The Birmingham Charter?

Neo-Green smart-city planers “from around the nation and world, met in Birmingham [Alabama] this weekend to take steps toward developing a new model for building cities that are more efficient and cleaner places for people to live, work, travel and play.”

The planning wonks are seeking to design a new protocol for green cities “to be called the Birmingham Charter.” Wow! And they met in Birmingham, Alabama? What an interesting piece of irony. One of the group’s participants, after receiving a flash of insight, believes “Birmingham could be the center of the ‘Green Building’ movement, with companies manufacturing materials and products designed to make buildings more energy efficient.”

Of course, the ever elusive Sustainability Grail is at the core of the Neo-Green’s agenda, as they seek common ground for how cities of the future can “find a better way – a better way of developing, a better way of growing.”

And now a quick review of reality – In 2008, the Birmingham News noted that “The American Lung Association rated Birmingham one of the worst five cities in the nation under two measures for particle pollution…..” Later that same year, the News had this to say, “Pollution monitors in Jefferson County show elevated levels of toxic chemicals such as arsenic, benzene and formaldehyde, according to a report being released today by The Conservation Alabama Foundation.”

The story goes on, basically in reverse, as Birmingham has had problems attaining Clean Air Act standards for over 20 years. Perhaps that’s one reason an infamous eco-freak declared Alabama’s largest city – Stinkingham.

Of course, foul air is only one parameter of Green. A smart city might recycle more than a few per cent of it’s household waste. Or figure out a way to move folks around without commuter gridlock. And then there’s the small problem of sewage disposal, which recently became a major headache for Jefferson County, Alabama – home of Birmingham. Without detailing the facts, suffice it to say that several of the County government’s finest Homo erectus asphaltus are looking at fun vacations al la the U.S. Justice Department thanks to a nefarious sewer scandal. And if you’re wondering, the sewage discharge was headed down one of the nation’s most biologically diverse rivers: the Cahaba.

All this to say – being green isn’t a planning exercise. Sustainability isn’t an engineering term. All environmental issues are local; all of them. You begin with the basics and work out from there. Clean, healthy air and water is the bedrock of livability metrics. A lack of crime and corruption plays into the mix. Exurbia doesn’t work. Neither do cookie cutter lifestyles.

Maybe the Birmingham Charter will indeed be an epiphany, a design of the new green prototype. But you can make a hell of a case that we should fix what’s wrong first. No matter where you live.

Mudd’s Prediction No. 12 – It won’t be long before the word Green is so five minutes ago. Like a bad rerun of Hee Haw. On second thought, Hee Haw was a hoot.

I think I’ll take the day off, do some cloud watching, and lessen my impact on the planet. Work can wait.

posted by Mudd