roofing tiles because they are made from recycled materials,” Project Coordinator Jennifer Grossenbacher explained. “We hope to show people that using building products that rely less on natural resources can cost less than traditional building approaches.”

The tiles will be featured on the renovated, World War II-era, Family and Graduate Housing home that showcases practical and financially feasible ways for homeowners and builders to conserve energy and water while saving money and building a healthier home at the same time. In addition, the project will serve as a regional link to credible and sustainable national building information, research, technologies, resources, demonstration and technical/training support for the housing industry.

Billings, Mt.-based MacArthur Company supplied the nails and underlayments necessary for a long-lasting roof. Timmer Roofing of Bozeman is donating labor to install the roofing tiles.

Majestic Slate tiles are half the weight of traditional slate, yet offer superior durability and long-term protection backed by a 50-year Gold Star Warranty.

What do you find as the first level of “position statements” for communities who are going green?

Don Voigt,
Port Washington, WI

What’s your advice?

You are invited to participate. Here’s a map of all the events. Click to read the article in full.