From Dump to Garden: Burlington’s Intervale
By Donella Meadows
–July 24, 1997–
The Intervale, the green floodplain where the Winooski River winds through Burlington, Vermont, was once the site of flourishing farms. Green Mountain Boy Ethan Allen had a homestead there, and long before him the Abenaki Indians cultivated the fertile soil. But as the city grew, the valley degenerated into a weedy urban wasteland, literally on the [...]
The Best City In The World? Making a solid case for better urban planning
By Donella Meadows
–Fall 1994–
Residents of Curitiba, Brazil, think they live in the best city in the world, and a lot of outsiders agree. Curitiba has 17 new parks, 90 miles of bike paths, trees everywhere, and traffic and garbage systems that officials from other cities come to study. Curitiba’s mayor for 12 years, Jaime Lerner, has a 92 percent approval [...]
Handling Wastes the Way the Creator Intended
By Donella Meadows
–May 16, 1991–
Suppose someone came along with a new invention that could 1) cut the nation’s garbage problem in half, 2) help clean up polluted waters, 3) reduce energy imports, 4) stop soil erosion, 5) increase farm profits, and yes, even 6) slow down global climate change. An invention like that should make its creator a billionaire and [...]
Shopping at the Coop: Anything that Exists is Possible
By Donella Meadows
–March 21, 1991–
In the back of my car I keep a split-oak shopping basket. As we empty plastic containers, glass bottles, and paper bags in the kitchen, I put them in the basket. That way I’m always ready to stop at the Upper Valley Food Coop on my way home from work.
I bother to tell you the intimate [...]
To Solve the Energy Problem you Have to Want to
By Donella Meadows
–September 27, 1990–
In the September issue of Scientific American is a graph that sums up beautifully why we are on the brink of war in the Middle East and how we can back away from that brink.
It shows two curves estimating how much more efficient U.S. electricity use could be. One estimate was made by the Electric Power [...]
