Sustainable Cee http://sustainablecee.posterous.com Most recent posts at Sustainable Cee posterous.com Sun, 20 Jan 2013 20:22:00 -0800 Untitled http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/174375086 http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/174375086

 

"a good city policy should focus on improvements for the ordinary everyday city space, on integrating into everyday space some challenges and opportunities for children, older people and exercise enthusiasts."
(Cities for People, 161)

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/2257380/brygge1.jpg http://posterous.com/users/n5Oy4GGkuElFE Christine cepcph Christine
Mon, 14 Jan 2013 05:43:00 -0800 Bikes! http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/174484931 http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/174484931

Bike4

Last week was bike week! 

 

While I was a less-than-avid road cyclist before leaving for Copenhagen this past semester, the reality of making cycling a mode of transport in all of life's situations, seemed like a distant fantasy. My route to school included an intersection with a major highway, and even shorter trips held as much percieved danger--with my own accident which totalled both involved cars 5 minutes from home as proof.  But life in Copenhagen, where I biked to school and around the city nearly everyday, showed me that it is beyond a possibility, and absolutely within my power to make it a reality in Dallas, Texas--reigning 'Worst Cycling City'. 

On Wednesday evening, I hooked my road bike into my homemade truck mount (picture below), and drove to the local bike mart, where I had signed up for a free Repair and Road Rules clinic. I think most bike shops will offer something of this sort--it was only an hour long with time to practice the repair and maintenance under instructor supervision.  With only seven other attendees, I felt comfortable fumbling over repair practice, knowing the teacher was close by.  I consider this the first of many intentional steps to integrating cycling into my lifestyle and hopefully coming to a point of confidently relying on low-emission transport for more and more of my travelling needs. 

But this clinic was just the beginning! Over the holiday season, I bought a cruiser bike off Craigslist and with a bit of adjustment and an added basket, voilà! I was ready to take to the streets and public transit like a .....novice? Hah. The picture above is my bike hanging in the designated cycle car of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit. A 'car' on the rail will have one space with two hooks and a bit more open space for cyclists to have their bikes. (Arriving trains will announce the number of 'cars' they have--I think the norm is two)

I designate every Friday as a day for personal rest, and last week I decided to take my bike on the train and read a bit at the park in the arts district. The trip was undoubtedly a success, and it was a beautiful day. Nice guys even helped me hook my bike on the trip both ways--with one of them even giving up his own hook because all (meaning both) were occupied! Hooray for bikes!

"At a time when fossil fuel, pollution and problems with climate
and health are increasingly becoming a global challenge,
giving higher priority to bicycle traffic would seem like an obvious step to take.
We need good cities to bike in and there are many cities
where it would be simple and cheap to upgrade bicycle traffic."
(Cities for People, 183)

 

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Tue, 25 Dec 2012 10:30:00 -0800 Happy Day! http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/happy-day http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/happy-day

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Sun, 16 Dec 2012 12:31:00 -0800 the first/last time.... http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/the-firstlast-time http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/the-firstlast-time

A brief reflection on cultural re-entry:

 

the last time I'll miss the last bus home and have to walk 
beautiful night though its freezing/can't feel my toes. where is everyone else? (3am) 

the first time I rode a bike 
terror: skinny tires, clip shoes, handlebar brakes only--eep!  

the first time I took a shower
shower/bathtub: what do I do with all this space? 

the first time I did my laundry
hung my wet clothes on every chair and door handle. 

the first time I drove a car
terror: I could definitely die this way.

the first time I went to the store
proud*: brought my own bag for goods 

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Sun, 18 Nov 2012 13:46:00 -0800 Preparing for the End http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/preparing-for-the-end http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/preparing-for-the-end

akjshdfkljhasd

 

I spent our final travel break catching up on work, preparing for the spring, and going through my mental list of things to dig deeper into in Copenhagen. 

As I consider my experiences over the last semester- especially in light of the possible future- I find myself in a quandary by their collective implications. 

As I wrote in my post on the value of travel, being in the midst of a different culture has done the work of stripping me of preconceived notions on life --many of which I was totally unaware. It has made me feel like the tiny hold I had found to grab onto in life has shown it's weakness and crumbled--leaving me hanging again by a thread. 

I am reminded of a message from within a sermon at the danish church:

"life is supposed to be hard."

"Being frustrated is normal. Being poor is normal. Having bad relationships with others around us is normal." 

(All of this in the context of a discussion on our fixation with the perfect life, and how it's unreachable. The pastor urges us to accept the imperfections and ask God to give us new expectations. )

 

 

Graduating this spring 

 

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Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:55:00 -0800 Back to Dallas!: A Plan for Action http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/back-to-dallas-a-plan-for-action http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/back-to-dallas-a-plan-for-action

lahsldkjhfkhsdk

 

watch the first fifteen minutes to get the gist of Jan's wisdom. He says a couple profound things here: we never study man in the urban environment, though we have eons in hours spent investigating the love life of lions, or gorillas, etc. Why is that? We have a ministry of transportation/cars in every city, but nothing for man in the city. ...Why is that? 

big question: why have we so downgraded man to a secondary focus of development? and placed the car as king? 

