Environment Impact Proposal

Photo provided by Kelly Sikkema

Boston will be a city at the forefront of environmental care and concern. The city will utilize outreach and our own research to have Boston lead on environmental issues.

I propose community gardens in each community. The gardens will be indoor and outdoor gardens growing fresh fruits and vegetables.

1. Community members will receive a card that logs them in as they take their allotted fruits and vegetables.

   
   

2. Community gardens will be maintained by professional staff and local schools.

   
   

3. Vegetables will be grown to create revenue to keep the gardens going by providing fresh fruits and vegetables for sale daily.

All Boston schools will receive free fruits and vegetables. Regardless of school status or affiliation,

We do not deny people good whenever possible.

Tree Pods 

Technology is always going forward. As we all age, we reach our end. Science has created a way to be buried and use a person's remains to nurture a female sapling. 

I propose that Boston start by allowing the use of burial tree pods in the city of Boston. It is good and safe for the environment. The pods also take up less land than a burial. 

This would not be mandatory. All religious beliefs and customs will be respected. This is another step in moving forward as a society.

What is a Tree Burial Pod?

There are currently just a few companies worldwide that are working on the two main types of tree burial pods.

The two types are:

Whole-body pods: A full body is placed in the fetal position and surrounded by natural cloth. That pod is placed in the ground for natural burial. In images, it’s often shown with a tree growing above the body. Capsula Mundi is still working on producing whole-body burial pods. Whole-body pods are not commercially available, and the timeline for when they will be is unknown.

Cremation-based pods: These are biodegradable urns that house human (or pet) ashes in a slow-degrading capsule. The urn can be buried either under an existing tree or with a tree seed or sapling that you can grow over time. Saplings are not always included with these pods.

Boston will reach out to other cities worldwide to learn how they have created positive impacts on their cities. To see what successful ideas can be adapted for the citizens of Boston.

These are a few cities we will reach out to.

Basel: mandatory green roofs

The city of Basel (Switzerland) is very clear about green roofs. Since 2002, under the Building and Construction Law, every new and retrofitted building with a flat roof has to have a green roof. The results are clearly visible on satellite pictures. With this law, the city plans to lower temperatures, save energy, and conserve the local biodiversity. In Basel, the estimated number of days with a temperature above 30 °C will increase from 10.5 (1981–2010) to 24.7 in 2035, so this initiative is definitely a good idea. In addition to making the city more liveable during heatwaves and improving the local biodiversity, green roofs help reduce air pollution, greenhouse gases, and flooding.

Medellín has better air quality with green corridors.

After getting rid of its bad name as one of the most dangerous cities in the world through social improvements, Medellín (Colombia) now strives to become an eco-city. The city is already using 69 electric buses and has an established bike lane network. Another impressive sustainable measure Medellín has taken are the 30 green corridors that are installed throughout the city.

For this project, Medellín targeted the most polluted streets and areas. Because the more polluted an area, the bigger the impact on the environment will be after the implementation of green measures. The corridors have already produced positive effects since their beginning in 2016. The city has become more liveable. The urban heat island effect in the city has been reduced by 2°C and just one corridor is estimated to absorb 160,787 kg of CO2 per year for the initial phase of the plants’ lives. And finally, to install and maintain the green corridors, 75 locals from more disadvantaged backgrounds were trained to become city gardeners and planting technicians, giving them full-time jobs.

The Hague: collecting sustainability points

In 2019, the Hague was the first city in the Netherlands to introduce a point system to boost the construction of green and nature-inclusive buildings. Architects and developers are required by the municipality to include greenery and nature in their building plans. This is done through a point system. Every building project has to earn a certain amount of green points. Developers can choose from a list of measures they can take. On this list, it is also visible how many points each measure is worth. For example, a biodiverse green roof earns you 3 points, a green facade 2 points, and a birdhouse 1 point. The bigger or more complicated the green measures, the faster your project collects all the needed points. Or you can choose to apply a lot of small measures and earn the points that way. Homeowners can use the point list as inspiration to make green additions to their homes. 

Boston will be at the forefront of environmentally responsible cities.