{"id":1804,"date":"2020-05-18T01:05:32","date_gmt":"2020-05-18T01:05:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=1804"},"modified":"2020-05-13T01:18:46","modified_gmt":"2020-05-13T01:18:46","slug":"covid-contemplations-local-is-key","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=1804","title":{"rendered":"COVID Contemplations: Local is Key"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">In a previous blog post I mentioned that I was attacked on twitter for celebrating my neighborhood and my ability to enjoy a neighbor\u2019s company and some local restaurant fare on our front porch. My intent with that tweet, and post, was to start to explore and promote the things that I believe we need in order to thrive in this pandemic stay-at-home circumstance. It is likely that we will encounter more situations that cause us to sequester, reduce travel, protect ourselves and our loved ones from infections. Climate change is causing temperature shifts that increase reach of illnesses, and changes in soil, water, and air systems that cause release of older diseases back into circulation.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Social justice for the win.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">What I have realized is that we need to identify some things that are seriously beneficial when we need to limit travel distances. And these are not just beneficial when we need to reduce travel, but always, and they are beneficial while also diminishing economic disparity. Social justice for the win.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1806\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1806\" class=\"wp-image-1806 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/density-Neal-Kessler-300x206.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"206\" srcset=\"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/density-Neal-Kessler-300x206.jpg 300w, https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/density-Neal-Kessler-768x528.jpg 768w, https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/density-Neal-Kessler.jpg 851w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1806\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">graphic from Neal Kessler via Jeff Speck on twitter (follow Jeff!)<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The short list is as follows, and I will describe a couple of these in more depth, including wh<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 0.95em;\">y these are so important:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">A dense city at less than 5 stories in height. Density is different than overcrowding.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Front porches and habitable stoops facing the sidewalks and the street<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Many parks and green spaces within the city and neighborhoods<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Multi-modal cities, built for people first<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Local restaurants and shopping, owned by locals<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Local schools, police, community, and art centers<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Local bowling alleys, theaters, and fun spaces<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Local manufacturing<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Local farms<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Front porches and stoops. <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">They are not expensive, yet they create expanse for living.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">I walked to the park the other day, about 3.5 miles round-trip, and spotted a couple of couples, sitting on the respective front stoops of two brownstones facing the park. Yes, the wealthier part of the city, but set that aside for a minute. This was the first time in over ten years of living here that I saw people on their front stoop, drinking wine and visiting their neighbor on the next-door front stoop. The same now happens with porches in my neighborhood. The need to get outside and still be separate, and in command of your own space, is totally supported by front porches and front stoops. They are not expensive, yet they create expanse for living. They make a street homier. They give a place for kids to play outside while still being in sight and in reach. You can be outside in the rain on a porch. They create a safety buffer &#8211; you can bet if my neighbor sees someone on my porch they don\u2019t recognize, they will pay extra attention.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Not everyone has a front stoop or a front porch. Not everyone will have one, but I know we can create a serious and transformational come-back for these amenities in all city planning, house building, renovations, affordable housing, and more. This will not only bring safety and options to individual families, but will help recreate communities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b><a href=\"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/local-stores.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1809 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/local-stores-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/local-stores-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/local-stores-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/local-stores-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/local-stores.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Local business.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This is the big one for me. A HUGE revelation. This struck me when I read about a local hardware store owner that was NOT allowed to open while a big-box hardware store about 15 miles away was. This is ass backwards from what we truly need. Think about the circles of impact when we limit our travel. Reducing the radius of these circles is<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>pivotal in flattening the curve. Additionally, locally-owned businesses keep dollars in the local community, this we know. The shop-small movement is built on this impact. So combine the two, local and locally owned, and what do we get?<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Flattened curve in times of flu, COVID-19, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">More economic strength and security, more networked engagements<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Resilience &#8211; when local manufacturing, services, entertainment all support each other, the supply chain issues can be managed in times of crisis<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Again, a resurgence of community spirit including awareness, caring, support<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/shop-small.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1714 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/shop-small-300x141.