Can Altadena, Pacific Palisades, and Gaza Become the World’s Cleanest Cities?

10 meters - Nazaré - Portugal. Photo by Carlos Eduardo Joos. Wiki Commons. Used with permission.

Can Altadena, Pacific Palisades, and Gaza Become the World’s Cleanest Cities?
You may say I’m a dreamer…

"The rule whether you’re on a horse or a wave is the wilder is gets the further out you fix your gaze. Looking down is seldom helpful for anything," Laird Hamilton, legendary big wave surfer

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Our hearts and our prayers continue for Altadena, Gaza, Pacific Palisades, and any person who is affected by natural disasters, war, poverty, and the many other challenges that so many humans face. The trauma and the endless to do list for anyone recovering can be overwhelming. It is quite easy to feel like all we can do is solve problems that are directly in front of us or maybe a few feet ahead. If we allow that to happen, these cities will be designed by outside interests, rather than the wisdom and desires of the locals. (This is already happening. We’ve seen the headlines.) We could end up with last-century communities, filled with gridlock, poor air quality and asphalt everywhere, rather than what we know is healthier -- student gardens, walking/bikeable streets, parks for R&R, wonder and inspiration, and trees for shade, which can also reduce city temperatures by up to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius).  
 
If the denizens of our communities come together with a vision that is larger than just their own home — it’s easy to be myopic on our own challenges and not see the bigger picture unless we rise up together — there is a possibility of recovering better than things were before and creating an Eden for our families and children. If we don’t, we may end up with an urban plan that is not in our best interest and plays into the pockets and profit of the powers that be, while polluting our air, water and food and draining our household budgets.

There are communities all over the world that are taking great pains to destroy the old to make way for the new — a more sustainable and enjoyable community life — with native landscaping that can withstand the local climate threats. This is expensive and requires butting heads with the status quo, which always slows the process down. When it works, health (mental, physical, fiscal, spiritual) and quality of life are improved.
 
The only silver lining in these communities that have been wiped out is that the canvas is now blank. What Eden do we envision? What are we willing to create? Will we come together to make sure that it happens?
 
I’m listing a number of the organizations in the resources below that can help. These cities will get rebuilt. The question is, “Can we come together to make them more beautiful, more sustainable and more equitable, with built-in protections against natural disasters?” I believe we can, but only if we come together to dream and plan the future, even while we allow ourselves to experience the grief of what we have lost.
 
Below are the resources and important information to consider in the planning process.
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With a blank slate for these areas, can we create Edens that become exemplar destinations? Are you aware that most Europeans have 1/3 the CO2 footprint (per capita) of Americans, Australians, Canadians and people living in the Middle East? That has a lot to do with single-occupancy vehicles, which:

• Create gridlock,
• Are the leading cause of accidental deaths,
• Pollute the air, and,
• Are the least efficient way of moving people to their destination.

​Transportation is a leading source of CO2. Many European cities have public transportation and walkable neighborhoods, whereas areas with the highest CO2 per person embrace car culture and SOVs. In “A universal framework for inclusive 15-minute cities,” by M. Bruno et al., Bruno identified the World’s Top 50 Most Walkable Cities. Milan, Italy was #1. Germany had 12 of the 50. Europe had 42. The U.S., Australia, Canada and the Middle East had none. Russia, Belurus, Japan, Taiwan and Nepal had 1 or 2 walkable cities. (See below for the Top 10 and an aggregate by country.)

​Here’s a wish list for creating Eden in all areas that have been impacted by natural disasters or war, along with the organizations that could provide the blueprint for best practices. Of course, all cities can begin the process of transitioning, as Amsterdam did in the 1970s and Paris is doing now.

Amsterdam in the 1970s. Gridlock. Air pollution. Vehicular fatalities.

Amsterdam today. Clean air. Healthy citizens. Fun for all (except in winter, but we all bear through it!)

