tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88482465447329700912024-02-19T07:12:48.499-08:00BikesBarnsFarmsa digest for Sustainable Community DevelopmentElsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-85905570852524356672012-01-12T21:28:00.000-08:002012-01-12T21:28:19.559-08:00B Corporations: Driving a New Ecology of Commerce<!--StartFragment-->
There’s a growing buzz with a new kind of business - Benefit Corporations! building better business, social enterprise and corporate policy
Benefit Corporations (a.k.a. B Corps) are leaders in a new type of commerce that uses business as a leverage to solve social and environmental problems. B Corp, bottom-line, is about changing or rather growing corporate law, Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-62594804235462734842011-09-09T07:57:00.000-07:002011-09-09T07:57:23.894-07:00the CLEAN movementA case for community-based energy generation
After one electrical worker singly knocks out electricity to 930,000 users in Arizona, Southern California and Mexico by removing one piece of monitoring equipment - how can we not question centralized energy generation? Read more about this recent power outage event, here.
How is our current mainstream system of centralized energy Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-85934426530859414312011-03-05T10:46:00.000-08:002011-03-05T11:43:24.289-08:00Developing a Food Policy CouncilEveryone eats! And sadly, on average, most communities do not have access to the most healthy and locally produced food. Some communities are actually 'food deserts' where there is no access to locally grown produce or even shipped in healthy food.If there is one aspect critical to community development, it would be access to healthy local food and water. By establishing a food policy council in Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-84916523789165490852011-02-10T10:23:00.000-08:002011-02-10T10:37:32.823-08:00Reaping local benefitsWe all know that we're in a time of economic strife- nationally and locally. A lot of us are wondering, "How can we turn this around and how can I earn a living?" and moreover, "How can I earn a living while also doing something I am passionate about in my community?" How do communities encourage economic recovery that encompasses community and environment, and strives to encourage and Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-13989686537887396592011-01-03T13:11:00.000-08:002011-01-03T13:21:14.177-08:00Top 10 Green Resolutions for 2011<!--StartFragment--> Tis the season to look back on our past year and look ahead to an even greater year. Wanting to make your 2011 even better than 2010? Maybe think about incorporating more healthy and money saving habits into your 2011 resolutions... and also more sustainable. Here's my top ten resolutions. 1) Shop and eat local. Pick seasonal and local fruits and vegetables. Do some researchElsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-6656782325295136742010-12-13T10:58:00.000-08:002010-12-13T11:06:56.003-08:00Designing Local CurrencyI heard an interesting story on National Public Radio the other morning driving to work about Anthropologists studying an "Island of Stone Money." The tiny Pacific island of Yap provides an interesting look at what 'money' can really look like.Yap islanders today use dollar currency, but hundreds of years ago the islanders made huge limestone discs their local currency. Like many other developingElsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-45677253185442254292010-11-21T17:12:00.000-08:002010-11-22T08:30:04.296-08:00Communicating Community ValuesHuman Needs and Finding the Right Words People and collectively- communities are greatly diverse. And in so, trying to find collective agreements amongst multi-stakeholders are not always easy. However, considering the very humane nature of people- what we all share, our universal ‘human needs,’ we can maybe easily find a middle-ground, and draw attention to the common thread that binds us all Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-84917693516924488052010-09-24T14:18:00.000-07:002010-09-24T14:24:20.092-07:00the potential in my backyardI just learned of the great technology the National Renewable Energy Labratory has as open source- In My Backyard (IMBY). By using IMBY, one can find their location on Google Earth and then establish the right RE technology, size and degree of appropriate development.So if you or anyone you know are thinking of installing an on-site RE (solar or wind), check this software out to better understandElsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-37302736297559427142010-09-12T11:37:00.000-07:002011-09-09T07:58:41.613-07:00the banning of bagsA town to the North, Telluride, Colorado has stepped up to banning plastic bags. One more town to jump on the progressive do-better ban-wagon.
