EcoDistricts – The Need for “Green”
By Maryclaire Wright, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
These past few weeks I’ve had the pleasure to sit in on a few meetings for the Transportation Technical Workgroup. The Montgomery County Government put together five different workgroups to plan and provide a roadmap to achieve the county’s carbon reduction goals. Each workgroup was assigned a different “focus area” and worked to produce plans that would successfully lower how much carbon that focus area would emit. The focus areas include Buildings, Clean Energy, Climate Adaptation and Sequestration, Public Engagement, and finally, Transportation.
In each workgroup, there are about 30 people of all ages ranging from high school students to retirees. I can’t speak for all the workgroups since I only was able to attend the meetings of one, but I did notice a common theme– each member cared about climate change and its real and disastrous effects. I’m not using the word cared loosely; all these people from around the county volunteered their time to be in these meetings and worked tirelessly to plan and come up with a solution to limit the amount of carbon the county produces. These are the people that are coming up with the plans and hopefully, new laws that will greatly reduce the county’s carbon footprint.
Sitting in on these meetings was incredibly inspiring, but also very eye-opening. Climate change is a difficult issue to conquer and trying to reverse the effects we have already installed will not be an easy task. I realized that our society and Montgomery County, especially, have not been focused historically on environmental protection: We do not encourage public transportation, and practically everyone drives to get places. In order to adapt to a new carbon reduced lifestyle, the county has to make huge institutional changes that will affect everyone. From trying to convert to only using electric vehicles, to creating bike lanes on every road, to prioritizing sustainable buildings, the citizens of Montgomery County will have to become accustomed to a new city that focuses on sustainability.
This isn’t a problem for some cities though. Some cities and counties are partnering with companies to become more environmentally friendly. One of the companies is called EcoDistricts.
An EcoDistrict is a “neighborhood committed to sustainability with the components of empowered people, green buildings and smart infrastructure.” Well, what exactly does that mean? The company, EcoDistricts, will help cities achieve their goals of reducing their carbon footprint by designing public infrastructure as a whole, all while committing to being functional and efficient. The company started in 2009 by the Portland Sustainability Institute and has since certified over 15 EcoDistricts, all varying in size and land use, some being commercial, residential, etc.
Image: EcoDistricts
One example neighborhood that is in the process of getting EcoDistrict certified is the southwest neighborhood in DC. The main goal of the city was to “transform a 110-acre, isolated federal precinct into a well-connected, mixed-use neighborhood, workplace, and cultural destination.” Many residents were hesitant to try to convert the neighborhood into an EcoDistrict, thinking it would disrupt their daily routine and cause more harm than good for the city. And yes, it probably would have in the beginning, but in the long run, the neighborhood greatly reduces its carbon footprint and can make improvements that save resources by planning for the system as a whole instead of just a small piece of it. EcoDistricts is an incredibly inspiring company that is planning for the future and committed to accelerating sustainability and having a meaningful impact.
Phases to become an EcoDistrict.
One lesson I’ve taken away from learning about the County’s plans to reduce the carbon footprint as well as researching EcoDistricts is that infrastructure in cities (type, how it’s built, where, etc.) has a huge effect on the residents, whether we think about it or not. The decisions residents make about transportation, what food to eat and where to get it, and so much more, all depend on the infrastructure in place and convenience. If cities were able to plan ahead and realize that the infrastructure they are building will affect the residents for many decades to come, as well as decrease the effects of climate change, I believe everyone would be able to reduce their carbon footprint and work towards building a more sustainable ecosystem.
Works Cited
BimDjSoftech. “Changing the World, One Street at a Time With Ecodistricts.” Land8, 20 Jan. 2016, land8.com/changing-the-world-one-street-at-a-time-with-ecodistricts/.Libby, Brian. “Highlights from the Oregon Sustainability Center Feasibility Study [Updated].” Portland Architecture, 2009, chatterbox.typepad.com/portlandarchitecture/2009/06/highlights-from-the-oregon-sustainability-center-feasibility-study.html.
