3-08-07 - LIGHT RAIL...LITE?

An article in Sunday's KC Star (No, I'm not behind on the news...the news just can't keep up with me) calls for scaling back Clay Chastain's light rail plan, and implementing something a little more attainable. Considering all the squabbling over the details that seems to be going on with the current "plan," I tend to agree with most of what the author says. The author, by the way, is Dave Scott, president of the Urban Society of Kansas City, a group of architects and "urban-core boosters." He writes the article as if he were talking about the next World War or something, but his points are valid, nonetheless--at least I think so. What about " unselectable="off">you?

3-05-07 - A POST ABOUT NOTHING - How's everyone's March so far? Not much going on right now. The site is still developing and growing, and so is the community surrounding it. Be sure to watch Kansas City Live on KSHB-41 March 15th. I (Bobby) will be making an appearance to talk about ways you and your family can help reduce pollution, improve quality of life, etc. Little things with big impact, that's the name of the game. We got a pretty good response from our last appearance, where I talked about the efficiency of different household appliances, so hopefully after March 15th we'll see another great response.

Check out our calendar of events to find out what's coming up. The regular meeting of the Mid-America Electric Auto Association is this coming Sunday in Waldo, and I for one am looking forward to it. I don't have an electric car, but I'm hoping to make some good connections and track one down soon.

Also this week: The first combined Green Drinks/Environment meetup at McCoy's in Westport. Both groups have been pretty successful, and it sounds like together they are going to take the city by storm. Well, maybe that's a bit dramatic...but if you're a regular visitor to this site, odds are this is a group you'd want to be a part of. It's this Thursday night. I'm going to try to make it out this week, although my work schedule makes it difficult to do anything in the evening.

Over the next few weeks we're going to be making a push to expand this site's resources even further. There are more programs I'd like to implement, not to mention simply increasing the number of businesses and organizations listed on these pages. (If you have an ideas for things you'd like to see available here, email them to us! You can reach me at admin@biggreencity.com.) Moreover, sometime this summer I'm hoping the site will see a complete overhaul, which will make it easier to navigate, and easier to update.

2-27-07 - MAYORAL RACE WARMS UP, GLOBALLY SPEAKING... - With only...smunemun..bun...days to go until the mayoral elections, Bridging the Gap has done us all a great service and surveyed each of the candidates about his or her thoughts and plans in regards to Kansas City's eco-future. You can read their lofty and long-winded responses here. The usual topics arose, like mass transit and air-quality, but after reading them all I got the impression that none of the candidates really was taking a hard line on any area in particular. Politicians going gray on important issues before an election? What's next, dogs chasing cats and $3 lattes?! What a world.

Here's a question I'd like to know the answer to, though. What do you think are the most important environmental issues facing our city, and if you were mayor what would you do about them?

(Okay, now what would you do if you were supreme overlord? C'mon, you know you've thought about it.)

" unselectable="off">Email us your answers.

2-21-07 - I'D LIKE TO BUY THE WORLD A BULB

Big news from down under that will hopefully have ramifications all over the world; in a world first, Australia has announced plans to officially phase-out incandescent bulbs nationwide by 2010, in favor of CFL's. For details on the plan, read this article from the Sydney Morning Herald. My question is, can we enact something like this here in KC? Forget getting the current administration to agree to do anything like this, I wonder if such a change could be enacted on a more localized level? I'd be all for it, what about you? Way to go Aussies. Here's hoping the rest of us follow your lead.

I'm very excited to have discovered the Mid-America Electric Auto Association and added them to our list of local links. The EAA is a national organization or electric car owners and enthusiasts, but the Mid-America chapter is seated right here in Kansas City! Meetings are the second Sunday of every month at the Waldo branch of the public library. If you own an electric car or are interested in finding out more about them in a local way, visit the chapter's homepage, or better yet sign up for their Yahoo! group.

That's all for now. Be seein' ya.

I'D LIKE TO BUY THE WORLD A BULB

Big news from down under that will hopefully have ramifications all over the world; in a world first, Australia has announced plans to officially phase-out incandescent bulbs nationwide by 2010, in favor of CFL's. For details on the plan, read this article from the Sydney Morning Herald. My question is, can we enact something like this here in KC? Forget getting the current administration to agree to do anything like this, I wonder if such a change could be enacted on a more localized level? I'd be all for it, what about you? Way to go Aussies. Here's hoping the rest of us follow your lead.

I'm very excited to have discovered the Mid-America Electric Auto Association and added them to our list of local links. The EAA is a national organization or electric car owners and enthusiasts, but the Mid-America chapter is seated right here in Kansas City! Meetings are the second Sunday of every month at the Waldo branch of the public library. If you own an electric car or are interested in finding out more about them in a local way, visit the chapter's homepage, or better yet sign up for their Yahoo! group.

That's all for now. Be seein' ya.