 

 

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Sun, 28 Oct 2012 14:21:00 -0700 The Value of Travel: Milan, Florence & Venice http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/the-value-of-travel-milan-florence-venice http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/the-value-of-travel-milan-florence-venice

Milanflo1_073
'Cheeese!': My travel buddy for the day, Martha from Sydney, Australia

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Mon, 15 Oct 2012 13:17:00 -0700 8 weeks. http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/8-weeks-94959 http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/8-weeks-94959

 

As the wind blows out the candle and fans the bonfire, absence diminishes small loves and increases great ones. -François de La Rochefoucauld

This is the official end of the first half of my stay in Copenhagen. 

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Sun, 14 Oct 2012 06:02:00 -0700 Understand. http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/understand http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/understand

"Consumption is vital to us in simple material ways.  It is as much about ordinary everyday survival as it is about the social and psychological processes o identity, affiliation, aspiration, and self-expression. But it is this social dynamic, rather than psychological flourishing, which serves to explain why our desire for material goods appears so insatiable."

-Tim Jackson, Prosperity Without Growth (p.100)

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Sat, 29 Sep 2012 15:16:00 -0700 Interlude http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/interlude http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/interlude


Just enjoy.

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Wed, 19 Sep 2012 19:27:00 -0700 Studenterhuset: the Volunteer-Run Cafe http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/studenterhuset-the-volunteer-run-cafe http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/studenterhuset-the-volunteer-run-cafe

This week I had my first shift at the volunteer run coffee shop, Studenterhuset ('Student House' in translation). Located in the center of the city, the space was taken over by Kobenhavn University students that wanted a space of their own for socializing.  They've turned it into a two story space with room for events, quiet study, parties and music shows run entirely by volunteers (you have to be a student) and a few paid responsibles. 

They bait volunteers with the promise of 4 free drink tickets per 5-hour shift, free coffee, tea, and entry into all events otherwise, along with the chance to practice tending bar--And for international students like myself, the opportunity to spend time with Danes in a natural, non-creepy way.  

The space is incredibly welcoming and seems to draw patrons beyond the academic crowd, all while apparently making a steady enough profit to expand their activites.  With all issues inherent to food places and volunteerism aside, the venue seems a great success and a no-brainer idea. While they've struggled in the past (see article beneath the cut), this seems like an incredible alternative to the cool-ified cafeteria that is the typical student union (or is that just UTDallas?). 

Just something to think about: A self-sustaining, living space. 

Studenterhuset struggle: http://universitypost.dk/article/studenterhuset-rocky-path-success

Other volunteer-run cafe in Copenhagen: Cafe Retro in Norrebro

A quick search of other volunteer-run cafes rendered:
Struggle: Baltimore, Maryland, USA | San Antonio, Texas, USA (click on 'page 3' )
Startup/hope: Ropesville, Texas, USA
Similar cafe concepts: London, UK

 

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Sun, 16 Sep 2012 22:23:00 -0700 Building a New Neighborhood: Carlsberg http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/building-a-new-neighborhood-carlsberg http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/building-a-new-neighborhood-carlsberg

Copenhagen and the Temporary City

 

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Fri, 14 Sep 2012 13:11:00 -0700 Renewable Sweden: Malmo, Lund, & Kristianstad http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/renewable-sweden-malmo-lund-kristianstad http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/renewable-sweden-malmo-lund-kristianstad

Arhusharbor

Harbor in the city of Arhus, home to Absolut Vodka

While sustainable development has evolved to include the many dimensions of human growth and interaction, it's roots rest deeply in the environmental movement--specifically renewable energy. So my core class of my program took our first study trip to Sweden! --Home to cities such as Malmo, emerging international solar city, and Kristianstad, home to a bus fleet powered entirely by biogas. 

We took a private bus over the bridge that links Copenhagen to the Skane Swedish region, which was originally Danish until the mid-1600s, and is so close that remnants of Danish influence are still prominent.  

We hit the ground running, visiting an environmentally-focused afterschool daycare, biogas plant, green roof institute, the original organic restaurant, the western harbor, Lund catherdral, went hiking in the countryside, and took a water safari-- in 3 days!  It was quite a bit to take in, and I find myself only beginning to sort through much of what I experienced.  

Skane history

Solar Region Malmo, Sweden 

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Mon, 03 Sep 2012 14:52:00 -0700 Cooking Tex Mex in Glostrup http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/cooking-tex-mex-in-glostrup http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/cooking-tex-mex-in-glostrup

I made a Texas dinner for my host family!

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Wed, 29 Aug 2012 02:01:00 -0700 Let's begin. http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/lets-begin http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/lets-begin
"The Brundtland conception of sustainable development
does not assume that growth is both possible and desirable in all circumstances."
-Baker, 21

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Tue, 14 Aug 2012 09:36:00 -0700 Just a few more days now! http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/just-a-few-more-days-now http://sustainablecee.posterous.com/just-a-few-more-days-now


"There she is!"

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