The workshop-style meeting, to be run by active transportation expert Gil Penalosa of 8-80 Cities, is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16, at Memorial Hall, City Hall, 216 Ontario St. Participants are asked to register by 6:45 p.m.

“Breakwater Park is already a favourite destination for walkers and cyclists. We look forward to involving the public in choosing new design elements that will enhance the park for all users and get people out and active,” says Lanie Hurdle, Commissioner of Community Services.

8-80 Cities is a design firm that is partnering with the Ministry of Health to create spaces that invite physical activity and incorporate sustainable design principles.

“Parks are an important part of the fabric of the community because they give everyone access to a place to be active. Since being active is so important to our health, improving parks means improving the health of the community,” says Stephanie Sciberras, Physical Activity Specialist with KFL&A Public Health.

Kingston is one of six municipalities that received a “Make a Place for People” consultation opportunity in partnership with 8-80 Cities toward developing improvements to Breakwater Park. The City and KFL&A Public Health partnered on the winning application. In addition to consulting with the public, key stakeholders will also be involved in this project intended to raise awareness of the links between active and healthy living principles and built environment. 8-80 Cities will return in June for a second round of public consultation about this key waterfront park.

Media contact information: Cindie Ashton, Communications Officer, 613-546-4291, ext. 3116 (cell 329-3462). Or call the City of Kingston’s media hotline at 613-546-4291, ext. 2300.

Ultimately it’s going to take Kingston much longer than a single year to reach the goal of 1,000 solar rooftops, and at this rate we can realistically expect to get there by 2020. In the meantime, those of us who have abandoned our expensive solar dreams can still utilize our rooftops to help reduce our greenhouse emissions, improve air quality, and enhance stormwater management. With the sustainable potential of rooftops that have yet to receive the solar treatment in mind, what if Kingston embraced a 1,000 green rooftops initiative?

Green rooftops, otherwise referred to as rain or rooftop gardens, consist of roofs that have been covered with greenery, edible vegetation and irrigation systems. The main benefit of living roofs is that they reduce the urban heat island effect, which makes a built-up area significantly warmer than its surroundings, while they also serve as a naturalized sinks for absorbing and cleansing rainwater.

Green roofs can significantly reduce the surface run off volumes and rates of rainfall leaving roofs. As a source control mechanism in the Sustainable Urban Drainage System green roofs can help reduce flash floods as a consequence of intense rainfall events. This will become increasingly important as a consequence of climate change. Green roofs also improve the quality of water and although the amount of water is reduced it is possible to rainfall harvest from roofs that have been greened.

Soaking up all that sun and rainwater, green roofs are ideal for growing produce, which would not only reduce one’s monthly grocery bill, but it could even create a few jobs for urban farmers and rooftop garden designers.  Further, rooftop land would add a little bit of diversity to the local ecosystem by attracting and sustaining more feathered wildlife, bugs and even beekeeping.  And to top it off, unlike solar panels, rooftop gardens don’t cost an arm and a leg to setup or maintain, so virtually anyone can jump on board so long as they have an appropriate rooftop.  In fact, rooftop gardens can be setup for a little as $9 per square foot.

The only question that remains is how do we get Kingstonians on board? The big lure for solar installations is that they can reduce your energy bill, and generate revenue over the long term.  Perhaps the financial aspect of lowtech green roofs needs to be investigated a bit more and so that they can be marketed to Kingstonians.  Further, City Hall could help by encouraging developers to incorporate green rooftops is all new commercial and residential development with the aid of environmental grants.  Of course, identification of existing rooftops that would be ideal for this sort of treatment would also contribute towards our sustainability efforts.

What do you think?  Would a 1,000 green rooftop challenge be more successful than the solar rooftop challenge?  Would you jump on the green rooftop bandwagon if there was local know-how and support to get you there?

Thanks to oshokim for today’s rooftop photo.

Has the the lack of snow and sub-zero conditions deterred or increased your enjoyment of Winter this year? Did you scrap plans to venture down south as a result of the conditions back home, or have you had to scrap plans to go cross country skiing? Are you concerned that the warmer temperatures could spell a painfully hot summer for Kingston?

Do you think double decker buses would work here, or do you see them as a gimmick? Would you rather have an LRT system in Kingston instead?  How would you change local commuter culture for the better?

Thanks to lippert61 for today’s photo.

