John J Zeugner, AICP
September 2009
I hope you all had a rich and relaxing summer!
First, I want to urge you all to attend the September General Meeting on Peak Oil. I heard Mr Whipple and Mr Zeigler present a similar program last Fall, and it was eye-opening and unsettling, with its implications for life as we know it, running out of gas, and breaking down in many ways. To learn more about this rarely-discussed, “slow-moving environmental disaster”, you should read James Howard Kunstler’s , The Long Emergency ( 2005). Kunstler is regarded by many as an accurate forecaster- in the 1990sw, he wrote two books about the perils and anomie of sprawl and suburbia, called Home from Nowhere (1993) and The Geography of Nowhere (1996) which have become textbooks for architects and planners, essentially advocating for higher densities and mixed uses, more diversity, transit and bike/ped uses, and reinvigorated communities .
The Long Emergency’s subtitle is Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century, and this very accessible book explores, in these chapters, the dwindling supply of fossil fuels; why alternative fuels won’t save us; when Nature bites back (climate change, epidemic disease, water scarcity, habitat destruction, and the dark side of the Industrial Age); running on empty; and living in the Long Emergency. The last chapter is a scathing critique of contemporary society and how delusional, or denial-permeated it is -- pop-culture, materialistic and consumerist, self-centered, short-termed, instantly gratified.
In my opinion, the book is a big wake-up call, for us to get serious about potential changes that will make the last ice age look like a chilly day. It should propel research to find alternative energy sources, explore decentralization and/or sustainability, prioritize local agriculture and regional manufacturing, and prepare for significant climate change, massive population relocations, and economic upheaval.
On a brighter note, we are making progress with our Greenways initiative ! The Capitol Region Greenways Group has been meeting monthly, and helped bring the national Rails to Trails Conservancy to Richmond for several meetings, focusing on the Southside Rails to Trails project in Doug Connor’s 9th District. Sheila Sheppard (PSG), NPS & City folks, regional planners & bike and trail enthusiasts, helped organize a 9th District. community meeting, discussing the advantages of the R2T conversion, and how to get there! Everyone was excited, and we have been talking with the Trust for Public Lands and VDOT about funding for buying the 2.3 mi corridor, which spans from Geo Wythe HS to Cofer Rd, a block from Jeff-Davis (google the map & switch to satellite view).
There is a walking tour of the Southside Rails to Trails project area on Saturday, October 24th, to which we are invited. Watch PSG’s website, or ours, for time and meeting place.
FoJG Outings Bike Ride Event - Saturday, Oct 10th - (Rain date following Saturday, Oct 17th) Meet at Forest Hill Park Stone House (parking near the shelters). Riders will depart at 9:30 am sharp so be smart and get there 10-15 mins early. Bring water, must have helmet. The ride will be moderately easy, but be prepared!
Bike the Reedy Creek watershed to see a remarkable watershed stabilization & restoration project in Richmond’s Southside. We’ll have various representatives of the Reedy Creek watershed coalition interpret segments of the watershed, via an easy Saturday morning bike. We’ll see a really cool, artificial wetland at the headwaters, stabilized stream banks in a brand new greenway, and work our way to Forest Hill Park, where we’ll tour the City’s Parks and Recreation Department lake dredging and wetlands restoration project, along with project engineers.
Want a little longer ride? We’ll slip over to the RC Visitors Center and zoom along the gravel service road, west or east, to grab another 4 miles. Finish it off with a cookout, or a trip to Legends or CrossRoads Cafe? Maybe you can help us plan it....
More info at the Sept General meeting, y’all come !
Friends of Chimborazo Park Playground Awarded National Grant.
The Friends of Chimborazo Playground was recently selected for a KaBOOM! playground building grant (worth about $35,000). KaBOOM is a national nonprofit organization that works with communities and funding partners to build playgrounds. You may remember photographs of Hurricane Isabel and the landslide that sent most of Chimborazo Playground sliding down the hill...
Kaboom Playground Build Day Thurs, Sept 10th:
Home Depot is the major partner with the Friends group, with the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities and other groups helping. 75 volunteers are needed on the build-day for the playground, Thursday September 10th.
The community provides volunteers, food, and tools for the project. If you are handy with tools, or want to spend part of a day literally community-building, please please volunteer! You should visit the Friends group website at: www.imaginechimbo.org/playground-grant-from-kaboom