[identity profile] turil.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] davis_square
I'm participating in a program to help nurture new leaders in social innovation, and this week we are covering the topic of urban resiliency, and maybe some of you folks can help me out gathering information.

Specifically, I'm looking for information (program names are fine links are great) on any programs in the city (government and/or NGOs) that are working to increase Somerville's independent ability to have enough:

Whole Food
Clean Water
Fresh Air
Warmth and Light (shelter, clothing, energy, etc.)
Outlets for human products (sewage, human power, CO2, etc.)

Right now we rely on other parts of the state and world for many of our basic needs, but that's obviously not a sustainable situation, as those sources could easily be cut off from us, especially if there were a disaster situation. So I'm curious as to how different groups are helping plan for Somerville's future in ways address these most crucial needs.

Also, if anyone participated in any of the Somervision planning groups, if you talked about any of these elements during the discussion, I'd love to hear about that, too.

I hope to have the article ready for Earth Day next week, and I'm planning on sending it into the Somerville Journal as a possible editorial, as well as offering it up here and other online communities.

For the record, I've already got info on the following groups:

Whole Food
- Groundwork Somerville http://www.groundworksomerville.org/
- Growing Center http://www.thegrowingcenter.org/
- Farmers Markets
- School gardens (run by Groundwork Somerville)
- Somerville Garden Club
- Shape Up Somerville http://www.somervillema.gov/Division.cfm?orgunit=SUS
- Somerville Community Gardens project http://www.somervillema.gov/Department.cfm?orgunit=CONSBD

Fresh Air
- Urban Forest Initiative http://www.somervillema.gov/section.cfm?org=PARKS&page=1239

Warmth and Light
- a whole slew of stuff at the Community Resources page at the city's website http://www.somervillema.gov/section.cfm?org=aging&page=1357

Date: 2010-04-15 04:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] boblothrope.livejournal.com
So what are you proposing, building a power plant on top of Winter Hill, and a sewage treatment plant in Magoun Square?

Date: 2010-04-15 04:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] balsamicdragon.livejournal.com
Relying on other parts of the state for our needs is part of the reality of living in a city. I could see being concerned about this on a state-wide level, but a small, highly populated city like Somerville has no real chance of being self-sufficient. There's nothing wrong with being inter-dependant with other parts of the state.

Date: 2010-04-15 05:04 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] motive-nuance.livejournal.com
This. Cities need to be good at being cities — trying to also be a survivalist compound is a waste of effort.

Date: 2010-04-15 05:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hrafn.livejournal.com
I don't think this is fundamentally any different than keeping extra batteries on hand for your flashlight. Or candles or a camp lantern or something. For when the power goes out and you don't happen to have your own generator because you're just not that hard-core.

Cities may not be able to be fully self-sufficient, but it seems to be that being able to provide basic services for people during a (hopefully only short-term) emergency situation is something cities should be able to do as part of being a city.

Date: 2010-04-15 04:53 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] closetalker11.livejournal.com
I'm not sure this is exactly what you're looking for, but at least one of the Somerville Public Schools is now a green building. Part of that involves using recycled materials throughout the building, and having the design of the building (skylights, window wells, good insulation) allow the school to use less heat, AC and artificial light.

There is more info here:
http://www.somerville.k12.ma.us/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectionid=85

Date: 2010-04-15 05:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hrafn.livejournal.com
The city's Environmental Services Guide (http://www.somervillema.gov/CoS_Content/documents/ESG-2010.pdf) says they are doing a rain barrel event on May 8, rain barrels being ordered in advance (by individuals) through this company: http://www.nerainbarrel.com/Store.html which also does discounts on composters. The city doesn't seem to have much else to say about rain water capture/use (though the rain barrel company does), but maybe it's buried somewhere in their terrible website. Rainwater runoff from roofs may not be the cleanest water, but I'd rather filter and boil rain water than random puddles off the street.

Date: 2010-04-15 05:55 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] masswich.livejournal.com
I think the Somerville Community Corporation (http://www.somervillecdc.org) is working on some of these issues, especially as they relate to equity and affordability.

Date: 2010-04-15 06:52 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] slinkr.livejournal.com
Very little of what's sold at Somerville farmers markets is actually grown in Somerville. The markets rely on farmers from outside the city.

Anything about solar?

Date: 2010-04-15 07:22 pm (UTC)

Date: 2010-04-16 04:41 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] notnatalie.livejournal.com
Somerville Climate Action
http://groups.google.com/group/somervilleclimateaction?pli=1
Some of their members have been doing Transition Town work, which is all about this stuff, from a "let's start preparing for climate change" perspective.

Date: 2010-04-16 08:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gruene.livejournal.com
I don't really see the point of all this.

Clearly there is a need for some disaster preparation, but it needs to be in the context of what disasters are likely and planning for specific events, not planning for Massachusetts to break a part and Somerville to drift into the sea.

You're confusing sustainability and self reliance. Making each community or worse yet each household self reliant is very inefficient and is not practical for our population density. On the other hand, having people live in dense urban areas is much more sustainable since it reduces the the amount of resources that need to be devoted to individual transportation and the distribution of goods and services.

Many of the resources you mention are certainly positive things, it's the overall goal that I question.

Preparing for the Rapture?

Date: 2010-04-17 02:34 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] litia2005.livejournal.com
You know, the unfortunate individuals who are left behind will need all the self-reliance they can come up with.

Re: Preparing for the Rapture?

Date: 2010-04-19 01:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] enochs-fable.livejournal.com
C'mon. You want to critique the reasons or assumptions behind the OP, go ahead. That might be a useful and productive discussion about the scope and limits of sustainability and interdependence. This is more like those drunk guys in that other post who can't hold it until they get to the privacy of their own bathroom.

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