Smart Urban Design: Grass-Lined Green Railways

Who says railway tracks have to be ugly? Some cities are showing the rest of the world that you can have public transportation and green space, in the same area. They look great, reduce the urban heat island effect, allow for more efficient stormwater drainage and reduce pollution. Inhabitat pulled together a collection of photos of these lovely examples of urban design, along with a great quote from Monocle Magazine:

“There’s something quite magical about watching trams in Barcelona, Strasbourg or Frankfurt glide silently along beds of grass as they do their city circuit. Where possible, this attractive combination of efficient public transport and inspired landscaping should be standard as part of the urban fabric.”

The photos show green rainways in places like Barcelona, Spain, St. Etienne, France and The Hague, Netherlands – but lest you think America doesn’t have any of its own, check out this photo (below) of a street car in New Orleans. Still, we could definitely use more (and more public transportation, period).

I rode the tram in Barcelona pictured in the top photo, and I can tell you that the grassy expanse definitely improves the looks of the road – especially considering how wide some of those roads can be.

Hopefully this grass doesn’t require too much maintenance, which would erase most of the benefits of doing this. Replace grass with low-maintenance, water-wise ground cover and you’ve really got a winning idea.

See more photos over at Inhabitat!

Link [Inhabitat] + [Monocle Magazine]

Great Green Job of the Week: Coastal Louisiana Organizer for the National Wildlife Federation

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) seeks an effective, dynamic individual to work with NWF’s Coastal Louisiana Restoration Project to help lead a grassroots outreach campaign in support of NWF’s issue agenda on Coastal Louisiana Restoration (including combating climate change), in New Orleans, and St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes, including MRGO, the Central Wetlands, and Violet Diversion.

The successful candidate will have strong communication, leadership, team building, and project management skills. This person will work under the Coastal Louisiana Senior Program Manager and Gulf States Regional Executive Director, as well as other local and regional staff. This person is part of a highly engaged team of NWF staff and other NGO partners working in campaign mode to push the envelope on rapid deployment of large-scale coastal restoration projects and a strong, environmentally sound plan for hurricane protection in coastal Louisiana.

This person will be responsible to:

• Work with outreach, program, and field staff to implement a strategic advocacy campaign focused on coastal restoration and hurricane protection in the New Orleans area including St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parish.
• Engage and collaborate with NWF partners and other organizations to influence public policy and decision makers.
• Work with NWF’s key constituencies with emphasis placed on hunters and anglers and other nontraditional constituencies.
• Develop, track and mentor volunteer leadership for involvement in NWF-related affiliate programs and NWF programs.
• Work with all types of grassroots tactics including: grassroots and grasstops engagement, earned and paid media, coalition building, local and national lobbying, and on the ground and online communication tools.
• Engage with agencies, scientists, and businesses, and other stakeholders
• Conduct trainings and workshops, and speak at events and conferences.
• Assist in securing funding from foundations, individual donors and coalition partners.
• Function as part of a larger team that includes NWF local, regional, and national staff, and staff from other NGO partners.

Position Type: Full-Time

Department: Conservation Programs

Salary Range: Based on Qualifications

Education: College degree required.

Required Skills:

• Minimum three years of successful job experience in political campaigns or nonprofit advocacy organizations required. Experience with / knowledge of Louisiana’s coastal restoration program and history a plus. Long term local residency preferred.
• Ability to organize volunteers and groups around a specific advocacy campaign.
• Ability to work strategically and as a team player; to be able to develop trusting relationships with hunters and anglers.
• Attention to detail and ability to multitask required
• Strong written and oral communication skills required
• Facility with all aspects of Microsoft Office required.
• Experience working with volunteer leadership preferred
• Experience with environmental advocacy and environmental issues preferred
• Excellent judgment to make quick decisions and rapidly respond to any question posed by members in the field.
• Experience working with diverse constituencies
• Ability to work effectively from home or an office location remote from other NWF staff.

