The city of Vancouver is hoping to reduce its energy use and carbon emissions by hiring a goat to maintain the grounds at city hall. Though the mayor wants to expand the goat program to schools and parks, some have reservations.
"The concept is simple: Tony grazes on city hall greenspace and reduces the need for carbon-spewing lawn mowers and weed whackers. In addition to his daily grass intake, Tony consumes a high-fibre diet of prunes and whey. Tony's manure is collected and mixed with nitrogen fertilizer, which powers a battery of microwave-sized generators strategically placed inside city hall. The generators heat individual rooms and can be easily moved around the building, if necessary."
"'GoatingGreen will reduce city hall's heating bill by 30 per cent,' said Robertson, as Tony quietly nuzzled the mayor's pant leg. The savings, added Robertson, will help recoup the $37,580 program cost. GoatingGreen materials include Tony, 12 generators, two stainless steel pooper scoopers, one Goat-a-Matic tracking collar and a three-year supply of environmentally friendly fertilizer."
"Pending council approval, Robertson plans to purchase more goats and expand the program to public sites around the city, including parks and school grounds."
"But not everyone's on board."
Thanks to Brent Toderian
Read the full story: Mayor unleashes goat program
How Smart Street Lights Can Help Cities Achieve Sustainability Goals
Switching to energy-efficient LEDs and using tech to program when and how street lighting operates can save cities millions in electricity expenses and bring down carbon emissions.
Data Center Emissions Far Outpace Tech Company Claims
In-house data centers owned by several major tech companies likely produce over six times as many greenhouse gas emissions as their owners estimate.
How Urban Sprawl Came To Dominate U.S. Cities—And How To Change That
The auto-centric development patterns of American cities are a result of decades of misguided, but reversible, policy decisions.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Los Angeles just elected an urban planner as its mayor
Transportation analysts are optimistic that Raman will be more aggressive in addressing transit issues than Bass.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority