Nutrition and portion sizes: art imitating life
In working toward healthy communities, we all know that nutrition plays an important role. There’s plenty of evidence that Americans generally aren’t eating well, and are also eating way too much. Obesity rates, driven by many factors, are rising at an alarming pace. Those are all facts. But if you’ve ever wondered if there’s any proof to the often-surmised theory that portion sizes at meals are increasing, a newly published study provides compelling evidence, and from an unlikely source — the world of art.
As reported by Reuters, a pair of U.S. professors studied 52 paintings depicting the biblical Last Supper. It turns out that the well-known scene has changed dramatically over the centuries in one jarring way: “The study found that, over the past 1,000 years, the size of the main meal has progressively grown 69 percent; plate size has increased 66 percent and bread size by about 23 percent.”
It stands to reason that life is not imitating art, but that art is reflecting the times that the artists lived in. While this study might not have profound consequences, it is particularly timely with health care on everyone’s mind. When it comes to portion size, the role of government is of course limited. But giving the public the best information to make decisions would seem to be a useful step, and the federal government is looking to replicate a widely supported idea already being implemented at the local level in New York City. Among the lesser-talked-about clauses in the just-signed federal health care legislation is section 4205 — chain and fast-food restaurants will be required to post calorie counts on menus.
U.N. says COP-15 Accord is not enough
The Copenhagen Accord reached in December at COP-15 was certainly a disappointment. At least, it could and should be said, it marked an agreement of sorts among many of the industrialized countries which will need to lead the way out of our climate predicament. But it’s already time for a reality check. January 31 marked the first key deadline in the accord, as the signatories had to submit to the U.N. their pledged goals for reducing emissions. Reports have arrived from 55 nations, and the only thing news-worthy is that nothing news-worthy arrived at the U.N. The verdict from the U.N. top climate advisor on reaching the target of limiting temperature rise to two degrees Celsius: ”It is likely, according to a number of analysts, that if we add up all those figures that were being discussed around Copenhagen, if they’re all implemented, it will still be quite difficult to reach.”
“That is the bottom line, but you can look at it negatively and positively,” Janos Pasztor continued to the Associated Press. “The negative part is that it’s not good enough. The positive side is that for the first time, we have a goal, a clear goal that we’re all working toward. … Before we would just talk.”
So, the glass is less than half-full, but it’s not quite empty. Maybe this moment can be yet another wake-up call, and put some more needed pressure on COP-16 in Mexico.
Remembering Uwe Lorenzen
The global sustainability movement lost a champion recently in the passing of Uwe Lorenzen. Uwe was head of the European Union Office at Local Government Denmark — the interest group that represents Danish municipalities, essentially equivalent to the National League of Cities in the U.S.
With his passing, he is remembered by United Cities and Local Governments as “a remarkably active member of the international movement of local and regional government networks.” The Council of European Municipalities and Regions cites his “tireless commitment” and adds that ”his enthusiasm and dynamism were contagious.”
Uwe had a particular focus on sustainability issues and was remarkably effective in that arena. He helped get the website ClimateActionMap.org off the ground, and played a key role in the Local Government Climate Change Leadership Summit held in Copenhagen last June, a successful precursor event to December’s COP-15.
Best wishes to those who knew and worked with Uwe around the world. He and his work will be remembered.
Calif. makes waves with new statewide building code
The California Building Standards Commission caused a stir this week with the adoption of a new statewide code, referred to by the San Francisco Chronicle as ”the most stringent, environmentally friendly building code standards of any state in the nation.” Under the name Calgreen, the code mandates a number of green construction practices, from reducing pollutants and waste in the construction process, to increasing energy and water efficiency in the resulting buildings. Individual jurisdictions are welcome to keep or adopt stricter standards.
A broad coalition supports the new code, notably including the building industry and the state chamber of commerce. There’s still some predictable opposition by those who claim the new code is too strict – those voices will quietly disappear as common-sense “green building practices” eventually become ”standard building practices.” More interesting is the opposition from some groups who think the code is not strict enough and may even cause confusion with its new, tiered rating system. It’ll be a year before Calgreen goes into effect – hopefully there’s time to work through some of the concerns. California is taking a bold step in the right direction, as updating a building code presents one of the simplest, fairest avenues to generate meaningful change and promote sustainability.