Additional Skills:

Exceptional interpersonal skills are necessary to build and maintain the kind of relationships needed to succeed at this job. The Organizer must have the ability to organize volunteers and groups around a specific advocacy campaign. He or she must demonstrate the ability to work strategically and as a team player and be able to develop trusting relationships with a wide range of constituents. The person must possess strong writing and public speaking skills and exhibit knowledge and confidence without arrogance. The person must be able to use good judgment to make quick decisions and to respond rapidly to any questions posed by members in the field. Finally, preference will be given to those with strong computer skills, including experience with the world wide web, e-mail, list serves, Microsoft Word, and Excel.

Benefits: NWF offers an excellent benefits package. NWF is an equal opportunity employer committed to workplace diversity. Cover Letter and Resume are required.

Apply Now

To begin the application process, please log-in at the Treehugger Jobs Board to send your cover letter and resume.

Brad Pitt’s Make it Right Foundation Builds Eco-Friendly Playground in New Orleans

Kids in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans now have a safe and healthy place to play thanks to a collaboration between Brad Pitt’s Make it Right Foundation and the Play Green Initiative. On Wednesday, Make it Right’s 1-year anniversary, the playground was dedicated to the children of the neighborhood. Since Hurricane Katrina caused catastrophic damage to the Lower Ninth Ward in 2005, not a single playground had been built. This new, $500,000 eco-friendly playground was made possible thanks largely to donations of equipment, landscaping and labor.

From Market Watch:

BNIM, a national leader in sustainable design and also one of 12 design firms for the Make it Right Project, designed the overall site, and JWA, a New Orleans architectural firm, served as a local collaborator. Both the equipment and the site are designed using sustainable methods and materials that minimize the impact on the environment while providing exceptional play value and a quality community gathering place. The play space will be constructed in an environmentally sustainable way, using local suppliers, native plantings, and natural means to control water flow, thereby reducing pollution, runoff, and other problems associated with asphalt and more traditional playground design. The playground equipment is constructed using sustainable methods including the use of non-toxic, recyclable and environmentally friendly materials. Solar energy will also be used to power the electronic components on the new equipment.

Thanks to this project, the Lower Ninth Ward is now home to the greenest, most technologically advanced playground in the country – in fact, it’s the first of its kind in North America. Considering all they’ve been through, the families of the Lower Ninth Ward really deserve this.

The Make it Right Foundation’s efforts in New Orleans are really remarkable. It makes so much sense to rebuild in a green way after a natural disaster, and the things they’re doing in the city are worthy of all the praise they get. Check out the rest of their efforts at Make it Right New Orleans.

Link [Market Watch] + [Make it Right]

Accidental Planet Killing: So, These New Orleans Wetlands Actually ARE Good for Something…

Eco-Chick.com happened upon a very interesting old news article on the New York Times website. The self-congratulatory article, published in 1910 and titled “NEW ORLEANS’S PLANS FOR GREAT SUBURBS; Over a Million Acres of Marsh-Land Within Its Limits to be So Converted”, tells of plans to ‘reclaim’ this ‘unproductive’ land for use as gardens, homes, hamlets and towns.

The article proclaims the benefits of draining this land, including fewer alligators lurking around and less room for mosquitoes to breed. They even went so far as to promise better views from your car window driving into the city – because, you know, concrete is so much more beautiful than marsh lands.

Eco-Chick notes that the destruction of these wetlands may well have had something to do with the damage New Orleans suffered at the hands of Hurricane Katrina, considering that wetlands help protect the mainland against storm surges. They dug up this quote from the NOAA:

Low lying coastal areas in and around the Gulf Coast have always been susceptible to storm surge from hurricanes, but the situation has worsened over time as protective coastal wetlands have disappeared due to land subsidence and human intervention.

It’s just another example of how ‘progress’ has damaged the earth. We are sold so many bottles of snake oil for ‘the good of mankind’.

Link [Eco-Chick] + [New York Times]

Photo credit: Flickr user Prince Roy