I believe a lot of people are hesitant about taking real action on climate change because they think it will hurt, either by harming the economy, increasing taxes, or limiting our freedom to do things we like. My personal experience is very different. I have chosen to reduce my carbon footprint by super energy retrofitting my home, consuming less stuff, going car free for a few years, and by staying closer to home for some of my time off. These changes have saved me money and allowed me to work less, giving me more free time and a much better quality of life overall. I believe that if we embrace sustainability on a city scale we will learn the same lessons. Being smart about our consumption and choosing a more circular economy (less waste, more energy and resource efficiency) will make our lives better and won’t hurt at all. Our city will cost less to maintain in the long run and our lives will be more pleasant (more self propulsion in the fresh [and clean] air, for example). So friends, lets get to it, a sustainable city is a smart city that will be a joy to live in!