This week’s challenge encourages you to:

Submit a pitch to Awesome Kingston. There is a new group in town that has $1000 to give to an individual or group that has a great idea to improve Kingston. That’s where you come in. Pull out those ideas that you have had to put a smile on the faces of strangers. Grab some friends and dream up some ideas together to improve an area of Kingston and submit as a group. Awesome Kingston wants all of your ideas, small or large, complicated or simple, practical or a flight of fancy. Applications for February are due at midnight on 2 Feb, while you will find all the application details: here. How would you improve Kingston given a chance and $1000?

Sign up and commit to completing this week’s challenge by commenting below with an “I’m in“, “challenge accepted“, “en garde” or something along those lines. Further, help us spread the word via Twitter and Facebook by using the hashtag: #ygkchallenge. As you work towards completing this week’s task, please feel free to lend others a helping hand by providing tips on how you achieved success.

Thanks to himmelskratzer for today’s photo.  A very special thanks to Awesome Kingston Trustee, Shari Reed, for today’s submission.

has a viable economy fuelled by a healthy population and leaves the smallest environmental footprint possible. The bottom-line indicator of sustainability for a city is the ability to maintain its population. A sustainable city must be a place where people want to live, work, play, and build their lives…

In recent years, the quality of life for Kingstonians has improved thanks to our organic recycling program, the availability of locally sourced produce at the Farmer’s Market, expanded bike lanes, all those wind turbines spinning across the way and the list goes on.  We certainly deserve a pat on the back for our accomplishments thus far, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that there’s still a great deal of work to be done before we can hope to break into the top ten most sustainable, similarly-sized cities in Canada.  What projects or initiatives do you think we need to implement in order to be recognized at the national level for our sustainabile prowess?

This coming weekend, Sustainable Kingston is taking yet another stride towards becoming Canada’s most sustainable city, as they’re hosting the city’s first annual Community Forum at the Four Points by Sharaton.  The inaugural event will showcase Kingston’s sustainability plan as well as exhibits, speakers, success stories, and interactive discussions about sustainability in the Limestone City. Highlights that are a part of this year’s Community Forum are as follows:

• Feature Presentation: David Miller, Former Mayor of Toronto: Toronto’s 63rd mayor (from 2003-2010) is a leading advocate for the creation of sustainable urban economies. Under his leadership, Toronto created and implemented innovative strategies that helped create a significant building boom, a stronger economy, and an environmentally and socially sustainable city. Mr. Miller continues to be a strong and forceful champion for the next generation of jobs through sustainability, and advises companies – and governments – on practical measures to make this happen.
• Showcase Presentations: Sustainable Kingston Partners who are currently implementing projects and programs as part of the Sustainable Kingston Plan will talk about their success stories and how they all link together to reach the vision of Kingston—Canada’s Most Sustainable City
• Interactive Symposia on the Four Sustainability Pillars: Cultural Vitality, Economic Health, Environmental Responsibility and Social Equity — An opportunity to learn more about what is happening under each pillar in Kingston, and to share your perspectives on moving forward to reach Kingston’s sustainability goals.
• Exhibits: dynamic displays of sustainability in action, such as projects currently in the works, innovative business solutions, and diverse media used to communicate sustainability.

As the world continues to tackle greater social, economic and environmental challenges, it is vital that Kingston’s develops and implements policies and programs that enable us to become more self-sufficient and a leader on the sustainability front.  If you’re passionate about being a part of the team that will get us there, then I hope you’ll consider attending the first annual Community Forum on Sustainability.

This week’s challenge encourages you to:

Properly dispose of old batteries, cell phones and unwanted e-waste. Yesterday the City of Kingston announced new locations where residents could properly dispose of used single-use and rechargeable batteries, as well as small used electronic devices such as cell phones. This initiative is geared towards the diversion of toxic heavy metals such as mercury, lead and cadmium, which do not belong in our landfills. Take a look at this shocking infographic regarding e-waste, which explains everything from where it all ends up to the negative health effects.

Sign up and commit to completing this week’s challenge by commenting below with an “I’m in“, “challenge accepted“, “en garde” or something along those lines. Further, help us spread the word via Twitter and Facebook by using the hashtag: #ygkchallenge. As you work towards completing this week’s task, please feel free to lend others a helping hand by providing tips on how you achieved success.

Thanks to Well Home for today’s photo.

Spent batteries are considered household hazardous waste and cannot go in your weekly garbage.

The spent batteries are being collected – at no cost to the public or the City – by Raw Materials Company Inc., a company approved under Stewardship Ontario’s Municipal Hazardous Solid Waste program. This company recycles the batteries and reclaims their toxic heavy metals, like cadmium, mercury and lead, to keep them out of landfill. The battery collection program also saves energy by reducing the need to mine and process these metals.

