11 Sustainable Cities and Communities (162)
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Public meeting about solutions to remove solid waste in downtown Knoxville is set for Sept.14
KNOXVILLE — On Thursday, Sept. 14, the city, MSW Consultants and DSM Environmental will present findings from the 2023 Downtown Solid Waste Study. The meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Lox Salon, 103 W. Jackson Avenue.
Members of the public are welcome to attend and learn about how downtown solid waste and recycling is currently being collected, costs involved, and a look at future collection options.
The Downtown Solid Waste Study was launched to address concerns about downtown growth and increased solid waste production. The city currently spends more than $550,000 each year for downtown trash and recycling services.
— City of Knoxville
Jimmy Groton, a Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning board member, clears invasive plants at Worthington Cemetery in Oak Ridge during a volunteer work party in July. Ben Pounds/Hellbender Press
Volunteers nurture life in an Oak Ridge cemetery
OAK RIDGE — The northern corner here is a small place teeming with treasures, including the Worthington Cemetery Ecological Study Area.
Elza Gate Park off Oak Ridge Turnpike, also known as Tennessee Highway 95, is the starting point for walking trails taking visitors through a cedar barren, a somewhat open habitat including eastern red cedars. The barrens include plants more similar to a prairie than many East Tennessee forests. The trail reaches a cemetery dating before the founding of Oak Ridge.
Woven together in this small area there is a natural mix of wildlife and historical preservation. Visitors to the loop trail will encounter a pine forest and a wetland area complete with a boardwalk to observe birds. Tennessee Valley Authority designated the land as both an Ecological Study Area and Small Wild Area.
- elza gate park
- oak ridge
- tennessee valley authority
- samuel worthington
- global ecology and conservation
- tennessee citizens for wilderness planning
- jimmy groton
- melton hill lake
- nature conservancy
- worthington cemetery ecological study area
- tva oak ridge
- twra
- red cedar barren
- tennessee prairie
- invasive plant control
- exotic species
- ann hewitt worthington
- citizen pest plant control
Oak Ridge airport project topics: Neighborhoods, City debt and tax revenues
Written by Wolf Naegeli
The neighborhoods of The Preserve are a mere 1.5 mi away from the end of the proposed runway. Project location, scale and dimensions superimposed on this Google Earth snapshot are approximate; for illustration purposes only. Please ignore the eye altitude indicated. That value depends very much on the size of your screen. It gets updated only when viewing a scene in the live Google Earth app. If you were sitting in an airplane — approaching the airport on the 3-degree glidepath shown here in yellow — you would pass barely more than 500 feet above these homes. During ascent (facing this point of view) many of the planes could already be higher above The Preserve, but because running their engines at full throttle, emissions would be more perceptible and concerning.
How would the airport project affect livability and property values?
OAK RIDGE — For the past three decades, the City of Oak Ridge has been complaining that most who get hired to work in Oak Ridge prefer to live in Knoxville or Farragut. Low population growth and few new home starts did not make up for increasing costs of city services. A considerable amount of city-budget increases, however, were a consequence of poor decisions, driven by wishful thinking. The payback of grandiose plans that had no solid economic foundation was measly, if not lacking for years and ever more years. The underutilized Parcel A Centennial Golf Course and Horizon Center are particularly memorable examples.
Some of our readers may also remember the scandal when DOE sold a strip of riverfront property near Brashear Island on the Clinch at a price of $54 per acre — drastically below fair market value. That incidence was related in a roundabout way to another so-called “self-sufficiency parcel,” Parcel E. The latter was sold to the City in 1987 for transfer to the Boeing Company, which planned to build an industrial facility. The project never materialized.
- k25 overlook and visitor center
- roane tourism
- urban air mobility
- uam
- the preserve at oak ridge
- the willows at the preserve
- city of oak ridge, tn
- horizon center
- heritage center
- doe scandal
- riverfront at $54 per acre
- rarity ridge
- stranded asset
- transportation planning
- transition in mode of transportation
- general aviation airport
- transportation equity
- vertiport
- evtol
- vertistop
- oak ridge airport
ORNL researchers develop wildlife crossing guards
Written by Stephanie G. Seay
Four-toed salamanders were among the animals included in ORNL research to limit roadkill on the reservation and elsewhere. Bryce Wade/ORNL
The 32,000-acre reservation serves as a vast laboratory for wildlife-protection efforts
Stephanie Seay is a senior science writer and communications specialist in the ORNL Communications Division.
OAK RIDGE — Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers developed a model framework that identifies ways to ensure wildlife can safely navigate their habitats while not unduly affecting infrastructure.
The project centered on the 32,000-acre Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee, home to Department of Energy facilities and several at-risk species like the four-toed salamander.
Scientists identified habitats and simulated solutions like conservation buffers and open-bottom culverts to allow safe passage for salamanders and other wildlife, which cost far less than large-scale barrier removal and similarly boost ecological connectivity.
