The following are not separate items but pieces of a larger sustainable theme. Locally and nationally I believe we’re moving from a divisionary quagmire of petty political agendas and fragmented fiefdoms toward collective solutions, with an eye toward impacting the bigger issues facing our area.
For Tampa Bay, it’s been a long time coming.
Some might join James Lovelock (father of the Gaia hypothesis) in thinking it’s already too late and we’re heading for catastrophe no matter what we do, and not surprisingly there are many in our region that don’t think there’s a problem at all (this is Flori-duh after all).
By acting locally/thinking globally, I think we can make an impact on those larger issues.
Tampa Bay has its own future issues which I’ve pointed out in previous posts, from rising ocean levels, to learning how to sustainably plan and design with grace and alacrity. Inevitably, we don’t have all the time in the world; many of these new directions need to be put in place during the current economic opportunity malaise — that is, before those that traditionally profit from the unsustainable status quo can climb out of bankruptcy and depression.
So, let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work!
This article appears in Dec 23-29, 2009.
