City of Vancouver uses Digg-style site to solicit green ideas
Do you think Vancouver should have a network of bike routes that is safe and attractive to everyone?
Should the city’s curbside food-waste-collection program, which is currently available to single-family homes, be expanded to apartments and condos?
How would you feel about the city encouraging people to shift toward a vegan diet?
These are the three ideas that have so far garnered the most votes on Talk Green to Us, a Digg-style Web site set up by city hall to solicit input on how to make Vancouver more environmentally responsible.
Until September 30, citizens are invited submit ideas, vote on them, and share their comments.
To participate, residents must create a UserVoice account by providing their e-mail address or signing in with their accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Google, or another Web service.
Once logged in, users get 20 votes.
As of this morning (July 26), top-ranked idea “Cycling for Everyone: Develop a complete cycling network that feels safe and attractive to all” had 328 votes from 155 supporters.
“Extend food waste collection program to include apartments and condos” had 283 votes from 137 supporters.
Ninety-three supporters had cast 251 votes for “Encourage vegan options for all!”
The cycling idea was posted by city staff, while the second- and third-ranked proposals were submitted by citizens.
Some other popular ideas posted on the site include:
”¢ “Mandatory 25 ¢ fee for plastic shopping bags”
”¢ “Build the Downtown Streetcar Network”
”¢ “Reclaim road and/or parking space to create plazas and parklets.”
”¢ “Repeal mandatory bike helmet legislation”
”¢ “Require residential water metering”
”¢ “Put the Blue into Green: daylight our Lost Creeks”
”¢ “Ban takeout coffee cups”
”¢ “Turn existing 'bike streets' into proper separated bike routes”
The site notes that the City of Vancouver has set a goal of becoming the “greenest city” on the planet by 2020.
“Ideas and comments posted on this forum will be reviewed by staff working groups,” the site states. “In developing the implementation plans, we have to prioritize and focus on strategies that will best achieve our goals, evaluate the resources required and the City’s jurisdiction. Not all ideas on the forum can or will be implemented, but we will consider the ones we are able to pursue. Where possible, we aim to comment on ideas proposed, and demonstrate in the plan how your input was incorporated.”
You can follow Stephen Hui on Twitter at twitter.com/stephenhui.
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Comments
3 Comments
Birdy
Jul 26, 2010 at 1:53pm
“Reclaim road and/or parking space to create plazas and parklets.”
Parklets? Really? Will they come with benchlets? Can we just say "small parks" PLEASE? Here's a suggestion; reinstate funding for the kid's summer programs you just cut.
A. Friend
Aug 4, 2010 at 5:53pm
re- Do you think take-out coffee cups should be banned?
Does "Pancake and a Cigar?" sound familiar?
Your question is reverse marketing: Which do you think is better: 1. A slap to the face, or 2. A slap upside the head?
Is the concept of a mandatory deposit on all disposable/recyclable items too advanced for you people?
Currently, many low-income individuals derive $2.00 to $5.00 everyday by going through garbage cans and sorting out recyclable items that have a dollar value and would otherwise go to the land-fill - That's the "extra" $2.00-$5.00 needed to get a decent meal once a day.
4 or 5 years ago "new" deposit rates were set by the provincial government. Why is an aluminum pop can only worth $.05 and the same can comes in at $.10 when it contains beer?
Do you seriously think there would be any "disposable" cups littering our parks and streets if they had a refund value of $.10, and do you seriously believe we have any chance at all of "banning" the cups? Seriously! Any chance at all?
The infrastructure is already in place. - Remove your worthless poll and replace it with one that's worthy of a vote.
Mr Crab
Jun 4, 2012 at 8:55pm
An auto-sufficient, self-sufficient car idea. I don't want any $ or patent it on my name - I am here just to share this idea and provide the 1st STEP on making this car or different types of Vehicles like this a Reality.
A few months ago I had a dream about a car that runs with KINETIC Energy. As the car moves it charges/store/recharges it self. It takes the kinetic energy from the movement of the wheels and recharges as the car moves. All we need to do is find a way to harvest this energy, store it and use it inside this new vehicle.
Can you imagine how many problems a car like this could solve?
1st - 0% Pollution
2nd - Fresher Air
would be 2 of the top ones.
Anyway, this car would be an electric car that uses KINETIC energy to recharge itself. I believe the best way to recharge wouldn't be to plug it into the WALL but to use the KINETIC ENERGY to recharge as the car moves. I know all this technology is already available and my mission here is only to spread this IDEA around.
I call all the Scientists, Green Society Members, Kinetic Energy Engineers to use this idea and make this CAR or new Vehicles happen!
Peace & Love,
Mr. Krab