Mass Transit in the Midwest

Mass transit is seriously one of my most-favorite subjects. At 19, I traveled to Europe, the mecca of underground metros and high speed rail. We started in Brussels, then traveled by train to Luxembourg, then to Strasbourg, and finally to Munich. The use of their rail system left a lasting impression. Traveling by train was simple, and best of all, little travel was required once we arrived to our destination. Unlike an airport, which typically requires quite a drive into a city's center, the train took us to a centralized spot. If I recall correctly (sorry, it was a while ago!), in each city we simply walked from the train station to our hotel. (I also learned the advantages of traveling light...) 

Below is a video showcasing some of the trains in other parts of the world. In recent years, California has moved to implement a high speed rail system within their state, and this video appears to be promoting this idea.

That trip opened my eyes to an entirely "new" way to travel. Of course "new" is certainly a joke - people traveled by train long before cars were around. But, for my generation, travel by car was the rule, especially since I grew up in a fairly rural area. Since that trip, travel by rail has been on my radar. Many groups have been advocating for high speed rail for decades, and in some circles it has finally gained traction for environmental and sustainability reasons. 

Though Roseland focused on mass transit options within cities and communities, my interest has especially been in regional high speed rail, particularly in the Midwest. Since 1993, the Midwest High Speed Rail Association (MHSRA) has advocated the benefits revitalizing rail travel between midwestern cities. According to their site, high speed rail could provide transportation from Indianapolis to Chicago in 1 hour and 15 minutes! I'm pretty sure no one would ever drive for that trip again! Even flying - factoring in travel time to the airport, checking in, traveling into the city after landing - even flying wouldn't be quicker in most cases. In fact, they claim that over 43 million people would be within 3 hours of Chicago with high speed rail. 

Proposed Midwest high speed rail system
and estimated times of travel, from MHSRA

Best of all, from an environmental standpoint, travel by rail provides a way to decrease fossil fuel use and thus, emissions. MHSRA claims that travel by rail would use less fossil fuels than flying, driving, and busing. 

High-speed rail is expected to require less energy than almost any
other mode of transit, per the MHSRA website. 

Ideally, to have the greatest impact and reduction in GHG emissions, high speed rail systems would be powered by renewable energy. The US High Speed Rail Association shows this has already become a reality (at least to some degree) in both Europe and China as they explore the use of solar panels on the top of trains and at train stations. 

Furthermore, regional high speed rail would be the perfect compliment to intra-city mass transit options. In some cities, high speed rail could connect airport passengers to city centers. Better yet, high speed rail could easily connect to light rail, bus lines, and walkable urban centers. It would also decrease the need for parking within cities as more individuals choose to take high speed rail into urban areas rather than driving. This could allow parking lots and parking garages now sprinkled around cities (Indy particularly comes to mind) to be converted into multi-use areas for housing and businesses. 

One area of particular interest to me is a proposed high speed rail from Chicago to Cincinnati via Indianapolis. The proposed rail from Indy to Cincy could go through my hometown, Connersville, IN. 

Proposed rail system through Indiana
from MHSRA

 This route in particular interests me because my hometown has experienced a severe economic downturn in the last 10-12 years. Actually, the downturn could have begun even before that as many local factories closed down, leaving people who had worked in those places their entire lives, jobless. However, something like this proposed rail system could revitalize my hometown in an environmentally sustainable manner. It would make commuting to Indy or Cincy a viable option for people who do not want to live in the city, but cannot find work near Connersville. Alternatively, it could boost the economy within Connersville as infrastructure is built and local businesses are patronized by train passengers.

So, now I'm ready to go advocate for some regional high speed rail!  Who's with me? 

highs & lows: project plastic overhaul update

So, I'm very behind on blogging for my personal project. I have to admit, I've been putting off writing a new blog because I don't feel like it's going very well! It seems like this project is "1 step forward, 2 steps backward." I'm going to briefly discuss some highs and lows of the past few weeks. Here we go!

Highs

• I used to buy baby carrots in a bag to give my dog as a treat. Lately, I've been buying whole carrots and cutting them up for him!
• One of my SPEA friends, whose focus is more equal rights and less environmental, traveled to DC for a baby shower. While there, she told 2 of her best friends from years ago about my efforts to decrease my plastic use. This conversation prompted them all to purchase reusable sandwich/treat bags rather than plastic ones! 
• I found tea with less plastic packaging. (Though, I want to switch to a strainer and bulk tea leaves...soon!)

The only plastic with this package were
the two little stickers "holding" the lid shut.

• I am more conscious and thoughtful of my purchasing decisions than ever before.
• I bought a metal razor to FOREVER replace the cheap, crappy, plastic ones. The new metal razor works fantastically!
• I have been attempting to cook/bake more and bring my lunch to SPEA in an effort to decrease my dependence on processed foods, which are, of course, always swathed in plastic.
• I have not purchased a SPEA cafe cookie in a few weeks. I rarely purchase drinks (my goal is to eliminate them....) but when I have, I forwent the straw. Sometimes, I forgo the lid, but that can be dangerous in a classroom full of people.

Success! No more plastic
wrapped SPEA cafe cookies!

