With the Democratic primary victories of Debra Bowen for secretary of state, and Mike Feuer and Alex Padilla for State Legislature, Los Angeles — of all places — is playing a role in whether Sacramento becomes a less incendiary and gridlocked place.
How many trees does it take to absorb the emissions from your car\’s commute? How much land does it take to feed and raise the beef you eat for dinner? How much space on earth does your trash take up?
The city of Santa Monica has taken up the task of answering those questions in \”Santa Monica\’s Ecological Footprint, 1990-2000,\” released in March. The report measures the amount of land used to produce everyday products and services like electricity, transportation, garbage disposal and housing. That land use is called the ecological footprint, and it can be measured individually or citywide.
Location is a huge relationship issue in this vast city with no feasible public transportation. It must be taken into account. Can a couple separated by freeways and 45 minutes survive? Allow me to submit that urban sprawl isn\’t just bad for the environment, it\’s brutal on dating.
Imagine a sunny Saturday afternoon. Families walking home from shul along quiet streets cross a well-worn thoroughfare, once the site of a rail system running through the neighborhood like a gentle stream, now transformed into a freeway for high-speed buses. The light changes and the families begin their journey across the street — but not fast enough.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.