Local Bikeway

Bike trails are a key ingredient in the recipe for cooking up a livable city.

The Longleaf Trace, name inspired by the indigenous longleaf pine, runs along an abandoned freight rail track from the university out 39 miles through a handful of small towns. Right now, it is utilized primarily as a recreational bike and walk path, although some outlying apartment complexes are catching on. Shy little concrete paths are popping up to connect the (mostly student) apartments to the trail. No celebrations of neighborhood-meets-bike-trail yet - every new development so far along the trace has been planned solely around the car as the only means of transportation with the trace as a distant afterthought - but the few miles just beyond the university is prime for bike-centered student and young professional housing.

Plans for extending the trail from the university into downtown (about 3 miles) will transform the trace into an integral part of the city's transportation infrastructure. Situated alongside a major east/west corridor, this bike and walk path will offer a quick commute for students living downtown, cultivate downtown street activity (the lifeblood of public space), and create a stronger connection between the city's two main urban centers.

I live near the current mouth of the trail so it's very easy for me to pop on for a nice bike ride; most mornings I do go out for some peaceful yet-your-blood-flowing exercise. I took these pics this morning.

The Longleaf trace is a Rails to Trails project. There are several of them around the country. Local civic leaders and bike enthusiasts joined forces, and worked diligently over a number of years to bring this about, and the fruits of their efforts are bountiful.

Here's a link to the national Rails to Trails program. Find one near you...or build one.

http://www.railstotrails.org/index.html

Farmer Meets Market

The Thursday evening farmers market is one of a growing number of markets in the area, all with their own character and personality. This market has a decidedly organic feel.

This market came about, from what I understand, because of the personal initiative of Chris Cagle, owner of the organic grocery store and cafe across the street. I call Chris a socio-economic entrepreneur, meaning what he does creates economic AND social (or cultural) capital simultaneously.




Tom, an organic farmer makes the short drive every Thursday with his seasonal fare. Lettuce, unfortunately, is gone for the season here, and his lettuce is superb - almost too beautiful to eat, until you taste it. But he had plenty of squash and zuccini and I scooped some up. Got a ripe plump watermelon from the guy next to him. They're just in.

It's a fairly new market (located in a park downtown that I helped design several years ago) and catching on fast. It's not just a place to buy veggys and art, its a place where social connection happens naturally, where a deep sense of "neighborhood" prospers.

And what a delight to hear a really great local bluegrass band - the Simpson County Ramblers. Perfect addition to the "texture." They kept changing instruments. Nice soulful sound, good bounce, great timing, some original compositions - they really enjoyed playing music and playing together. Love that bluegrass!

Earlier I posted a photo of some beautiful eggplants from another market, an indoor venue open Saturday and Wednesday morning. It has a completely different cast of characters and produce and crafts.

And Saturday morning, in the same park, another group (from the University) organizes a market, again with a different group of vendors and artists.

Variety, community, fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables, locally crafted art all promote a rich cultural experience. Go ahead, take a bite of that juicy ripe peach.

Location, Location, Location

The one thing you can always count on in green is that local is good - mostly.

Environmentally, local materials work best. If the product you're looking for comes from local raw materials, you can be pretty certain that it is compatible with the local environment. For example, stone quarried on site makes for a nice aesthetic for a designed landscape feature -colors and textures are inherently compatible with natural surroundings.

Local requires less energy, and here most likely we're talking about oil, moving items from there to here. Less expended energy in transportation is a fundamental principle of sustainability.

Close-to-home manufacturing, harvesting, processing, designing, servicing, etc. stimulates the local economy. We are all connected in some way in this world, but we are very connected to our local environment. Buying local gives us the opportunity to support our neighbors who in turn support us. And, a wonderful by-product of local commerce is that it raises the level of cultural interaction by putting us in constant contact with those who live around us. A product from China may be cheaper to by in the short run, but the marginal savings at the cash register come at the cost of the many synergies created by buying local.

Growing evidence indicates that significant health benefits come from eating locally grown food. There's even a term for it - "locavore" - introduced by Jessica Prentice to describe the practice of eating a diet consisting of food grown within a 100 mile radius of where you live. You can visit her website dedicated to local cooking and eating at wisefoodways.com.

A common thread in the green ethic is that there are almost always exceptions to everything. There will always be an odd case here and there where on influence outweighs another. Its good to keep looking at the issue from all angles.

If local options demand a disproportionate amount of energy, uses up unique natural resources that society has a stake in preserving, or creates an imbalance in some way, it may indeed be more green to look farther away. For example, if a local processing plant is old and carbon heavy, it may be wise to look for an item assembled by a green facility 300 miles away. The cleaner manufacturing process may outweigh the cost of petroleum to get it from there to here.

It's best that we get used to these complexities. Green is not "one size fits all." There's no silver bullet. But there are infinite opportunities.

So remember, it's location, location, and sometimes - location.