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.
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