“Development and environmental sustainability don’t have to be at odds,” said ORNL’s Evin Carter. “Our collaborative approach with project managers and engineers shows wildlife management can be an integral part of land-use planning without introducing undue cost or delays.”
ORNL doctoral student Bryce Wade said the model also benefited from 30 years of high-resolution data available because of the reservation’s history and management as a National Environmental Research Park.
ORNL showcased its best science projects at July 14 tech conference
OAK RIDGE — Scientist-inventors from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory presented seven new technologies during the Technology Innovation Showcase on July 14 at the Joint Institute for Computational Sciences on ORNL’s campus.
The inventions are supported by ORNL’s Technology Innovation Program, or TIP, which provides targeted investments in new lab-developed technologies to enhance their commercial readiness. Since 2012, ORNL has invested more than $11 million in 49 projects, resulting in 37 commercial licenses and options with partners ranging from Fortune 100 companies to early-stage startups.
“ORNL’s researchers are creating next-generation technology for buildings, manufacturing, medicine and chemistry,” said Mike Paulus, ORNL Partnerships director. “The inventions selected for TIP investment show significant potential for commercialization.”
The showcase brings together inventors and commercialization professionals from ORNL with industry representatives for a morning of presentations followed by one-on-one meetings, tours and demonstrations.
How a study of so-called “trash birds” revealed conservation clues for urban species
Written by Rebecca Heisman
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey documented a family of peregrine falcons on the Bayonne Bridge. Port Authority
What city birds around the world have in common
This story was originally published by The Revelator.
Why do some bird species seem to flourish alongside humans, eating our crumbs and nesting in our backyards, while others prefer to live as far as possible from dense human populations?
Monte Neate-Clegg began to ponder the question while attending the American Ornithological Society’s 2019 conference in Anchorage, Alaska. “I was staying at an AirBnB and two of the birds I wanted to see in Anchorage, white-winged crossbills and boreal chickadees, were just in the yard,” said Neate-Clegg, at the time a Ph.D. student at the University of Utah. Although new and beautiful to him, the species are common in Anchorage and so omnipresent they’re typically ignored by residents.
“I started thinking, what is it that makes these ‘trash birds’ here, and not elsewhere?”
Neate-Clegg sounds sheepish about using the pejorative-sounding term “trash bird,” but it’s a phrase commonly used by birdwatchers to refer to species ubiquitous to a given location they cease to become interesting and can become irritating. Classic examples include pigeons in city centers and snack-stealing gulls on beaches.
One man’s trash bird is another’s research query. Neate-Clegg wondered if specific traits make certain species more able to thrive in cities around the world. After joining ornithologist Morgan Tingley at his lab at UCLA as a postdoctoral researcher in 2021, he proposed a lab-wide project in an attempt to answer the question.
The research drew on data providing clues which may eventually reveal a roadmap making our cities more bird friendly.
- monte neateclegg
- american ornithological society
- boreal chickadee
- whitewinged crossbill
- morgan tingley
- rebecca heisman
- peregrine falcons nyc
- urban bird
- avonet
- morphology
- functional trait
- ecology
- bird specimen
- ornithology
- natural history
- museum
- trash bird
- big data science
- urban biodiversity
- threatened species
- concrete jungle
- city rewilding
- urban microrewilding
- city bird
Updated: Land-use debate in New Market highlights painful choices facing farmers and the public
Written by Ben Pounds
Katie Fleenor of Mattalyn Rogers Dressage rides training horse Asa at Dressage by the River 2023 at River Glen. Courtesy Mattalyn Rogers Dressage
Nonprofit’s plan to purchase equestrian property faced opposition but raised important future farmland issues
UPDATE: The Jefferson County Regional Planning Commission rejected the proposal for a KARM facility citing zoning restrictions. Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries may still bring the proposal to the Jefferson County Board of Zoning Appeals.
NEW MARKET — Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries plans to purchase River Glen, a storied equestrian facility in Jefferson County, to eventually help disadvantaged clients overcome substance-abuse issues and societal disparities.
The proposal has detractors, but proponents cast it as a way to also ensure the continued operation of an established working horse farm and long-term site of equestrian events, especially dressage. The horses could even provide therapy.
The New Market debate also raises questions about aging U.S. farmers and ultimate disposition of their agricultural lands.
President and Chief Executive Officer of KARM Danita McCartney said her group plans to purchase 185 acres. In addition to its show-worthy horse facilities, the property borders the Holston River and retains a significant amount of forest along the river and sharp ridge lines.
The property’s owner, Bill Graves, spoke highly of the potential new owners and said he was selling the land largely because he wanted to retire from running the business.
The Jefferson County Planning Commission planned to discuss the nonprofit’s plan for the site at a meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 23 at the Courthouse at 202 W. Main St. in Dandridge.
