EcoTalk

Toronto Mayor David Miller and the Clinton Climate Initiative

Toronto Mayor David Miller talks about representing one of the sixteen major world cities (plus five major banking institutions) to cut carbon emissions by renovating city-owned buildings with the Greenest of practices and the Clinton Climate Initiative: "This is a win win win win win win." This what it takes! Teamwork, optimism, and practical business.  LISTEN (11 min)

Bloomberg: A Greener New York

In a landmark Earth Day speech Mayor Michael Bloomberg called for New York City to become "the first environmentally sustainable 21st Century City", and proposed a list of measures both modest and controversial that, if fully implemented, could be for big cities what California's Global Warming Solutions Act Bill was for states. Well, maybe I should say "will be for states." Hopefully! Please!

Sustainable South Bronx's Deputy Director Miquela Craytor gives us the view from one of the five boroughs, including one of the problems most important to South Bronx residents, the issue of toxic brownfields. LISTEN (11 min)

Traffic Relief in New York

Perhaps the most controversial, or at least the most tangibly controversial proposal Mayor Bloomberg made was to give "congestion pricing", or an 8 dollar fee on every car driving into Manhattan, a three year trial run. Paul Steely White, Executive Director for the Citywide Coalition for Traffic Relief, stops by to look at how similar plans have fared in London and Stockholm, and how public opinion has in both cases followed implementation. LISTEN (7 min)

Picture: transportation alternatives

SustainLane: How Green is Your City?

SustainLane Chief Strategy Officer Warren Karlenzig joins Betsy to talk about how SustainLane has ranked the 50 greenest cities in the nation in their attractive and handy new book How Green is Your City?  The top three cities are on the West Coast, but cities from Boston to Honolulu have  green habits and new efforts, from Farmer's Markets to Tap Water to Public Transportation, that they should be proud of and build upon: "Cities can learn from one other. They're using these rankings to compare their metrics, how they're performing in different areas on everything from green building to sustainability management."  LISTEN (7 min)

Greenopia: The Urban Dwellers guide to Green Living

Greenopia provides a guide to green living in Los Angeles (and San Francisco in early 2007, and your city next!), including a ranking system designed to help you make the most informed and easy choice about living a full and fullfilling life in the city. Author Gay Browne tells Betsy that "everyone has a green story", and are increasingly conscious that they can guide the free market with their dollar, and be healthier and happier for it. LISTEN (8 min)