Thank you for your interesting reply. My own interest is very
transport-oriented: I am currently working on several transport based
projects: I am a director (just ex-chair) of the Environmental Transport
Association Ltd (see http://www.eta.co.uk); I am consultant to Young
Transnet (http://www.yptin.org.uk/); and I am Research Fellow on a Transport
and Gender project at the University of East London
(http://www.women-and-transport.net/index2.html). If you or any of your
contacts share any of these interests, I would be delighted to hear from
you/them--either via those sites or direct to me.
I have also just put down the phone from talking to yet another person who
said in that special tone of voice reserved for the insane 'How brave of you
to cycle in London'...
Susan
-----Original Message-----
From: Maureen Press <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: STUDIES IN WOMEN AND ENVIRONMENT <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: 15 March 1999 17:01
Subject: Urban Environmental Action
>At 03:10 PM 15/03/99 -0000, Susan wrote:
>
>>One of the results of this crowded, history-crammed environment is (I
>>suspect) a very different attitude to ecological matters in the UK. The
>>preservation of wilderness is just not on the agenda, although of course
>>there is great emphasis on the preservation of this or that habitat; but
>>there is also a lot of interest in urban environmental action--and I am
not
>>sure that this preoccupation is reflected in US or Canadian (or Australian
>>or NZ) activism.
>>
>>Does this strike any chords?
>
>Oh yes, Susan, it certainly does. Most of humanity, after all, live in
>cities, and if we wish to change the environmental destruction going on all
>around us, we must change the attitudes of those living in cities.
>
>I live in Canada (Toronto), so yes, urban activisim is a part of what I do
>here. Working for cheaper public transportation -- and more of it, along
>with fewer highways -- bicycle lanes to encourage their use in all parts of
>the city (including the downtown core), reduction of pollution levels,
>encouraging use of organic pesticides/herbicides and other alternatives for
>gardening -- the list goes on and on!
>
>I suspect many of us tackle these issues all the time, but don't label them
>seperately from the other acitivities we engage in (as in "this is urban,
>this deals with wilderness"). Because the issues are so huge, some of may,
>however, choose to concentrate on a particular aspect of the environment --
>species protection, for exampe, would qualify as "wilderness" protection,
>yes? Whereas what I tend to focus on are issues of pollution and health,
>which involves both "wild" and urban environments.
>
>So many of us tend to think of the environment as something "out there" --
>where we go on holiday, not something we live with everyday. Cities have
>environments as well -- we just need to become more aware, or perhaps aware
>in a different way.
>
>To this end, I am finding bioregionalism to be very helpful in connecting
>city dwellers with the land they live on and from.
>
>Long ramble . . . thanks for bringing this up.
>
>Maureen
>
>
>
>