- new market
- river glen
- river glen land use debate
- equestrian facilities in east tennessee
- horses and economy
- dressage in east tennessee
- karm
- knoxville area rescue ministries
- horse farm transition
- mattalyn rogers dressage
- knoxville dressage
- horse farms and environmental preservation
- mattalyn rogers horse trainer
- horse therapy east tennessee
- katie fleenor
- foothills land conservancy
- bill clabough
KUB and SACE provide a guide to a home efficiency uplift
KNOXVILLE — Are you looking to take control of your utility bills to not only save money but also breathe easier knowing your home is healthier and more comfortable? Join us this Wednesday, May 17, from 6-8 PM for a free workshop to learn about newly available, once-in-a-generation funding, resources, and rebates that everyone can benefit from, regardless of if you own or rent your home, or if you have high or low income, through local and federal funds.
KUB is providing free (yes, free) home energy improvements for income-eligible customers through the Home Uplift program. New or repaired HVAC units, attic and wall insulation, appliances, and electric water heaters are just a few of the home energy upgrades that you may receive. Plus, professional crews are ready and waiting to do the work so you don’t have to.
— Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Townsend citizens protest proposed resort development
WATE: Developers request delay in approval for controversial Smokies development
TOWNSEND — Yonder Hospitality is facing backlash as the company proposes to develop a new resort. More than 100 people showed up at the planning commission meeting on Thursday, May 11 to protest the development. Local residents do not feel the new resort fits in with the local landscape and will add even more congestion to the area. Representatives of Yonder Hospitality requested the planning commission delay the vote to rezone the area until June.
The development proposal includes 27.6 acres of commercial land off Lamar Alexander Parkway as well as some residential parcels, which will need to be rezoned. The resort includes 130 cabins, 36 RV parking spaces, a drive-in movie theater, dining area and a resort style pool and hot tubs.
The petition to thwart the development already has 1,000 signatures.
Knoxville trees need a canopy of support
KNOXVILLE — Trees Knoxville wants to hear from residents to help develop an Urban Forest Master Plan that considers the city’s unique challenges, priorities, and opportunities. A successful plan will help Knoxville preserve, grow and care for trees, which play a significant role in public health and environmental health.
Upcoming opportunities to learn more and provide feedback:
May 4, 6-7:30 p.m.
Urban Trees Virtual Open House
Zoom
If you haven’t attended an in-person event, this virtual option may fit your schedule. Learn about the urban tree canopy and provide your thoughts and perspective on what Knoxville needs. Participants will need to preregister online to receive the link to the virtual workshop.
May 11, 4-7 p.m.
Urban Trees Open House
Cansler YMCA
616 Jessamine Street
Trees in cities are vital to human health, especially as the climate warms. What does Knoxville need? Come to this open-house-style event to learn more and add your two cents. Trees Knoxville will give 15-minute presentations at 5 and 6 p.m. Attendees will learn more about the Urban Forest Master Plan process and how to engage neighbors, friends and other residents who value trees in this important process.
Other options:
Invite Trees Knoxville to your meeting! Go to KnoxvilleTreePlan.org to schedule a presentation.
Online Survey. If none of these engagement options work, fill out the online survey at Knoxville Tree Plan to make sure your voice is heard.
Learn more at Knoxville Tree Plan, and find additional community event listings at Knoxville Tree Plan Get Involved.
Trees Knoxville was formed in 2016 and grew out of the community’s deep appreciation for trees and their many benefits. Its mission is to expand the urban canopy on both public and private land throughout Knox County. Trees Knoxville is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees, educating people, and promoting the health and well-being of our community and our environment in Knoxville and Knox County.
— City of Knoxville
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Urban sprawl is eating up valuable Tennessee farms and woods and people are fighting back
Written by Élan Young
A group of farmers representing the Tennessee Chapter of the National Young Farmers Coalition gathers on the steps of the Tennessee capitol before lobbying representatives during Ag Day on the Hill. Élan Young/Hellbender Press
Got sprawl? It’s past time to help young farmers access land
I’m not a farmer, I’m a hiker. I live in a shady mountain gap and can’t grow a fully ripe tomato in the summer — not to mention that the half-acre parcel of land that I call home includes a significant portion of river bed. But as a 20-year resident of rural Blount County, a gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I’ve watched the steady disappearance of farms over time, and I have wondered what can be done.
This is why I rose at 4 a.m. for a trip to Nashville, planning to arrive before my alarm would normally sound. It will be my first time lobbying the state legislature and my first time meeting in person with the organizers of the Southeast Tennessee chapter of the National Young Farmers Coalition — known as “Young Farmers” — who I’ve been Zooming with for the better part of the year. We are all headed to Ag Day on the Hill to advocate for young and beginning farmers and the preservation of farmland for future generations.
