Innovative "Green" Plan in Kansas City

The buzz words of "Green Jobs," "Green Homes" and "Recovery Money" are coming to life - green life - in one of Kansas City's urban neighborhoods.

Through the new Kansas City Green Impact Zone plan, a 150-block area of Troost avenue will be a retro-fitted with energy-efficient homes (weatherization) and a green transportation system, providing "green jobs" in this neighborhood of abandoned homes, an unemployment rate that's as high as 53%, and cases of gun violence.

Created by U.S. Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver and funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ("Stimulus bill"), the Kansas City Green Impact Zone plan will provide a targeted green revitalization effort that may bring as much as $200 million to the Troost blocks.



The project is seen as one of the stimulus package’s signature economic development projects and most innovative. (site)

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson held a kickoff event in KC last week, stating that the zone could help curb urban runoff - one of the main problems facing the environment in the KC area. (site).

This Kansas City story has been making national news, in the social justice blogs ("Saving Kansas City, One (Green) Step at a Time"), the environmental trade news, and more. Glad to see Kansas City on the map for environmental justice and overall energy efficiency city-planning for those who need it most!





For another great story on Mid-west "Green-ing," see the Greensburg, KS, story - about a town destroyed by a tornado that is now re-building with eco-friendly construction and with the highest environmental standards. See also NPR story.

National Trails Day + Kayaking

Saturday was National Trails Day, an American Hiking Society (AHS) event held each June to celebrate trails. AHS holds about 1,200 events around the country, and Alesha and I attended the "signature event" at Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge and State Park in Virginia.



Alesha and I showed our support of the great outdoors by putting on the AHS tattoos. We posed for a photo of us, but the photographer only captured our arms.


"Signature event" means that every land agency gave a speech, and there were Girl Scouts.


U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA 11) spoke. He's a supporter of trails, including new national legislation (HR 1912, Complete America's Great Trails Act.)

Seth helped put on the event.

A large part of National Trails Day is bringing communities together at these sites in order to spend a day maintaining the trails and to learn about hiking opportunities. We decided to hike. Thanks to everybody else for working on the trails! ...We left early to go to another park to paddle.

At Westmoreland State Park, Virginia, we celebrated Alesha's first kayak excursion at the mouth of the Potomac and along Horsehead Cliffs.

She was a pro.