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"141\" srcset=\"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/shop-small-300x141.jpg 300w, https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/shop-small-768x361.jpg 768w, https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/shop-small-1024x481.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/shop-small.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">If I could go to a locally owned hardware store within walking or bicycling distance from my home, or on transit lines, my way of living would change. It would mean I could be self-sufficient without a car, avoiding all the cost burdens of cars. It would mean that in a pandemic, I could keep my exposure local, and limit the spread, flatten the curve faster, maintain our economic strength through those tough and limiting times. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Locally owned business is not a convenience.<\/strong> It is not just a creator of diversity and opportunity. It is a necessity to a vibrant, resilient, and just community, and it is a strength.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Shop local, enjoy your porch, and be greener.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Jodi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a previous blog post I mentioned that I was attacked on twitter for celebrating my neighborhood and my ability to enjoy a neighbor\u2019s company [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1809,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[128,12,10,15,16,121,9],"tags":[53,217,195],"class_list":["post-1804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advocacy","category-community","category-critical-commentary","category-green-business","category-health","category-resilience","category-deep-green","tag-community","tag-covid-19","tag-localbusiness"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/local-stores.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p40KlT-t6","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1834,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=1834","url_meta":{"origin":1804,"position":0},"title":"COVID Contradictions","author":"greenerjsa","date":"July 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I just watched Hamilton via streaming, and I am blown away. Not just by the musical, which I did see live awhile back (a touring company in Schenectady, NY) and which is exceptional, but by the access potential that has been revealed by COVID sequestering. 2020 is a year of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Critical commentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Critical commentary","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/hamilton.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1894,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=1894","url_meta":{"origin":1804,"position":1},"title":"We Gather for Transition","author":"greenerjsa","date":"August 9, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"My son and I decided to take a local hike last week, rather than \u201cbag\u201d another three Adirondack High Peaks. We are at 37 of 46, and really want to become 46ers this year, but recognize the current restrictions of COVID as well as the intense burden the rangers in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"community","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/grelock-rise-pano.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/grelock-rise-pano.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/grelock-rise-pano.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/grelock-rise-pano.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/grelock-rise-pano.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/grelock-rise-pano.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1070,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=1070","url_meta":{"origin":1804,"position":2},"title":"Choose \u201cCompost\u201d over a Silver Bullet","author":"greenerjsa","date":"November 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cThere is no silver bullet, but educating girls is like silver buckshot.\u201d What does this mean? It tries to communicate that we can be much more effective if we keep our focus less tight, and design solutions that create additional achievements beyond the core goal. Educating girls is not a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Advocacy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Advocacy","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=128"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/23C99108-602C-420F-B417-13648E987C0A-300x225.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1795,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=1795","url_meta":{"origin":1804,"position":3},"title":"COVID Contemplations: Defensive, Anyone?","author":"greenerjsa","date":"May 13, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"There are several things I have learned during this pandemic, and I will explore them over the next couple of posts. They tie into issues of sustainability and they reflect on deeper societal issues as well. The first is really delving into the breakdown of our cultural niceties, our human-ness.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Advocacy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Advocacy","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=128"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Grace.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Grace.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Grace.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Grace.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Grace.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2901,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=2901","url_meta":{"origin":1804,"position":4},"title":"Make it &#8211; Figure Out How (S2C E16)","author":"greenerjsa","date":"April 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Todd Thomas can fit more passion and more verbiage into a few minutes of time than anyone else I know. 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Do\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"community","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":988,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=988","url_meta":{"origin":1804,"position":5},"title":"Resiliency Riff","author":"greenerjsa","date":"June 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Resilience in our daily lives: Public transit, sidewalks, electric infrastructure, bike lanes all lead to resiliency, so everyone has more than one way to get somewhere, so long as the networks of options lead to hospitals, schools, shopping areas and to and from downtown. This brings economic and health security\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Advocacy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Advocacy","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=128"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/IMG_3549.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1804"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1810,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1804\/revisions\/1810"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}