Calendar

• 8/27: Food Now: Eat with the Locals
• 8/27: Abolish Food Deserts with Will Allen
• 9/9: Environmental Excellence Awards nominations due
• 9/11: Green Fest
• 10/18-19: Greening Midwest Communities, Jefferson City, Mo.

E-Resources

• Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier
• Citizen's Guide to LEED for Neighborhood Development (pdf)
• The Joy of Less: A Minimalist Living Guide
  
• Organic garden pest control — what works, and what doesn't?
• Persuading climate change doubters with "Cool It" documentary
• The Tropic of Chaos
• Nice shades: tips from the pros on how to keep the heat out

World News

• Report: Paper in landfills down significantly since 2005
• New green farming vital to end global hunger
• As CO2 levels rise, land becomes less able to curb warming
• Record nighttime high temperatures bigger deal for health, crops, climate than daytime highs
• When it comes to green, what you buy matters more than where you live
• Soil microbes accelerate global warming
• Loss of top animal predators has massive ecological effects
• The sustainable seafood myth

August 2011

2011 Sustainable Housing Conference, Sept. 27–28,
Kansas City, Mo.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is partnering with the Builders Development Corporation and several other federal agencies to present this conference. Tracks include energy and water efficiency, healthy homes, homebuilders and developers, and sustainable neighborhoods. The event is geared to city and county government agencies, homebuilders, nonprofits, lenders and realtors from across the four-state region (Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri). More info»

Missouri Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events

Unwanted household products labeled as flammable, toxic, corrosive, or reactive are household hazardous wastes (HHW). Missouri residents can take HHW to mobile collection events held throughout the Kansas City area. These events are free to residents of communities participating in the Regional HHW Collection Program; HHW can also be taken to permanent collection facilities.

Video explains how TIGER grant will improve local transportation infrastructure over next few years

Transportation infrastructure projects across the Kansas City metro funded by a $50 million federal TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant are making steady progress. Watch the first of a series of videos that shows how these improvements to local roadways, sidewalks and transit corridors will make our regional community more accessible and livable.

Community solves stormwater problems by using green solutions

Marlborough residents are applying some different techniques to manage stormwater more efficiently, thanks to a demonstration project that uses a variety of green solutions and innovative infrastructure improvements. Through a partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency, the city of Kansas City, Mo., MARC and other local and national organizations, Marlborough homeowners are showing how rain gardens, rain barrels and other green solutions can reduce stormwater runoff and offer other benefits for their property, the community and the region’s watershed. A tour of the neighborhood was held in July; photos from the event can be viewed here. More»

Training from the Academy for Sustainable Communities

MARC's Academy for Sustainable Communities offers seminars, technical workshops, roundtable discussions, speakers' series and other special events focused on how the Kansas City region can serve as a model of sustainability by emphasizing environmental, economic and social success. Visit marc.org/sustain for a complete list of events and opportunities.

Upcoming courses:

• 8/30: Toolbox Series — Creating Housing Choices to Promote Lifelong Communities – This workshop will provide tips and tools to help local government professionals and other stakeholders identify the form and substance of housing market changes and how they apply to the development of better planning strategies.
• 9/6: International Energy Conservation Code – Participants will learn about the major changes between the 2009 and 2012 versions of the International Energy Conservation Code and hear estimates of potential energy savings for homes in the Kansas City climate zone. 
• 9/21: Community Design for Health – This two-hour interactive workshop will examine how community design impacts the health of residents.
• 12/2: Sustainable Success Stories Workshop
• Ongoing: Sustainable Materials Management Web Academy: Recycling and Solid Waste Management Educational Series – Learn about key issues, successful projects and a variety of best management practices for creating stellar waste-management programs.
• Ongoing: APA Audio Conferences – This series of American Planning Association audio conferences addresses topics of interest to area planning commissioners and planning professionals.