2-20-07 - I WAS NEVER GOOD AT ADITTION, ONLY SPELING

Hi there. Remember me? Yeah, it's Big Green City again. How've you been? Good, good. Been staying green? Eco-friendly? Sustainable? Good to hear. I know, I know, you've missed my wicked wit and insight into the modern environmentalist lifestyle. Well, it's back now. At least the insight is; I can't speak for the wicked wit. You decide.
Not much has been hitting my radar for the last few weeks as far as green news in Kansas City. Obviously with the harsh weather we've had lately, things that relate to nature and being "green" don't tend to pop up as much as they do during, say, the high-heat of winter when everyone is outside enjoying our environment. Nevertheless, some things do turn up, and right now the only thing I have to report on is someone else's opinion on someone else's report. In fact, it barely counts as news: On KCLightRail.com, which focuses on news related to Kansas City's Light Rail system, they posted a blurb about a recent ice storm in Pittsburg that knocked out their light rail system for a while. The poster makes a good point, given our proclivity towards rapid weather changes here in the Metro, we have made good preparations for such unforseen occurances. As one commenter on the blog points out, however, the system as proposed by Clay Chastain has imbedded power lines, not the overhead-style lines that Pittsburg has, which should prevent problems like Pittsburg's from happening here, even in the worst ice-storm conditions. Hopefully between now and whenever the thing gets built, that is one aspect of the design that won't change.
In BigGreenCity.com news: We've added Cromwell Environmental to our growing list of green Kansas City businesses. Based in KC, but providing nationwide commercial service, Cromwell specializes in cleaning up indoor air-quality. Using a highly-trained staff and specialized equipment, they root out problems and offer environmentally-friendly solutions. If you are a business owner, or simply care about the air your breathe from nine to five, check out their website and give them a call.
Also, there have been a few new events added to the calendar over at the forum. You can go directly to the events page here, or you can go visit the forum calendar yourself (registration required).
On our blogs, Jason Canter has added a great vegetarian recipe for Potato Corn Chowder on Food For Life, as well as some eye-opening facts about foods you might have thought were vegetarian-safe. On KC GreenLife, Bobby pontificates on the possibility of becoming a treasure hunter. Looks like he's finally going to put that wooden leg of his to use.
Speaking of Bobby, he'll be making another appearance on Kansas City Live in March. We'll be sure to keep you posted on when to watch!
And finally, our first ever contest has ended. Those of your who signed up for the newsletter, thank you (for your patience)! Congratulations to Jane, our winner, who will receive two great books on living an eco-friendly life. Look for another contest to start up soon. If you've got an idea for a contest, send it on over to us! We're thinking of either some kind of t-shirt design contest, or an essay contest. (We need to get some content, after all.)
Until next time, remember that you may own the house, but you're only renting the land.

2-20-07 - I WAS NEVER GOOD AT ADITTION, ONLY SPELING

Hi there. Remember me? Yeah, it's Big Green City again. How've you been? Good, good. Been staying green? Eco-friendly? Sustainable? Good to hear. I know, I know, you've missed my wicked wit and insight into the modern environmentalist lifestyle. Well, it's back now. At least the insight is; I can't speak for the wicked wit. You decide.
Not much has been hitting my radar for the last few weeks as far as green news in Kansas City. Obviously with the harsh weather we've had lately, things that relate to nature and being "green" don't tend to pop up as much as they do during, say, the high-heat of winter when everyone is outside enjoying our environment. Nevertheless, some things do turn up, and right now the only thing I have to report on is someone else's opinion on someone else's report. In fact, it barely counts as news: On KCLightRail.com, which focuses on news related to Kansas City's Light Rail system, they posted a blurb about a recent ice storm in Pittsburg that knocked out their light rail system for a while. The poster makes a good point, given our proclivity towards rapid weather changes here in the Metro, we have made good preparations for such unforseen occurances. As one commenter on the blog points out, however, the system as proposed by Clay Chastain has imbedded power lines, not the overhead-style lines that Pittsburg has, which should prevent problems like Pittsburg's from happening here, even in the worst ice-storm conditions. Hopefully between now and whenever the thing gets built, that is one aspect of the design that won't change.
In BigGreenCity.com news: We've added Cromwell Environmental to our growing list of green Kansas City businesses. Based in KC, but providing nationwide commercial service, Cromwell specializes in cleaning up indoor air-quality. Using a highly-trained staff and specialized equipment, they root out problems and offer environmentally-friendly solutions. If you are a business owner, or simply care about the air your breathe from nine to five, check out their website and give them a call.
Also, there have been a few new events added to the calendar over at the forum. You can go directly to the events page here, or you can go visit the forum calendar yourself (registration required).
On our blogs, Jason Canter has added a great vegetarian recipe for Potato Corn Chowder on Food For Life, as well as some eye-opening facts about foods you might have thought were vegetarian-safe. On KC GreenLife, Bobby pontificates on the possibility of becoming a treasure hunter. Looks like he's finally going to put that wooden leg of his to use.
Speaking of Bobby, he'll be making another appearance on Kansas City Live in March. We'll be sure to keep you posted on when to watch!
And finally, our first ever contest has ended. Those of your who signed up for the newsletter, thank you (for your patience)! Congratulations to Jane, our winner, who will receive two great books on living an eco-friendly life. Look for another contest to start up soon. If you've got an idea for a contest, send it on over to us! We're thinking of either some kind of t-shirt design contest, or an essay contest. (We need to get some content, after all.)
Until next time, remember that you may own the house, but you're only renting the land.

2-07-07 - THIS MAYOR BROUGHT TO YOU BY FORD

Looks like someone just likes Ford: Kansas City mayoral candidate Jim Glover said yesterday that, if elected, he would forego the traditional Lincoln Town Car that typically shuttles the mayor about town, and instead opt for a much (less stylish but) more eco-friendly Ford hybrid. Of course, there's no mention of what Glover would use if not elected, but hopefully it won't be the new Hummer Umbrage. But seriously, it's a small gesture but certainly more than other candidates have offered, and while it might not win Glover the election it won't exactly lose it for him, either.
This story courtesy of the KC Buzz Blog, a service of the Kansas City Star. Find it here, and now also in our links section.