Living Here:

Our Readers Tell It Like It Is: Perspectives On the Ground

In the summer of 2008, we asked for and received over 100 submissions from all over the country for our Green Urban Life writing contest. Our distinguished panel of judges chose those that struck them most -- that tell personal stories of individuals who are living, or trying to live, sustainably in cities across the United States. We enjoyed your stories. Some made us laugh, one made us cry, another made us cringe... and all of them made us proud to be part of a growing movement of people who are concerned about the future of our cities and doing something about it.

Please check back here often for updates. We will be adding new submissions every week.

Living Small in Milwaukee

Submitted by Mali Anderson

Here are some typical sights on my block of Milwaukee, WI. There are old cars in garages being souped up hobbyist mechanics who blare rock and roll music. There are lawns that are too green, too lush and require chemicals and noisy machines to maintain. Ladies stand on the sod, gossiping over backyard fences, lighting one cigarette after another. And there is one woman who actually vacuums birdseed off of her lawn. Those birds are just way too messy for her. These are the things I see daily.more »

San Francisco Policies Force LA-Transplant to Go Green

Submitted by Chantelle Tibbs

Alright, so let's keep it real. Everyone knows San Francisco is a green city. Even the way the words SAN and FRANCISCO roll off the tongue sound green. (If green could make a sound, that is). I knew this before I even moved to this fine city, but what I wasn't aware of was what shade of green San Francisco truly is. Bright, neon, fluorescent, deep, brilliant green!more »

Dallas Does Green

Submitted by Dallas May

I have been very proud of Dallas, TX since moving here in 2006. Don't get me wrong- Dallas has a lot of problems and has a long way to go. But Dallas has made some major strides toward becoming a very green city. There have been advances in commuter rail, recycling, energy efficient buildings, electronic and chemical recycling, and many other things.more »

When In Portland, Do As the Portlanders Do

Submitted by Joe Orzali

One of the things that the hordes of newcomers to Portland, OR learn quickly is that the job market can be a tough nut to crack. For many folks, this brings out their creativity, as evident in the modern day versions of the open air market providing direct to consumer commerce downtown at the Saturday market every weekend and every last Thursday of the month along NE Alberta St. These are a few of the unique features of Portland that seem born out of necessity and do their part to “Keep Portland Weird.”more »

Kicking the Car Habit San Francisco style

Submitted by Emmaly Wiederholt

I grew up in the southwest, where people start driving when they’re fifteen and stop when they leave this planet. My parents owned four cars while I was in high school, not because they have no regard for the environment, but because each driver in our household had separate places to be. In fact, my parents are fairly forward in their efforts to be green; the value of composting, recycling and gardening were instilled in me since childhood. A car for each driver just felt like a necessity.more »

Colorado Springs Sees Greener Days

Submitted by Eileen A. Brodie

Colorado Springs' founder, General William Jackson Palmer, had a lot of big ideas, starting with bringing the railroad here and planning a well-designed city. His influence lives on in the many acres of parkland he created. His foresight for planting trees throughout the city made it easy for Colorado Springs to become a "Tree City USA." Today, I appreciate the green lifestyle we can have here.more »

Indy Eyes Sustainability

Submitted by Angela Herrmann

In the 2006 SustainLane survey of the 50 largest U.S. cities, Indianapolis didn’t rate so well. While Indy ranked 45th in its ability to weather an oil crisis, it fared slightly better in the Local Food and Agriculture rankings at 31st. Not surprising, given Indianapolis’ love-affair with all things automotive. But something has happened in Indianapolis since 2006: a growing awareness of sustainability.more »

Honolulu Cyclist Calls for Better Bikeways

Submitted by Maria Lebron

I love my bike. Love, love, love it. If I could marry it I would. It is my first, my last, my everything. I used to live in Lake Tahoe, and I can say I have ridden my bike at least once in every single month of a calendar year. The second that the sun came out and the streets were clear, I would ride in the cold, cold, sun of January, February you name it. In the summer, I rode every single day. It was the happiest time of my life. I knew every inch of the ground in that town, every pot hole, every hill. I knew exactly how my bike and I would react to all of it.more »

