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What can we do to make Windsor the Greenest city in Windsor?
• Can municipalities mandate that new developments be self sustainable?
• Each level of government needs to contribute.
• there could be a traveling forum, listening to people, kind of like this, listening to greening the economy.
• is it possible to retrain our auto workers to make environmentally friendly products, windmills etc.
• why is this not an easy sell? we have the collapse of the economy, global warming? etc. and yet we were building the f150, because people were still buying it. so there is a need to change the culture. and you need a crisis to change a culture often.
• How can we improve our transit? the buses run so infrequently, don't go to all areas. it is why in the past that the university students voted down proposals for manditory bus passes being in tuition, and this was when gas was cheaper. but our transit system is not efficient.
• you can do all you want to make air in buildings better, but what about the kids who go away to school and their coughs disappear while they are out of the city at school
• the green corridor at the university of windsor, whether you agree with the project or not, it is a different way of thinking.
• can cities make changes though? can they make green roof space mandatory, there is a problem getting people to jump on board
• Green corri dor.... will this be the main crossing
• are we keeping enough trees on our city street? they do make some difference, but replacing a mature tree with a sapling is not the same
• You can designate trees as a heritage item, based on the size, type etc.
• building a new bridge is against the idea of greening.
• There was an article in the windsor star, that made it sound like the bridge was a done deal, yet that is not the case.
So, what can we do with our city as it is right now?
• out of work auto workers have transferable skill is to manufacturing in the green sector. so should we ask for help to retrain, and therefore we are filling a need for the future, yet keeping people employed in a city that has a high unemployment rate.
• Politicans get elected on protecting things we have, not making change. so we need to acknowledge that there are challenges ahead, but if we can group this voice, saying that we want/need change. pr
• There could be a tight circle if the municipal government can be behind this
• auto workers dont necessarily care if they are making cars, shoes or wind turbines. so why not look into this.
• There are examples in Germany, where they have things like this going, so perhaps investigate, and become a leader in this in ontario. why does it have to happen somewhere else? Windsor can do this.
• Look at the wind turbines that they shipped through Windsor this summer. it was the only location they could do it.
• Diversify the economy here while helping our windsorites stay in Windsor, where they want to be, without having to go out west to look for a job.
• on the job training is invaluable.
• At the windsor level, where we can go with our laid off auto workers. it may not be a matter that we are so attached to the auto industry, but we could do other manufacturing if the auto industry is dying out for our community.
• Why aren't people looki ng to move business to Windsor? we need to promote ourselves to the world. henry ford was working in windsor too, because we had the resources
• Bring green technology here. like silicon valley, there was no silicon valley, they had to bring it there. we need to do that.
• We need to have groups that are dedicated to this. we need to do? if we want to make changes
• we need to start small, what are the average everyday citizens going to do to make windsor a green community? ride a bike? carpool, transit etc. Start small
Specific ideas:
1. bring tech groups and other green groups down to windsor to talk about this. meetings in community centres etc. start small. it becomes a social thing because people saw things happen.
2. diversification, but like businesses stick together, once we can attract one, we can continue to attract others in the industry.
3. consider lobbying the u of w and transit windsor to reevaluate the transit pass program. need to expand the service area and frequency they currently have.
4. selling emissions credits
Summary
everyone has their own ideas about what green means, and this is a starting point.
