Create a National Bicycling Trail Over Pipelines

I have an idea of creating bicycling and walking trails mostly located within the right of ways of pipelines that travel throughout the US. Utility companies have installed many pipelines across the US that are maintained as tree free right of ways of various widths. Some are gas pipelines, some are for telecommunications, or a combination of various uses. 

These treeless landscapes are ideal for using as transport venues. All it takes is just adding an asphalt or gravel pathway and that is it. 

Of course, there are issues to deal with. Deals would have to be made with all of the utility companies. It would have to be determined if each right of way is safe to have pedestrians. The pipelines do cross highways and roads, so ways around these obstructions will have to be found. And, these projects would need to be funded and maintained by someone. Otherwise utility pipelines are a great resource that could be used for creating a national trail system.

If this idea is put into practice somewhere, please feel free to give me credit for the idea. Thank you!

Environmentally Friendly Tokyo Vacation

Wintersweet in flower.

By Roland Oehme

April 24, 2012 

TOKYO — Tokyo may be known as a worldwide culture and technology capital, but it has also been quietly making strides to embrace green and sustainable living. If you are visiting Tokyo, Sierra Club Green Home has some suggestions for how to have a green vacation in this fast-paced megalopolis of 35 million.

Let’s say you have just arrived at Narita Airport, and want to be whisked away to a beautiful green hotel. One of the greenest hotels is Hotel Grand Fresa Akasaka. This three-star hotel holds a Green Globe Certification, and offers modern amenities, a restaurant, and a full service spa. It is centrally located in the Akasaka neighborhood near Tokyo Tower, within walking distance of many sites. The hotel even rents out bicycles to guests.

For other green hotels in Tokyo, try a Web site like Travelocity, and select the “Green/EcoFriendly” option under “Accommodation Type.” The first hotel on the list, Hotel New Otani Tokyo, underwent a major renovation in 2004 to bring up its modern safety and comfort standards. The owners also added many green features like a roof garden, a water recycling plant, a composting plant, and local organic produce.

For the nature enthusiast, take a trip far away from the hustle and bustle of central Tokyo and stay instead at the Farm City Hotel. This green spa hotel is located on a hilltop overlooking Chichibu, a small city about a two hour train ride northwest of Tokyo. This hotel serves its own organic produce grown on its nearby farm, while the hotel’s restaurants also serve locally-grown produce. The main dining room serves a tantalizing blend of Japanese and Western cuisines buffet-style. Leftover produce is composted. The highlight of this hotel is its natural hot springs spa, or Onsen, where you can go to relax in the warm waters. Traditional Japanese style rooms with tatami (rice fiber) mats and Western-style rooms are available. There are many nature-oriented activities in the area, including visiting massive flower gardens in bloom, picking your own strawberries or peaches, or hiking in the hills. You can also take the train to Nagatoro, where you can take a cable car up the mountain to visit the Wintersweet and Ume Plum Trees and hike down to the village, or rent a bike, or go white water rafting.

Back in central Tokyo, there are plenty of places to do some green shopping. The interest in organic products has skyrocketed since the nuclear accident a year ago that spurred the Japanese public’s awareness about the toxins in what they consume. This means that organic options, especially baby products, clothing, and foods, are growing quickly in Japan, making it easy to be an environmentally friendly traveler.

First up is the Yoyogi Village, a new environmentally-focused shopping mall with restaurants, shops, clubs, and more, all located around a central garden courtyard. There is a clothing shop, One Mile Wear, which sells organic cotton from India. Also, there is the affordable Code Kurkku, an organic Italian restaurant.

People Tree manufactures fair trade, organic clothing in Bangladesh and organic chocolate which is available in various stores in Tokyo, such as the Mosaic Ginza Hankyu Department Store located in the central Ginza area.

There are three Bio Marche stores in the greater Tokyo area: two in the Tokyo suburbs of Saitama and Omiya, and one in Chiba, east of Tokyo. They sell primarily organic foods, but also some organic clothing, cosmetics, toiletries, and baby supplies.

By now you must have worked up an appetite. Luckily, there are many choices for healthy dining in Tokyo. One of my favorite cafes is the Brown Rice Café, a well-designed, serene, Zen-like restaurant with delicious organic, vegan, and macrobiotic Japanese foods. Located near the Harajuku train station, this café is hidden in a sunken level with indoor and outdoor seating and also sells organic groceries. ...

To read the entire article on SCGH's website, click here: 

http://www.sierraclubgreenhome.com/lifestyle/environmentally-friendly-tokyo-vacation/

Plants as Renewable Resources Exhibit at the Progressive German Federal Garden Show (BUGA)

Every two years at the Federal Garden Show in Germany, called BUGA, there is an exhibit organized by the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection that showcases plants as valuable renewable resources. Outside there are many rows of various crops organized by industrial categories like dyes, pharmaceutical, foods, textiles, oils, fuels, and so on. Inside the pavilion the various plants are shown with their respective end uses. For instance, hemp is always a major example displayed here, growing outside, and shown inside usually shown with the hemp door panels used by some car manufacturers like Daimler as well as other uses.

There are many other plants that may be used as renewable resources for our industrial society. This exhibit and the garden shows are truly remarkable and you will surely not see anything like them here in the US. This progressive attitude by the German government and its citizens, as is showcased at their garden shows, is the reason that I started organizing ecotours to Germany every two years to coincide with the garden shows. This ecotour visits some of them most cutting edge sustainable design and living concepts in architecture, garden design, urban planning, product design, transportation, and so on. The next ecotour is next year in August 2009. To learn more, please visit: www.GreenHarmonyTours.com.

Roland's Websites:
Green Harmony Living
Green Harmony Design
Green Harmony Tours

Sustainable Gardening: Dead Trees Are Just As Important As Live Trees

During the bare, bleak winter season I am again reminded of the importance of dead trees in the landscape. It is during this time when all the leaves are off the trees that the sky becomes prominent and clear from the summer haze that any still standing dead trees are more clearly seen. I imagine most people consider dead trees, especially tall ones, to be an eyesore at best, and at worse, to be a severe hazard for fear of falling over. Because of this neatnick and fearful outlook most trees that die become wood chips before the blink of an eye.

I think this is a real shame and I am recommending that people leave dead trees standing where it is safe to do so. Dead trees are a natural part of our planet’s ecosystem and many plants and animals have developed over millions of years to rely on this habitat as a place to live, for food, and for shelter. The most recognizable benefit is to woodpeckers who need dead and mature live trees for their survival. Dead trees house beetles and insects that the woodpeckers need for food, and they use their strong beaks to carve out a hollow space in the trunks that makes a great home for them. I know I have enjoyed watching woodpeckers many times as they peck at the trees and fly about. I don’t want to imagine a world without them, for they are a beautiful sight!

In our garden we have three rather tall dead pine trees that attract many birds, including woodpeckers. We decided to leave these trees since they are not endangering anybody and they are very valuable to the ecosystem. I also think dead trees present a striking architectural and sculptural element not found in any living elements. Dead trees are, like boulders and mountains, nature’s sculptures that make landscapes beautiful. Unlike anything else, dead trees provide a direct connection between the sky and the earth that helps us understand both realms.

So, the next time you suddenly have a tree die in your garden, please consider letting it stand. If you are the least bit observant, you will be amazed at how much new life it will bring to your garden!

About Roland Oehme: He is a landscape architect specializing in beautiful, bold, edible, sustainable, and wildlife friendly garden design. To view his portfolio, please visit iwww.GreenHarmonyDesign.com