Organizers Look to Lessen Marathon's Environmental Impact

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/04/19/organizers_look_to_lessen_marathons_environmental_impact/

Across the country, numerous marathon organizer's are finding ways to make their operations more sustainable and to lessen the impact of the environment.  In this article, the Boston Marathon, one of the least environmentally friendly marathons in the country, is taking strides to improve its image as a more ecologically friendly event.  

To understand the depth of environmental degradation that occurs in order to hold the marathon, here is a description.  During the marathon, they will use more than 1,000 gallons of diesel in 525 buses to transport the runners. 1.4 Million non-biodegradable cups will be distributed by 8,000 volunteers filled with either water or gatorade. As the pre-race meal, organizers will serve 11,300 lbs of pasta and 3,400 lbs of vegetables. 

This isn't a clear example of one specific level of sustainability planning.  I would tend to classify it under neighborhood planning only because it is being spearheaded by a specific community.  It is clear, however, that local and state planning also influenced the event.  In order to inhabit more sustainable practices, marathon organizer's are buying more than 22,440 carbon emission credits.  They replaced the pace-setting motorcycles that carry the elite runners with electric scooters that average 357 miles per gallon and they plan to compost all left over food and biodegradable refuse.  In association with the State Department of Corrections, "green teams" assembled of inmates will collect discarded cups, bottles and blankets.

This is primarily an energy and waste problem.  It would seem that local government planning would be the natural second choice for affecting issues such as that of the Boston Marathon.  The City of Boston could implement restrictions on large events.  Policies could be passed that would cap the amount of waste produced by any single event, and emission or waste credits would have to be purchased in order to exceed that level.  This could prove problematic, and possibly cause the city's tax revenue to drop significantly if such large events chose to relocate to another city that has looser restrictions.  

Sustainable practices could be implemented at the state level, but this could prove to be even more politically problematic.  Consensus over sustainable practices could be achieved locally, but state consensus over policies that could potentially conflict or slightly prohibit economic development would be much more difficult to pass.  Elements of sustainable planning, especially event planning, could be handled by several levels of government in order to achieve maximum results.  We already see this in this story, with the State partnering with the event organizers in order to collect waste discarded by runners.  Indeed, collaboration of multiple levels of government would seem to be the optimal choice for sustainability planning.

Experts look to balance desert-river flows

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2009/03/29/20090329rivers-runoff.html

This article examines the degradation of the Arizona river system and how experts are currently trying to find a way to return rivers such as the Salt River back to a healthy riparian system of native vegetation and wildlife.  Currently, the Salt River has renewed water flow that has spawned fresh habitat that was once a permanent system.  This is a result of the Salt River Projects release of water to keep the reservoir below the federal flood control limit.  

Experts are faced with the central question of determining just how much water must be released in order to sustain this suffering riparian system of Arizona rivers.  Desert rivers do not run year round like in wetter climates, but the rivers in this region have been drained by farm and city growth and are faced with dangerous ecological consequences.  

This problem effects virtually all habitants of Arizona and the southwest region as a whole.  When ecosystems start to die, it will naturally alter the wildlife and vegetation associated with that environment.  This, in affect, can produce harmful health and safety issues for the population that relies on this land.  Determining the amount of water necessary to sustain these rivers is, therefore, crucial to the vitality of the desert region.

This article deals primarily with setting a sustainability indicator of achieving and sustaining a thriving riparian river system.  In determining the survival threshold for desert rivers, the Salt River Project is also determining specific standards and benchmarks that the rivers must meet in order to meet the minimum requirements of this goal. This is part of a long term planning process where people will be essentially managing the desert rivers.

Archeologist Hired for Environmental Study on Water Transmission Line

http://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/local/local_story_103115713.html

This article is about the Tahlequah Public Works Authority Board hiring Dr. Donald O. Henry, a Tulsa University professor, to perform an environmental impact assessment on a proposed water transmission line from Lake Tenkiller to Tahlequah.  The board has used Dr. Henry in previous land use ventures, and had tabled a resolution for a proposed water treatment and distribution system improvements.