- farm
- farmland consercation
- urban sprawl in blount county
- blount county
- farm bill
- national young farmers
- young farmers coaltion
- farm inheritance
- american farmland trust
- ag day in nashville
- loss of farmland
- losing farmland to development
- developer vs conservationist
- consequence of development
- citizens against the pellissippi parkway extension
- citizens for sustainable growth
- elan young journalist
- cappe
- tennessee farmland loss ranking
- blue goose winery
Earth Day is every day, but especially this Saturday
Written by JJ Stambaugh
This photo of the Southern Appalachians was taken from 30,000 feet. “Notice how the clouds are parallel with the ridges below them. Wind near the surface blowing up the western slopes forms waves in the atmosphere. At the crest of the wave, over the ridge tops, the air has cooled sufficiently to condense into clouds. As this air descends toward the wave trough, it becomes slightly warmer and drier, inhibiting condensation.” Seth Adams via NASA
Earth Day activities have cooled in Knoxville over the decades. The planet has not.
KNOXVILLE — It’s been 52 years since the modern environmental movement was born on what is now known around the world as Earth Day.
Now reckoned to be the world’s largest secular observance, Earth Day is the climax of Earth Week (April 16 to 22), which brings together an estimated billion people around the globe working to change human behavior and push for pro-environment economic and legislative action. This year’s theme is “Invest in the planet.”
Events marking Earth Day in Knoxville tend to vary in size and tone from year-to-year, with 2023 providing environmentally minded residents with a number of ways to celebrate Mother Earth.
Perhaps the most memorable of those years was the very first one, when one of the most important voices in the burgeoning environmental movement spoke on the University of Tennessee campus.
Jane Jacobs, who is now recognized as “the godmother of the New Urbanism movement,” gave a lecture to a crowd of nearly 200 people on the topic of “Man and His Environment” at the Alumni Memorial Hall, according to Jack Neely, who heads the Knoxville History Project.
- earth day 2023
- knoxville earth day event
- how can i celebrate earth day
- oak ridge earth day
- south knoxville community cleanup
- keep knoxville beautiful
- department of energy
- jack neely
- knoxville history project
- jj stambaugh
- jane jacobs
- new urbanism
- dogwood arts festival
- University of Tennessee
- marisa tomei
- citizen jane
- habitat for humanity
- restore
- karm
- lyrids meteor shower
- nasa
- southern appalachia
- oak ridge national laboratory
April 23 is new deadline of web survey: Advance Knox to hold ‘Priorities Week’ March 27 – April 6
Written by Wolf Naegeli
If you care about growth and transportation in Knox County, attend one of these meetings to share your ideas and express your opinions.
This article was updated on March 27 with first impressions from the March 27 meeting.
KNOXVILLE — Based on previous public input and data analysis, the Advance Knox project team has developed a list of proposed transportation projects that will accompany a future land use plan.
Advance Knox is an effort to define a vision and create a plan that will guide growth, land use, transportation, economic prosperity and quality of life in Knox County for years to come.
This is the first time the County has created an integrated land use and transportation plan, that is billed as having “the potential to be transformative.”
“Bringing land use and transportation components together is what will set this plan up for success,” said Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs. “Our teams are eager to hear community feedback and move toward adopting a final plan.”
Will this plan result in the transformation that you hope for?
Now is the time for you to check that it meets your needs, expectations and wishes. Or, to argue for better solutions by participating in this process.
Priorities Week is the third and final round of Advance Knox community outreach!
Oak Ridge churches harness ‘God's gift of sunshine’
Written by Ben Pounds
This view shows the main sanctuary from the side building that hosts Oak Ridge Faith Lutheran Church’s solar panels. Ben Pounds/Hellbender Press
How two East Tennessee churches went solar, and can help your congregation do it, too
OAK RIDGE — On two church roofs on the same road in this small town that helped harvest the atom, panels catch the sun’s rays for electric power.
Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike and Faith Lutheran Church at 1300 Oak Ridge Turnpike added solar energy at different times through different companies using different federal incentives. ORUUC added its panels in 2015; Faith Lutheran added them in March 2022. Members of both churches involved in the solar projects spoke to both the challenges involved and the benefits. They said their churches benefited both financially and spoke of the benefits to the planet.
“I really hope it works well for us as well as for the environment,” said George Smith, associate pastor at Faith Lutheran. “I’m fond of thinking that we’re turning God’s gift of sunshine into a gift of cash for ministry.”
- church solar panel
- https://wwwsolaralliancecom/
- oak ridge universalist unitarian church
- faith lutheran church oak ridge
- green interfaith network
- hal hoyt oak ridge
- ben pounds journalist
- ted jackson
- inflation reduction act
- solar for nonprofits
- solar alliance
- solar power
- solar power east tennessee
- george smith solar