Submitted by Kelley Arnold
I have been living in Nashville for seven years now and have been appalled at how little progress we have made towards sustainability, green design, commuter rail and waste management. I have found most people here are very close-minded with regard to recycling or greening of the city. All efforts are dubbed "too expensive."
There is no solar initiative or tax credit for going solar, and most new buildings are not green or LEED certified. My husband and I have been doing some small repairs on our home, and were shocked that we could not find: denim insulation for our walls without paying more than double to have it shipped cross country, dual flush toilets for our bathrooms, or anything else made from recycled content.
The city is also averse to public transportation on major arteries. We have a train that recently started running from an eastern suburb to downtown. I live on the south side of town but people in the eastern portion of the city say it is not convenient, and that it is expensive for daily commuters. This train was implemented a few years ago, and no other legs of track are being utilized for the other major arteries of the city. There are sidewalks that randomly start and stop near where I live and, sadly, there is a school less than a half a mile from my house.
My neighbors fought for bus service for their kids last year, due to the fact that there are no sidewalks to ensure the safety of all the children in our large neighborhood while walking down a major thoroughfare to get to the school. Now, all of these children are bussed daily instead of building a short strip of sidewalk so that they may walk to school safely.
I currently have to drive to another school district in order to recycle. A neighbor and I contacted the local school to see if we could run a recycling program out of the school, and they declined.
I feel we need an initiative on behalf of our local government to go solar, go sustainable, and make it affordable for everyone. I think sustainability needs to have a greater presence in our public schools and government buildings. I am tired of our metropolitan government being the followers instead of leaders.
The city is currently working on several greenways for public use, but the majority of people who would access this space would have to drive and park to get there. It seems like the big picture is lost on small mindedness, which is sad considering the other major cities I have visited and seen what we could do if everyone just tried or cared.
Some things I feel would make a difference:
• Full connectivity and access to sidewalks on all major roads in the city.
• Full connectivity of all available bike lanes to make them a form of transportation instead of recreation only.
• Mandatory recycling and or an extension of curbside recycling to all city communities.
• Discounted solar availability and net metering available to all city communities.