One Less Car on the Road in Los Angeles

Submitted by Claire Latané

I always wanted to live in California: the mecca of liberalism, bastion of healthy living. When I moved here five years ago for graduate school, I was surprised and thrilled to learn that Los Angeles was, in fact, a diverse collection of unique individuals from every walk of life. So, it wasn’t that I felt pressure to ride my bike to work. I just really wanted to do my part for a healthy city by being one less car in Los Angeles.more »

A Teaching Moment at Baltimore's Herring Run Park

Submitted by Betty Mayes

City has always been my life. I was born and raised in this city we call Baltimore.
A beautiful park known as Herring Run, with its rippling stream, was part of my life from early childhood. My own children, now grown and living in their own homes in this same city, also have the same affinity for this park.more »

Recycling Scrap Metal Leads to Happy Returns

Submitted by Michael Cipielewski Jr.

I walk into the scrap metal center with a box of copper I collected all over Detroit during the summer—parts parts from the water-heater that broke in July, old computer wire, parts from televisions I’ve found, and a million other bits from who knows what. The guy operating the scale jokes about the rain that’s so hard we can’t even see my car yards away. I look like I showered with my clothes on, but it’s worth it. I grab the sheet of paper that spits out of the scale, trying not to drip all over it, and head to the cashier. The box of copper put $90 in my pocket. Fred Sanford ain’t got a thing on me.more »

The Low-Carbon Vacation

Submitted by Jerry Tinianow

Last spring, my wife and I began a casual conversation about whether it would be possible to go on a really cool vacation from our home in Columbus, Ohio without using a car or a plane. After a lot of research, we cooked up a wonderful trip from Columbus to Aspen, Colorado.more »

Wheelin' Around in the Sooner State's Capital

Submitted by Tara Johnson

Oklahoma City has installed 35 new bike racks in the most popular business areas in and around its downtown area. The new racks are coated with black polyurea, which is also used to coat the beds of pickup tracks to prevent scratching. Urbanites with high quality biking equipment can feel safe locking their bikes to these racks knowing that their bikes won't get scratched.more »

Historic Baltimore Neighorhood Becomes 'Clean and Green'

Submitted by Lisa Cox

During my life, the beauty of Baltimore’s Sharp-Leadenhall neighborhood has always struck me. Sharp-Leadenhall is a historical African-American neighborhood, whose people are full of pride for the community. The neighborhood consists of numerous streets – Hanover Street, Hamburg Street and the one that I'm most familiar: Bevan Street. Bevan Street residents were always unique because of their interest in creating a clean environment for their neighbors and children. They always found ways of beautifying the block whether it was painting the curbs or making flowers pots out of tires.more »

Disposable Diaper Guilt Plagues Albuquerque Resident

Submitted by Lorraine Baiardo

As a new mom, I feel extremely guilty about using disposable diapers. I know how bad they are for the environment, and I’ve had trouble finding a practical solution to this issue that fits within my financial means. I looked into diapers services in this city, and there is only one, and it is a pretty penny per month. I also looked into buying washable diapers, and it was going to cost me about 500 dollars to get 12 diapers to use during my baby’s first three months (I was going through close to 12 diapers a day). Then I would have been consuming more water by using the washing machine 24-7 in the desert that is Albuquerque, NM.more »

Green Fun on the Bayou

Submitted by Bob Randall, Ph.D.

Houston's climate is humid year-round and hot most of the year. For 12 months a year, plants and creatures grow and reproduce abundantly in this semi-tropical plant paradise. Or at least they do if not buried in an endless expanse of concrete, asphalt and buildings. Though the Southeast Texas prairie has been largely paved over, heat and rainfall together with the huge Texas expanse, means that there is still a great deal of plant and wildlife here.more »

Houston Needs a Green Intervention

Submitted by Melissa Rothrock

I am extremely concerned with the current status of Houston. From observing other cities, it seems that Houston is the most polluted and least eco-minded city in the United States.more »

Being Gray is Cheaper than Being Green in Nashville

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."more »

Logan Square Resident Describes Greening and Preening in Chicago's Neighborhoods

Submitted by Claudia Louise Pesenti

Biking the boulevards in Chicago is a green pleasure rather than what it used to be: a daring ride through the asphalt jungle that the streets had become due to blight, lack of funding and civic responsibility. Now, trees line the streets of Chicago, corners are bursting with native plants, and folks are picking up the trash in their communities.more »

What is Urban Sustainability?

What is urban sustainability?
How can urban systems improve?

To whom is sustainability important?more »