Creating Eden in Altadena, Pacific Palisades, Gaza and Our Own Hometown

• Walkable/bikeable cities with great public transportation and shared roads, instead of gridlock, pollution, road rage, vehicular deaths, etc.
• Student gardens instead of Styrofoam lunches
• Native plants instead of fire hazards and water guzzlers
• Gray water plumbing to conserve water
• Wastewater gardens (reed beds+)
• Parks full of nature growing wild and free
• Trees (reduce CO2 and provide shade)
• Water refill stations (no plastic bottles)
• Municipal composting (reduces land waste and methane gas)
• Regenerative agriculture & farmers markets (great way to reduce CO2 and plastic on our food, while promoting human and soil health)
• Sustainable local materials for housing and construction
• Renewable Power (instead of fossil fuels)

​If you have something important to add to this wish list, please email me at [email protected].  

Here are a few organizations that can assist with the time-proven systems.

EARTHDAY.org. The largest environmental organization in the world, which partners with other green orgs and individuals worldwide. A great resource for all things sustainable.
Sustainable City Planning: Poundbury (Duchy of Cornwall) and Leon Krier, Amsterdam
Student Gardens: The Edible Schoolyard Project
The Regenerative Landscaper by Erik Ohlsen
Mark Nelson, Ph.D. water expert and author of The Wastewater Gardener. Eden in Iraq project.
Parks & Trees: The Nature Conservancy, TreePeople, Central Park Conservancy. Highgrove Gardens.
Water Refill Stations (no plastic bottles): Eau de Paris.
Municipal Composting: San Francisco (since 1996), Seattle (since 2005)
Regenerative Agriculture: Kiss the Ground
Sustainable Local Materials for Housing and Construction: Plant Prefab
Santa Monica, CA Powers 100% Renewable Energy & is Water Independent
 


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Santa Monica, California powers 100% with renewable energy and is transitioning to shared roads and public transportation.

​Cities: The World’s Most Walkable Cities

Thank you. Let’s dream. Let’s come together. Let’s create something worth telling our grandchildren about. Let’s look 100 years down the road.


Most of the organizations mentioned in this blog are featured in the Earth Gratitude 5-part docuseries and free ebooks. Visit EarthGratitude.org. 


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Natalie Wynne Pace is an Advocate for Sustainability, Financial Literacy & Women's Empowerment. Natalie is the bestselling author of The ABCs of Money (6th edition) and The Power of 8 Billion: It's Up to Us, and is the co-creator of the Earth Gratitude Project. She has been ranked as a No. 1 stock picker, above over 835 A-list pundits, by an independent tracking agency (TipsTraders). Her book The ABCs of Money remained at or near the #1 Investing Basics e-book on Amazon for over 3 years (in its vertical), with over 120,000 downloads and a mean 5-star ranking. The 6th edition of The ABCs of Money and the 2nd edition of Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is (2nd edition) are the most recent releases of these books. Follow her on Instagram. 
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Important Disclaimers
Please note: Natalie Pace does not act or operate like a broker. She reports on financial news, and is one of the most trusted sources of financial literacy, education and forensic analysis in the world. Natalie Pace educates and informs individual investors to give investors a competitive edge in their personal decision-making. Any publicly-traded companies, funds or projects mentioned by Natalie Pace are not intended to be buy or sell recommendations.

ALWAYS do your research and consult an experienced, reputable financial professional before buying or selling any security, and consider your long-term goals and strategies. Investors should NOT be all in on any asset class or individual stocks. Your retirement plan should reflect an age-appropriate, diversified wealth plan, which has been designed strategically, with the assistance of financial professionals who are familiar with your goals, risk tolerance, tax needs and more. The "trading" portion of your portfolio should be a very small part of your investment strategy, and the amount of money you invest into individual companies should never be greater than your experience, wisdom, knowledge, patience and diversified strategy.  
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Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. However, NataliePace.com does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. Opinions constitute our judgment as of the date of this publication and are subject to change without notice. This material is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument.