Our neighboring city to the north, Vancouver B.C., is fast becoming one of the most innovative, green cities in the world.  It draws 90% of its energy from renewables.  Under the progressive governance of Gregor Robertson, the just-reelected mayor, they are looking to become a hub for green jobs and sustainable industry.   Unlike most other North American cities, Vancouver appears to be meeting the coming climate crisis head-on.

The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released a list of the smartest cities (large, medium and small) and Seattle was ranked as the top large city (population over 250,000) in the  country, followed by San Francisco and Portland.  The rankings were based on a set of 10 criteria, including air quality, water quality and conservation, energy and conservation, and transportation.  It's hard to see how Seattle would have make top of the list without yesterday's start-up of light-rail. 

What if we really got serious about urban farming and eating healthful food?  Serious as in building greenhouses on empty lots in urban areas - where there are five layers of plants growing organically; literally tons of composting going on; fish growing in tanks and providing waste for recycling back into plants; worms galore; and people streaming in to learn how to do more?  The NYT has a great article on an urban farmer in Milwaukee, Will Allen, who does just that.

The 110-story Sears Tower in Chicago will soon get a $350 million retrofit aimed at reducing electricity use in the tower by 80% over five years.  The 4.5 million sq.ft. building will employ upgrades in the glass exterior, internal lighting, heating, cooling and its own green power generation utilizing wind turbines on its rooftops. 

According to an article in the NYT, "buildings are among the world’s largest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions. After the retrofit, energy savings at the Sears Tower, which is to be renamed the Willis Tower this summer, would be equal to 150,000 barrels of oil a year, officials said".

There has been a lot of focus on developing woody biomass projects recently.  President Obama has directed the DOE to develop biomass as part of their sustainable energy options.  Brian Baird, who chairs the House Energy and Environment Subcommittee, held a hearing on wood products biofuels, also called woody biomass, last month.  Washington State, under the leadership of Peter Goldmark, is moving to incorporate woody biomass into their forest health program.

Here's a cool trailer about an uplifting movie about the importance of fresh food.