At first council members in Telluride, Colorado thought that an approach to weening the community from plastic and paper bag use could begin by charging customers who use plastic and paper bags, yet came to the conclusion that they should- just ban the Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-71292155795349710632010-09-08T08:43:00.000-07:002010-09-23T07:53:56.606-07:00Hunting Season... fruit hunting season, that is.Now is the time that I start my annual urban foraging for fruit hanging from trees, overflowing from local farmer's beds and even wild produce from the mountains, like Chantrell mushrooms.I live in a mountainous valley that was once a heavy fruit-producing valley, with a large river coming down from the San Juan mountains that still feeds the remnants of this Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-75276438722537672452010-09-06T10:20:00.000-07:002010-09-08T08:43:18.505-07:00Encouraging Local EnergySo we all know, by now hopefully, how promising renewable energy development is, how needed it is and how fast the field is developing. Yet, living in the South West of the US (where it is practically raining sunshine 320+ days of the year), RE development- especially on a local, distributed, scale is sluggish and barely seems to exist. How is this possible, that what is needed and pretty much Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-78001742605708063292010-09-06T09:40:00.000-07:002010-09-06T10:19:04.251-07:00Getting Involved in the CityUntil recently, I wondered often how I could get more involved in my community's planning and development and yet never thought to look into what was actually happening around the City Council. I'm not sure how I never heard of 'City Boards and Commissions' until now, but what an eye opener for how to get more actively involved in the shaping of my community. City Boards and Commissions are Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-70985311109102376562010-08-21T09:10:00.000-07:002010-09-06T09:39:51.893-07:00Slow FoodWhile in the Tuscany region in the quaint and beautiful town of Lucca I stayed with a wonderful woman, Ana, who lives in the square where Puccini was born. She told us how the only way she knew the history of his life was from living on the second floor with her windows open hearing all the tour guides of many different nationalities tell the life story of Puccini. Anyways, I tell this story Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-16848227261467861332010-07-25T09:10:00.000-07:002010-07-25T20:49:00.218-07:00Being a LEEDerIf you are in any part involved in sustainable building or community development in the USA, you've probably heard something about LEED.LEED is part of the U.S. Green Building Council, an internationally recognized green building certification system, which helps to ensure that 'green building' (commercial or residential) or a community is actually 'green' by providing a third party assessment ofElsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-33984153221064972582010-07-20T20:18:00.000-07:002010-07-24T18:12:11.469-07:00Slow HousingI am currently trying out a different living situation- shared housing. I am renting a renovated apartment in an older home with other tenants. This is not anything new to most people. I imagine a large population of Americans live in some sort of shared housing, whether condos, apartments or intentional housing. But, for me, I have not really lived in too many situations where I share a buildingElsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-65748186210093434922010-07-16T08:59:00.000-07:002010-07-16T09:41:57.655-07:00Initiating a Transition TownWhile traveling through Europe and especially England, I visited a few Transition Towns. Totnes Transition Town , in England, is the stand out (which I have posted information about earlier on this blog) due to it being the original Transition Town where the founder lives and continues to spearhead and inspire collaborative programs and initiatives related to the Transition Town movement that Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-84825502530846630882010-07-13T09:29:00.000-07:002010-07-15T17:24:50.359-07:00Zero Waste?So what exactly does Zero Waste mean? Is it possible? These were my questions when I read that Telluride, Colorado has a Zero Waste Action Plan for the Mountain Village of San Miguel county. And looking it over, it seems like a no-brainer that I want my community to think about too! The Action Plan is laid out in these basic, but extensive areas:Clean Production: More resource efficient, Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-55148276905597911612010-07-06T07:41:00.000-07:002010-07-06T07:55:05.932-07:00Clotheslines are BeautifulWhile traveling in Europe, I fell hard in love with clotheslines!How have we come to be so disconnected and pulled away from the simple pleasures in life, like hanging clothes out to dry, breathing in fresh air, observing the landscape or cityscape, a neighbor, a fox or a passerby- saying hello? I know I am being over romantic here. I know that it is easier to sometimes say "I'll hang them up Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-82061693892428445512010-07-05T13:39:00.000-07:002010-07-16T09:51:40.186-07:00Big & Fast, we areAfter being back in the US for a few weeks now, I am still adjusting to the way we Americans do things here compared to the things and practices I grew accustomed to in Sweden and the European countries I visited while abroad. These disturbing 'things' can be simplified into all things fast we are sometimes associated with- food, traffic, work, time in a day...Flying from Spain (which isn't the Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-40653446466085764512010-07-05T12:57:00.000-07:002010-07-25T20:50:21.497-07:00Smart GridsOn my recent road trip from Michigan to Colorado I occupied myself with a collection of current and older National Geographic magazines and fed myself on tantalizing advancements in the developing renewable energy grid systems in the US and Europe and ever-growing solar energy developments in the US. This information is specifically exciting to me because I just completed my MSc thesis on Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-59457550110074178902010-05-16T08:26:00.001-07:002010-07-24T18:14:20.198-07:00TransitioningI have been slow on sharing information on all things related to sustainability that I have been experiencing of late in Sweden. Maybe this is due to writing a Master's thesis? However, now that the thesis is being finalized, I can catch you up on some things very inspirational- The Transition Town Movement happening consciously and even unconsciously in communities around the world.GermanyAero Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-34082364458537424512010-04-21T13:14:00.000-07:002010-04-21T13:43:38.370-07:00The Plastic ChallengeThe Plastiki ChallengeWhy is there a team of young adventures out in the middle of the Pacific sailing a boat made of recycled materials? Why Plastiki?Because:It is estimated that almost all of the marine pollution in the world is comprised of plastic materials. The average proportion varied between 60% and 80% of total marine pollution.In many regions in the northern and southern Gyres, plastic Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-77188206602477433062010-03-29T05:38:00.000-07:002010-03-29T06:13:40.312-07:00"The Danish Way"I recently went on a tour of Denmark in search of community powered renewable energy and found great projects, testimonies and great success stories from all across the country for my Masters thesis research that I and two Master's of Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability grad students are currently working on.We started our tour by visiting The Nordic Folk Center, which stands out as an Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-91871833190910423132010-01-17T13:57:00.000-08:002010-02-14T00:53:51.456-08:00The Art of Hostingimage taken from The Learning Host" The Art of Hosting and harvesting conversations that matter is a new practice of democracy that we really need in the world now " Just how powerful is the art of dialogue? Just how powerful is asking the right questions? What else is as powerful as making meaninful conversation and connecting to another through words, senses and openness? Do we pay enough Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8848246544732970091.post-15443698331975428962010-01-17T13:42:00.000-08:002010-01-17T13:50:29.177-08:00Soul Recovery ServiceFelicity Fenton's Soul Recovery Service offers to collect your 'emotionally hindering' objects that keep you from fulfilling your days, wasting your precious time through or withholding emotional freedom. What are the things in your life that hamper your creativity, energy, and free spirit? Even if you do not have anything bringing you down, but still want to be inspired visit Felicity's website Elsa Jagnieckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886431743195020053noreply@blogger.com0