The office at the Kingston Area Recycling Centre, 196 Lappan’s Lane, also accepts these items when the Household Hazardous Waste facility is closed for the season (December through March).

For more on how to properly dispose of or recycle various kinds of batteries, see www.cityofkingston.ca/batteries.

Media contact information: Cindie Ashton, Communications Officer, 613-546-4291, ext. 3116 (cell 329-3462). Or call the City of Kingston’s media hotline at 613-546-4291, ext. 2300.

Community grants awarded by the Grant Selection Committee serve registered charities in all eight sectors in Kingston & Area.

• Arts & Culture
• Community Development
• Education & Literacy
• Environment
• Health & Social Services
• Heritage Preservation
• Recreation
• Youth

The geographic area covered by the Foundation’s Community Grants includes the Loyalist Township, City of Kingston, Township of South Frontenac, Township of Central Frontenac, Township of North Frontenac, and the Township of Frontenac Islands. Environmental projects must lie within the area stated above or within the Cataraqui River Watershed.

Since its inception in 1995, the Community Foundation has awarded over 860 Community Grants totalling over two million dollars to local organizations, and distributed approximately one million dollars from other endowment funds and over 3.3 million dollars from flow-through funds. Examples of grants we have made can be found on their website.

“Letters of Intent are due at the Foundation’s offices at 165 Ontario Street by 4:30 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012. Additional information and the application forms are available on our webpage,” said Vera Kettnaker, the grant coordinator. “All Letters of Intent will be reviewed by an independent granting committee, who are already looking forward to receiving the applications for innovative and effective projects.”

About the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area

The Community Foundation for Kingston & Area is one of Canada’s 180 community foundation and seeks to enhance and strengthens the quality of life in our community through the administration of entrusted funds held in perpetuity, flexible donor services, and visionary grant making. It offers opportunities to concerned and caring citizens to give something back to our community. Together, the Community Foundations of Canada are one of the largest supporters of Canadian communities, providing $149 million in support of local priorities and organizations in 2010. To find out more visit CFKA’s Frequently Asked Questions.

Media Contact: Vikram Varma, Executive Director, The Community Foundation for Kingston & Area, 165 Ontario Street, Kingston, ON K7L 2Y6, Phone: (613) 546-9696, Email: vikram@cfka.org.

One Bag Per Household Limit

In March 2009, after approximately one year of anticipation, Kingstonian’s began to receive green bins as a part of the city-wide organic recycling program. Council initially projected that these environmentally friendly vessels would help reduce household waste by as much as 65 percent, thereby slowing the long-term exhaustion of available landfills. Since then, our household has rarely missed a week of filling our green bin, while we’ve noticed a drastic reduction in the number of garbage bags we place at the curb. In fact, we’ve gone upwards of four weeks without having to put a single bag of trash out for curbside collection. Nevertheless, a quick glance around my neighbourhood hints that not everyone is regularly using their green bin, and so we have a ways to go before we reach the lofty goal of 65 percent waste reduction. In an effort to help us get there, and encourage the use of our trusty green, blue and grey bins, the City of Kingston is moving towards a weekly limit of one bag of trash per household. Accordingly, this week’s poll asks:
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.
Passed by a narrow margin of 6 to 7 on November 1st, Council’s amendments to the solid waste by-law are as follows:

1. properties offered access to the green bin program be limited to one container, bag and/or bundle of garbage per self-contained residential unit per week without bag tags;
2. two bags of garbage without tags be allowed on the first collection day following New Years Day, Victoria Day and Labour Day;
3. residents with medical conditions that result in the generation of extra garbage be provided with 52 bag tags subject to a letter advising of the need from their medical practitioner being approved annually by the Solid Waste Manager; and
4. staff be directed to promote “Giveaway Days” when residents are encouraged to place reusable items at the curb for others to take at no cost.

With consideration to the forthcoming changes outlined above, Council moved away from previous proposals to force Kingstonians to use clear garbage bags, as a means for waste collectors to police whether or not recyclables were being mixed in with trash. However, city staff is now considering another recognition program that would reward households with a gold star for consistently and appropriately managing their recycling and waste. Can you imagine being the only one on your block without a gold star?

What are your thoughts on weekly limits on the number of garbage bags per household. Do you think that these measures will make a difference and help us reach a 65% reduction, or will they result in an increase in illegal dumping? Otherwise, should we consider going one step further, following the example of cities such as Ottawa, who are moving to biweekly trash collection and expand acceptable materials in our green bins?

Thanks to ceegee-ceegee for today’s trashy photo.