This piece was originally published in Home! A Bioregional Reader, edited by Van Andruss, Christopher Plant, Judith Plant, and Eleanor Wright, New Society Publishers, copyright 1990.
A more recent Green City Program has come forward in New York. The New York effort is in the form of a platform for action which is put out by Environment 89—a coalition of eighteen local groups such as the Environmental Action Coalition, the Green Guerrillas, Neighborhood Open Spaces Coalition, and Transportation Alternatives. The program of Environment 89 is also endorsed by a further 115 New York groups.
The Program for the Future of New York is summarized in a one- page pamphlet. The seven points of the New York environmental platform, offered as a “blueprint for debate about our common future,” are reproduced from the pamphlet below.
This program has multiple applications. In 1989 it was used to lobby and influence politicians running for office, was part of the ongoing action orientation of New York environmental groups, and was also a guide for a major New York Green City conference in the Spring of 1990.
THE CITY MUST PROTECT AND EXPAND ITS PARKS, GARDENS AND OPEN SPACES
- acquire for the Parks Department privately owned natural sites in city and any city-owned natural sites not in Park Department
- create a continuously accessible, public waterfront
- build esplanades and greenways that link major park systems
- widen sidewalks where possible and plant trees in all neighborhoods
- protect and expand community gardens
- manage natural sites to provide habitats for wildlife and native plants
- provide convenient open spaces for farmers’ markets to encourage a regional food system
- raise operating park budget from current fiscal crisis level to at least one per cent of total city budget
- make city planning criteria of 2.5 acres per 1,000 people a reality
- press for stronger State and Federal support of their NYC sites and activities.
NEW YORKERS MUST HAVE CLEAN, HEALTHFUL AIR TO BREATHE
- implement controls needed to meet federal standards for minimally healthy air
- change transportation, development and land use policies to cut auto use dramatically
- encourage use of mass transit, bicycles and walking; limit official car and parking privileges
- close down antiquated apartment incinerators and phase out dependency on city incinerators
- expand testing program for less polluting fuels and begin purchasing alternate-fueled vehicles to reduce emissions from buses and other moving sources
- retain low-sulfur fuel requirements to reduce pollution from power plants and heating systems of buildings and reduce pollution from industrial sources
- renew multi-billion dollar program to buy new subway cars and buses and rebuild system in 1991
- hold bus/subway fares at one dollar to encourage ridership
- plant trees and maintain existing ones to reduce carbon dioxide levels as part of Global ReLeaf effort to lessen greenhouse effect
THE CITY MUST ENSURE ABUNDANT CLEAN, HEALTHFUL WATER
- practice water conservation: upgrade infrastructure, improve and enforce building codes, mandate low flow fixtures, speed up metering, and increase water conservation education
- enforce laws, like the Federal Clean Water and Coastal Zone Management Acts, to preserve and protect rivers, wetlands, waterfronts, and coastal waters for public open space and water dependent uses
- safeguard city watersheds: purchase development rights solely for watershed protection, acquire land, and vigorously use watershed regulation authority
- halt city schemes for non-water-dependent development in the water that are environmentally unsound, including the use of landfill, platforms or floating structures
- create city policy to test for lead in water and begin to remove lead pipes when hazards are identified
THE CITY MUST CONSERVE ENERGY
- promote co-generation and conservation-oriented utility pricing
- retrofit offices and homes for energy efficiency and renewable energy sources
- improve mass transit, bicycling and walking, while eliminating commuter toll discounts and parking subsidies
- plant trees to cool city
- amend zoning and building codes to encourage use of natural ventilation and daylight, prohibit sealed buildings, and include energy conservation
THE CITY MUST BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS GARBAGE, SEWAGE AND TOXIC WASTES
- recycling everything physically possible (60-85%) by 2005; reduce and clean waste stream by limiting such materials as non-recyclable packaging, styrofoams, batteries, tires and household toxics; and then dispose of whatever residue remains in the most environmentally benign way
- set up exchange facilities for reusable trash
- build holding tanks to contain sewer overflow during storms, rebuild sewers to curb beach wash-ups, develop new policies for sewage overflow problems
- use new sewage treatment funds to reduce pollution rather than build new infrastructure for inappropriate development
- reduce toxics in sludge to use as compost to improve soil
- enforce federal, state, and local “right-to-know” laws for work places and industries
- help residents get low-interest loans to remove damaged asbestos
- require industry to improve pretreatment of waste, and hospitals and other medical facilities to dispose safely of their toxic medical garbage
- clean up hazardous waste sites
THE CITY MUST ENSURE ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND DEVELOPMENT
- plan development based on the carrying capacity of natural systems, the city’s infrastructure, and needs for a livable city
- require disclosure of environmental permit requirements at the beginning (not end) of development process, and insist on full compliance with the laws and environmental goals that underlie them
- strengthen planning capacity and responsibility of local Community Boards by providing staff, technical assistance, and access to information
- reinstate a Comprehensive Planning Process supported by environmental groups and citizens that mandates least environmentally damaging alternatives for meeting city-wide needs and then equitably site remaining necessary projects where they do least harm
- mandate full disclosure and analysis of all public subsidies for development as integral components of environmental impact analysis
- require careful analysis and disclosure of all impacts from development; shape development to avoid harmful environmental impacts, including displacement of residents and businesses, shadows and wind created by new buildings, loss of open space, increased pollution, and impact on resources needed to achieve environmental goals
- limit building heights in and adjacent to parks and historic districts
THE CITY MUST PROVIDE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FOR ALL AGE LEVELS
- urge the New York City Board of Education to establish strong environmental education policy, including the appointment of a full-time Environmental Education Coordinator
- conduct intensive media campaigns about NYC environmental problems and programs, increase environmental coverage on WNYC and WNYE, negotiate with cable TV companies for city-wide channel to monitor city’s ecology
- help schools acquire or use natural sites for outdoor nature study and gardens and provide school camping sites within the city
- provide innovative, informal environmental education for adults through workshops conducted by city departments with environmental responsibilities; provide environmental information for non-English speaking New Yorkers
- train teachers to teach about the city environment in a multi-disciplinary manner
(First published in City Magazine, Vol. 11, No. 1, Summer/Fall, 1989.)
