MON VALLEY—HOW GREEN IS OUR VALLEY?

MON VALLEY—HOW GREEN IS OUR VALLEY?
Remarks by J. Glenn Eugster


START WITH A QUOTE:

TO HEAL THE EARTH—HEALTHY & HEATHFUL ENVIRONMENTS

“THE ROLE OF MAN IS TO UNDERSTAND NATURE, WHICH IS ALSO TO SAY MAN, AND TO INTERVENE TO ENHANCE ITS CREATIVE PROCESSES”. IAN MCHARG







EXPLORATIONS IN ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY BY SAMUEL P. HAYS----TRADITIONAL APPROACHES FOCUS ON 1) CONCERN FOR POLLUTION FOCUSES ON ENVIRONMENTAL REPAIR AND A TECHNOLOGICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT VANTAGE POINT; AND 2) CONCERN FOR QUALITY OF SPACE FOCUSES ON THE WHOLE REALM OF AMENTIY (OPEN SPACE, NATURAL RESOURCES, ETC.) QUESTIONS AND SEEKS TO PREVENT ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC REGENERATION LINKS ENVIRONMENTAL REPAIR AND TECHNOLOGICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT WITH NATURAL SPACE, WATER AND AIR NONDEGRADATION WITH POPULATION AND CONSUMPTION ISSUES.


COMMUNITY-BASED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

WHAT’S THE EQUATION YOU WILL USE????

COMMUNITY-BASED ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION CHART

RIVERWORK PROCESS SLIDE---PROCESS CHART FOR LOOKING AT A SITE OR WATERSHED

START WITH VALUES—ASSETS

How will information be used? What is the process for making final decisions?

HOW DO YOU VIEW THIS PARTNERSHIP AND DECISION-MAKING PROCESS?

LIFE CYCLE OF PARTNERSHIPS CHART

What do we want to get from the community discussions?

Port of Cape Charles Principles (principles for the economic and ecological regeneration of the watershed)

Example: The Cape Charles, VA. Principles,
April 6, 1995. Over 120 community leaders worked with a team of private sector and government experts to develop "Principles" for the development of the Port of Cape Charles Sustainable Technologies Industrial Park. The principles communicated the community needs, concerns and visions to help shape the design of the industrial Park and the City.

CAPE CHARLES PRINCIPLES CHART


5. What IS it?

a. Example: “Greening Growth” Northern Virginia Dialogue Process

DIALOGUE CHART

Dialogue: A process of successful relationship building. A practical tool accessible to all, that if done right can dissolve long-standing stereotypes, overcome mistruct, enable people at
odds to share common visions and create bonds of community. Commitment to new productive ways of interacting requires a prior shift in values and thinking that allows the possibility of
something new to be seen. Process involves three levels:
Community leaders sharing stories;
helping improve people's skills to enhance listening; and
drawing from people's experience.


b. Example: The Annapolis Summit: The City, County, State and Federal governments worked
with the private sector to hold a series of Annapolis Summits to help develop a citizen vision for the area. Part of the agenda included "Breakout groups" to ask coommunity leaders "What Do You Think?" The groups were asked to identify the values that they felt are most important to them. They were also asked to identify actions to be taken to conserve, protect, restore, revitalize or regenerate those values. Groups reported on their ideas to the full audience and response were provided to the City and County for incorporation into revisions to their Comprehensive Land Use Plans. See attachment.

6. What will the workshops focus on? ALTERNATIVES

Value-based: Sacred places; assets, community and resource values

Example: Annapolis, MD Summit-- Sacred Places Workshop. ANAPOLIS SACRED PLACE SLIDE
People are asked to name the places that connect them to the land and waters and describe the feelings and memories that give those places meaning. People worked together to identify their sacred places and map them. The information was provided to local governments for use in Comprehensive Planning and land use decisions. See attachment.