Top posts of 2009
As we head into the new year, let’s take a quick look back at 2009. These were the most-read city3BL stories over the past year:
1. It’s time for government to trim the fat
2. South Carolina says ‘no’ to coal plant
3-tie. Charlottesville, Va., heads toward “smart grid”
3-tie. Seattle voters overturn fee on plastic bags
Television is even worse than you thought
Momentum may be growing across the U.S. to go green, but a high-profile issue is about to provide one of the most compelling test-cases yet. The state of California has approved a new energy efficiency standard which will touch one of the most treasured items in many American homes — the television. As reported by Reuters, the move by the California Energy Commission requires drastic cuts in energy use by new televisions, but promises some significant benefits: savings of about a billion dollars a year in energy costs, and carbon emissions reduction measuring in the millions of metric tons. How is that possible? It turns out that televisions, in one eye-opening stat, account for “10 percent of home electric bills in the state.”
This decision is sure to pit any number of interests against one another, and it should be interesting to watch this play out. If the question boils down to whether people are willing to go green if it affects the size of their television sets, the answer might not be a good one. But maybe this is really a test-case for the private sector – is the electronics industry prepared to step-up, be innovative, and produce products that are both responsible and meet consumers’ needs?
Miami follow-up: New urban code finally approved
As was covered by city3BL in August, the city of Miami’s proposed zoning code overhaul — nicknamed Miami 21 — was previously dealt a serious set-back in a deadlocked vote by the city council. It turns out that the blow wasn’t fatal. A recent 4-1 council vote has now approved the ambitious form-based code that aims to transform Miami into a new urban vision of mixed uses, friendlier streetscapes, and pedestrian safety.
The Miami Herald referred to the plan as ”the cornerstone of Mayor Manny Diaz’s development plans for Miami,” and added that with the positive vote, according to the mayor, “Miami can look to oneday be compared to cities such as Chicago, New York, even Paris.”
The newspaper cited “more than four years of debate and literally hundreds of public meetings.” It was an exhaustive process, and the plan is sure to continue to generate controversy and debate. But the vote is a large victory for the future of the city, and now we can look forward to watching Miami’s vision get put into action.
CDC focus: Healthy people in a healthy environment
Just returned from the Centers for Disease Control’s 2009 National Environmental Public Health Conference … It was a large, enthusiastic crowd in Atlanta, with a nice line-up of workshops and speakers. Especially encouraging was the theme — “Healthy People in a Healthy Environment” — and how it was defined broadly to include both the built and natural environments. It felt like a sustainability conference, with a recognition of how so many issues intersect, even while it was occasionally difficult to break down silos. Selected highlights from a few of the plenary speakers:
> CDC Director Thomas Friedan pulled together a lot of the issues to open up the conference — from smoking and obesity, to physical activity and climate change — laying out a case for action. He also slid in a timely plea for health care reform — “It is scandalous that we spend as much as we do, to get the results that we get,” Friedan said – arguing for more prevention measures and targeted research.
> Amory Lovins, renowned chair of the Rocky Mountain Institute, connected the dots on energy, climate change, the economy, and even nuclear weapons. Focusing on a range of technological advancements and policy options, Lovins argued that there’s “a compelling business case” for the private sector to lead the way to a new economy, and pointed out that “smart firms” are already doing it. Lovins argued that it’s an “incorrect assumption” that climate protection will be costly, and centered his arguments on a compelling theme: “Let’s just use energy in a way that saves money.”
> Majora Carter, founder of Sustainable South Bronx, shared a personal, sometimes emotional, always spot-on presentation of her quest to bring a new, green reality to her hometown. It’s a compelling story of environmental protection and green jobs, providing hope and results to a blighted, urban neighborhood. She also provided some keen insight into why environmental justice is an issue that ultimately affects everyone, asserting convincingly that if destructive energy and waste facilities were placed in wealthy areas as easily as they’ve been put in poor and minority communities, “we would have had a clean and green economy a long, long time ago.”
> Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin closed the conference with a call to action for the public health community, with reminders to focus on concrete, personal actions, to translate important messages into language all can understand, and to repeat those messages over and over again in front of varied audiences. Mayor Franklin proclaimed that public health should be the most important goal of government — that ultimately all individuals share a desire to be happy and healthy, and a lot of problems will be solved if we can just make progress on that.
Poll: U.S. climate beliefs head in wrong direction
It’s not the first time that polls have found disappointing results in regard to U.S. views on climate change. But if you thought that we’d reached the tipping point on at least an acknowledgement of the problem — if not the solution – it may be time to think again. A new Pew Research Center poll, as reported by the Associated Press, found that ”just 57 percent think there is solid evidence the world is getting warmer, down 20 points in just three years.” And there’s more: “Only about a third, or 36 percent of the respondents, feel that human activities — such as pollution from power plants, factories and automobiles — are behind a temperature increase. That’s down from 47 percent from 2006…”
Maybe it’s an odd poll with an outlier result. Maybe the weather has misled people. Maybe industry groups have had success in pushing some disingenuous messages out through the media and supportive politicians. There are any number of ways one might expain this. But still, something’s very wrong. It’s fair to have very different opinions on what should or shouldn’t be done on climate change. But 43% of Americans polled don’t even believe the overwhelming scientific evidence? That’s stunning. It touches on any number of broader cultural issues, but as for climate change, it’s a problem that continues to affect policy decisions at home and abroad.
Bringing smart growth to the suburbs
Smart growth policies and principles are applicable anywhere, in terms of aligning development with the best management of resources. But there’s something particularly rewarding about seeing traditional suburban areas – with the requisite sprawl, cul-de-sacs, and strip malls – taking a fresh look at their plans.
That’s now the case in Montgomery County, Maryland, outside of the nation’s capital. The county currently dissuades development where traffic congestion is high, but the planning board and county council are considering flipping that policy on its head. As reported by The Washington Post, the plan “would reward developers who build near transit and create walkable, bikeable communities by giving them discounts and allowing them to avoid the usual requirements to fix congested roads nearby or make improvements so their developments don’t add to traffic.”
There will be much debate over whether the proposal is going too far or doing too little. But the conversation is heading in the right direction. At a minimum, this story brings up good questions about the past, present and future of the suburban development “model.” At the same time, and maybe most importantly, there’s also a spot-on reminder about the importance of messaging in the promotion of smart growth — the need, as one council member warned, to stay away from impressions that ”a lifestyle of a suburban community is not respected.”
Revised U.S. poverty numbers reveal big challenges
You knew that the country was going through some rough economic times over the last number of years. Now, judging by one of the most important indicators, it turns out that the situation is actually worse than what was once thought. That news comes with the release of National Academy of Science calculations on poverty, which take into account some real-world measures not factored into the official Census Bureau numbers. The results are striking either way, but as reported by the Associated Press, the “NAS formula shows the poverty rate to be at 15.8 percent, or nearly 1 in 6 Americans.” Not surprisingly, the numbers are even worse for children and seniors.
That startling “1 in 6″ number represents millions upon millions of individuals. Regardless of politics or ideology, it’s an untenable situation – and a shameful one. The revised poverty numbers provide one more piece of evidence that cities are facing an enormous and daunting task, dealing simultaneously with an unforgiving economic landscape and the often painful ramifications to human services.
Save paradise and put up a parking lot
The push to increase trips by mass transit and reduce trips by car has resulted in — somewhat ironically — an increased need for parking. To some degree it’s unavoidable — reducing or removing parking in some places often means redirecting it somewhere else. More specifically, there’s a need to think more creatively about parking garages, which are often necessary in order to make transit-oriented development work. USA Today — which couldn’t resist referring to Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” either — takes a look at the issue, particulaly at how parking garages are better used if they’re convenient and pleasant. In a few select cases, the garages themselves have become LEED certified.
Parking garages are never a sexy topic, but they’re an important part of the formula for a sustainable transportation system. Maybe we should be more than a little excited at the prospect of a trend toward making garages more green and more attractive.
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