Green Monster vs. Big Apple? « It’s Getting Hot In Here

Looks like another rivalry may be brewing between Boston and NYC. As the baseball season gets started, the Red Sox and the Yankees won’t be the only teams going head-to-head (the good guys are already on top, don’t worry). Both cities have recently announced groundbreaking plans to reduce their green-house gas emissions and build more sustainable urban centers. Now its up to residents, policy makers, and sustainability experts in both cities to see who can reach carbon neutrality first.

You can read more about the NYC plan in a blog post here at IGHIH. Up in Boston, Mayor Menino has committed the city government to reducing its emissions 80% by 2050 – - the mantra that was repeated around the country on April 14. At a Step It Up rally, Representative Ed Markey, a green champion in his own right, announced, “We’re glad that Boston now has two green monsters, one at Fenway Park and one now in city hall.” The key will be City Hall’s ability to transition its plan for government infrastructure to the overall operations of the city. They’ve taken a good first step already: setting up the structure for a $500 million program for energy retrofits to make homes and businesses more sustainable. You can read more about the plan here.

A little rivalry is a good thing and exactly what we need to be encouraging in our political leaders, from the city level to the Presidential nominees. They should all be trying to outdo each other in meeting our goals for them. Who do you think is going to get to neutrality first, NYC or Boston? Play ball!

About Jamie

Jamie is the co-coordinator of 350.org, an international global warming campaign. A recent college graduate, he lives in San Francisco, CA. In 2007, he co-organized Step It Up, a campaign that pulled together over 2,000 climate rallies across the United States to push for strong climate action at the federal level. He's also an early member of the youth climate movement, leading one of Energy Action's first campaigns in 2005: Road to Detroit, a nationwide veggie-oil bus tour to promote sustainable transportation. He's traveled to Montreal and Bali to lobby the UN with youth, but he's a strong believer that change happens in the streets not in meetings. Jamie received the Morris K. Udall award in 2007 and has been recognized by the mighty state of Vermont for his work on climate change. You can also find him blogging at Campus Progress' "Pushback," Changents.com, and 350.org.