Sacred Place: "What are the sweet spots in our historical memory that evoke our passion, that we need to map, to secure and protect as we grab the masses to plan for the future....We need to take back who we are before our leaders can lead us...We need to redefine what it means to be human, celebrate the connections between ourselves and the Earth that created us".


b. Example: Northampton County, VA Sustainable Development Action Strategy

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY SLIDE
Asset identification (natural, cultural, economic resources, strengths, qualities, etc. Assets feed into development of goals, objectives and actions. See attachments.

Issue-based: Matters of concern, problems to be addressed

ISSUE-BASED: MATTERS OF CONCERN, FOCUS ON PROBLEMS TO BE ADDRESSED

BALTIMORE SLIDE

Example: "Baltimore Envirofest" planning with
neighborhood leaders, the Baltimore Times, the Baltimore Urban League and Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Neighborhood leaders were asked to
identify their most important environmental issues; needs; and resources they were already using to accomplish their objectives.

PROJECT AND VISION-BASED: TANGIBLE IDEAS ABOUT WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO PROTECT ASSESTS, SOLVE PROBLEMS AND ACCOMPLISH A VISION. LONG-TERM AND SHORT-TERM ACTIONS WITH AN EMPHAISIS ON CONNECTIVITY. Use community input to develop principles to guide agencies, experts and decision-makers.

a. Example: Lackawanna Heritage Valley Plan. A four hundred member Task Force, with support from the City, County, Commonwealth of PA and the NPS, prepared a strategy for the future of the Lackawanna River valley. Alternatives were
developed based on community workshops to identify resources, issues, goals, and key elements or directions. Alternatives were
developed and community-leaders were asked to provide comments and recommendations. The final plan was used to leverage federal and private sector funding. LACKAWANNA HERITAGE VALLEY AERIAL MAP CHART


B. Example: Cape Charles, VA Principles. See earlier Example.
Design Charette process—Eight alternatives prepared and presented. Common elements combined into one used for plan, grants and direction.
CAPE CHARLES COMMUNITY WORKSHOP SLIDE

C. EXAMPLE: TORONTO WATERFRONT REGENERATION TRUST

PORTLANDS: GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN CHART

BROWNFIELDS, OPEN SPACE, GROWTH BOUNDARIES, RECREATION AND SUSTAINABILITY WITHIN A METROPOLITAN REGION.

‘THE OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE” CHART

WE HAVE BEGUN TO ADVANCE THIS CONCEPT IN THE U.S. THINK OF IT AS THE ENVIRONMENTAL PIECE OF THE SUSTAINABILITY TRIANGLE.

PCSD GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE DEFINITION CHART

USFS-EPA COMMITTED AT THE NATIONAL TOWN MEETING FOR SUSTAINABLE AMERICA TO DEVELOP A GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE TRAINING PROGRAM TO HELP COMMUNITIES APPLY THIS APPROACH.


NOTE: Emscher Park, Germany


CLOSING:

YOU ARE TAKING ON VERY CHALLENGING WORK. IT’S NOT ABOUT MONEY BUT RATHER LOCAL, REGIONAL AND COMMONWEALTH SUPPORT FOR A COMMON VISION.

IT’S ABOUT PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT---WHEN YOU LINK EXPLICIT HUMAN VALUES TO THE ENVIRONMENT THEY HAVE CONSIDERABLY MORE INFLUENCE ON PLANNING AND DECISION-MAKING THAN ANY AMOUNT OF DATA.

INVITE YOU TO LOOK AT THE WORK OF SOME OF YOUR PEERS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR EFFORT CAN ACHIEVE. EXAMPLES SUCH AS PA’S LACKAWANNA VALLEY AND CAPE CHARLES, VA CAPE CHARLES NEWSPAPER CHART
WILL SHOW YOU THAT IF YOU WORK TOGETHER YOU CAN ACHIEVE GREAT THINGS FOR YOURSELVES, YOUR NEIGHBOR AND THIS VALLEY.