This article deals with more logistical land use planning.  Unlike the previous article, it doesn't propose any direct impacts on the ecosystem, but it does pose a threat to the overall environmental health that would be damaged if the current plan was implemented.  The people of Tahlequah would be directly affected by the water quality being pumped in through the transmission line. 

This is a clear example of how Environmental Assessment and Environmental Impact Reporting are successfully used in environmental regulation and land use planning. Dr. Henry had previously determined through his assessment that there were far to great of risks associated with the previously proposed water treatment and distribution system.  By the board hiring him again, it demonstrates a commitment to environmental quality.  

Assignment 11

1. How do you believe sustainability should be defined for policy-making?

In "Sustainability: An Economist's Perspective," Robert M. Solow points out the values that are associated with sustainability. "Pretty clear is the notion of sustainability is about our obligation to the future. It says something about a moral bokigation that we are supposed to have for future generations." (Sorow 180) This notion of moral obligation must be translated into a modernized, rational, and systemic definition that can be applied to the various areas of policy-making. Sustainability in terms of policy and program implementation must be exact, measureable, and clearly demonstrate a commitment to uphold the moral obligation to future generations.

In terms of policy-making, it is imperative to include both short and long term approaches, or definitions, to sustainability. A short term, strong sustainabilty definition would be appropriate in order to achieve immediate environmental goals such as air, water and land pollution. Restrictions need to be set in order to protect the physical resources that are currently endangered. A weak sustainability definition could be used to plan for long-term, politically feasible sustainable practices that allow room for change in order to adapt to new knowledge.

2.) What are the difficulties associated with making sustainability a policy goal?

It is evident by the multiple definitions of sustainability offerred in the Wheeler text that it is difficult, to say the least, to identify the best methods to approaching comprehensive sustainable practices. This complex concept must be appropriately defined in order to meet the demands raised by the various issues currently plaguing our environment today. Also, it is difficult to gather all of the information associated with a problem in order for policy-makers to make informed and correct decisions.

Because of the relative vagueness associated with sustainable policy-making, it is rather easy to debate the restrictions set by policy-makers by those who are more focused on economic development. Conflict among policy-makers may also arise due to various and conflicting ideas of what sustainability means. Wheeler points out the varying problems policy-makers might associate with sustainability, such as land growth management, automobile dependence, energy and resource use, pollution, inequality and poverty, and sense of community.

3. If you had to design a practical framework to help a state environmental agency achieve ecological, economic and social sustainability, what would that framework look like?

A practical framework for achieving comprehensive sustainability must involve a multitude of political, expert and civil strategies in order to achieve optimal results. Civic engagement must be implemented in order to inform and educate the public on the status and importance of sustainable practices. Political debate must take place in order to ensure that the voice of the public is heard and the democratic process is maintained. This should only take place, however, once the public has been informed on the summaries, findings, and proposed solutions assembled by experts in the various fields of the environment.

Experts should set the parameters on which policy can be debated on in the public. A certain level must be maintained, and it would be the administrators of the agency that would need to define these standards before debate on the specifics of sustainable policy are discussed. This would gaurantee civic participation while ensuring a level of rational via expert analysis.

4. Voters and politicians often want short term results, but many argue that sustainable development calls for a long-term policy plan. How do we take the long term view that sustainable development requires in this political environment?

It is imperative to the sustainable movement that short term results are strived for in order to stress the importance of the deteriorating health of the environment. Policies, however, need to acknowledge the need for consistant re-evaluation to account for the arrival of new knowledge, problems, issues and concerns. As hare as adopting a long-term view in the political environment, it is important that the focus be placed on the immediate and permanent subscription to the mission of sustainable practices. This ensures istantaneous action at the same time as it adopts a long term approach to the sustainable movement.