learning about green development from the canadians

Ypsi One Worlder just left a YouTube link in the last Water Street thread. The video, which you can see further down in this post, features Canadian developer Joe VanBelleghem, talking about various green construction projects he’s overseeing throughout Canada, through his company, the Windmill Development Group. Prior to this morning, I had never heard of VanBellenghem or his firm, but, if what he says in this interview is true, he’s just the kind of person we need to attract to our Water Street project. The cynic in me thinks there’s got to be a catch. “He’s got to be a con man looking to sucker in potential investors,” I think. “His argument about green being profitable just sounds too perfect.” But apparently they’re doing what he says, and they’re successful at it. I don’t see any evidence of projects being undertaken in the U.S., though, and it would appear that they prefer to take on projects along waterways in larger cities, but maybe there’s a firm here in the states that shares the vision. It would certainly be worth making a call to Ottawa… Hopefully, our Planning Department still has phone service. (I don’t think, according to the solvency plan, that City Hall loses its phones until spring ’09.)

And, after watching that, if you want something really inspirational, check out this video of Majora Carter, the executive director of Sustainable South Bronx, addressing the Ted conference in 2006 on environmental justice and green, urban development.

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4 Comments

  1. Bob Douglas
    Posted April 14, 2008 at 1:06 am | Permalink

    Yah. Okay. If you want to be buying your beer like this, aye? Off a friggin ferris wheel? It’s not even a proper conveyor belt for godsake. Some friggin magic makes it run downhill. It’s like you got to beg for it but begging for beer don’t leave much to a man, do it?

    Why don’t all you socialite commies just move to Michigan? They’re half Canadian there anyway. The half that sucks down rodents. Even got a lady Canuck governor. Next thing you know they’ll be making electricity out of windmills and giving free health care from pixies tits and shits.

    My ass is greener than that. Why don’t I sell you a bit of real Canadian real estate?

  2. Paw
    Posted April 14, 2008 at 2:48 pm | Permalink

    What if we just use Canadians for fuel?

  3. Posted April 17, 2008 at 9:15 pm | Permalink

    Pretty enlightening comments LOL, but thanks Mark for the Majora Carter share! Yes, very inspiring, and not Canadian.

  4. Bonnie
    Posted April 18, 2008 at 8:24 am | Permalink

    http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/html-doc/brightfd.htm

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