Lows

• I'm not convinced my dog *likes* the non-packaged carrots. 
• My new razor came with unnecessary packaging.  

 

Unnecessary packaging from my razor -
why not just send that red box without the peanuts and bubble wrap?

• I have a sweet tooth + I prefer snacking over meals + I am ridiculously busy this semester. All of this adds up to me buying things on a whim or craving snacks that are notoriously known for being wrapped in plastic. (Think, gummy worms and sweedish fish. Actually, the candy might also be made of plastic too, hmmm.)  
• Certain things seem impossible to find without plastic. For instance, bread: I've checked out the local bread selections at Bloomingfoods & Kroger. The packaging still has plastic. I don't eat a ton of dairy, but I do occasionally need cheese for some dishes. Thus far, I've been unsuccessful in finding cheese that is not packaged in plastic. (Maybe I'm not looking at the right stores? Suggestions anyone??)

 

Glad to see Kraft is using less packaging...
but it's still plastic!

• I'm finding it difficult to measure my plastic use or decreases in my plastic use. I don't always go to the store on Sunday and buy groceries for the week. Sometimes, I go to the store 3 times a week and just make small purchases. (How European of me!) Or, sometimes, I don't have a chance to go grocery shopping or to cook for 4-5 days, so it might be over a week before I make it to the store. This lack of consistency in my schedule has made it difficult to measure my plastic use.

There you have it: my concerns about the project. Measuring it is proving to be hard. I'm open to suggestions!
Of course, I'm still chugging along despite the failures. Stay tuned for a blog on hunting for plastic free ingredients at the grocery store!

~Katie 

Outside Experience #2: The Indianapolis Office of Sustainability

On Friday, October 10th, I traveled to Indianapolis with the Environmental Management Sustainable Development Association (EMSDA) to visit the city's Office of Sustainability, also known as "SustainIndy". 

Last spring, Indy's Office of Sustainability director, Melody Park, visited SPEA for an EMSDA event. She was very helpful and informative during the visit, and I, for one, found her talk very interesting. So, when EMSDA wanted to travel to Indy to visit her office, I was pretty excited for the chance to scope out the scene.  

SustainIndy and Melody believe there is a "trifecta" of sustainability where environment, economic, and social aspects all meet. They believe sustainability cannot be successful without all of these components. This reminded me of the very beginning of our Roseland book where the different types of capital were discussed. In Roseland, they discuss six different types of capital: cultural, natural, physical, economic, human, and social. SustainIndy's philosophy encompasses the economic, social, and perhaps, natural capital. Certain SustainIndy projects have encapsulated more types of capital, for instance the Cultural Trail, which connects 6 cultural districts in Indy.   

Picture of the Indy Cultural Trail
From: http://indyculturaltrail.org/support/volunteer/

They also told us of a recent project where city citizens can attend workshops or classes on certain sustainable topics and receive "coupons" to use at local businesses in certain neighborhoods. This allows them to cover the environmental arena (the courses), the economic area (the use of coupons at businesses), and the social component (the coupons must be used at local places in neighborhoods, promoting interactions with local people!).

Aside from their trifecta philosophy, Melody also discussed the importance of private-public partnerships for projects coming out of their office. These partnerships have allowed SustainIndy to accomplish many things other cities have struggled with - for instance they were able to hire a consulting firm to apply for the STAR Communities ranking. Additionally, they have established a small granting program where community entities can apply for small amounts of funding to help establish their initiative. 

One student asked the "bike master," Jamison, an employee of the office, about the huge surge in bike infrastructure in Indy and the residents' reactions. Jamison explained how this has come about; in particular, Mayor Ballard is a huge proponent of biking. He had the political will to implement this idea. So, prior to 2008 when Ballard was elected bike infrastructure in Indy was pretty minimal. They discussed how one of the main drivers of the bike movement in Indy was the Monon Trail, especially in the Broad Ripple neighborhood. It was an attraction. People from various parts of the city would travel to Broad Ripple in the evenings to run or bike the trail, and on the weekends, families were often traveling on it whether just for fun or to visit someplace in Broad Ripple. The popularity of the Monon allowed other bike friendly projects to gain traction. Additionally, because Indy's streets were relatively wide, lanes could be adjusted to accommodate bike lanes without adding much congestion. So, for the most part, the new emphasis on biking in Indy has been received well by the public.

Many other topics were discussed during our meeting with the Office. Melody talked about the challenges associated with financing projects, the idea of projects versus programs, the urban garden initiatives, and more. One area of interest to me was the problem with sustainability being something that can come and go with political seasons. Typically, sustainability is thought of as more left-leaning characteristic. But, surprisingly Mayor Ballard, a Republican, is the one who established SustainIndy and has pushed for many of these projects. I do believe that is quite good for the idea of sustainability, particularly in a state where the idea of being environmental and sustainable can fall on party lines. It fantastic for those of us who want sustainability to overcome the whims of the political party du jour. 

Overall, for a second time, I found meeting with the director of the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability to be quite interesting and insightful. As a former resident of Indy, I'm hopeful the office will be around for a long time to come!

~Katie