Today, at the beautiful National Building Museum in Washington, DC, the EPA announced the winners.  The big winner (think Album/Picture of the Year) was for New York City’s sustainability and livability plan – PlaNYC 2030.

PlaNYC 2030 was actually launched in 2007, but won this year.  In a statement, the EPA noted:

New York City’s blueprint for planning future growth provided the inspiration for multi-agency coordination on innovative policies and projects to improve the quality of life in the city. PlaNYC prepares for more population while adding small public spaces throughout the city, improving air and water quality, and improving public health with better access to fresh food and more options for walking and biking.

Additionally, PlaNYC has incorporated efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, which they call – you guessed it! – GreeNYC. Between New York City’s efforts on climate, sustainability, and planning for the future, including increased population, a different climate, and a new sea level, they are also one of the leading cities in becoming climate resilient.

The EPA lists the Principles of Smart Growth as:

• Mix land uses.
• Take advantage of compact building design.
• Create a range of housing opportunities and choices.
• Create walkable neighborhoods.
• Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place.
• Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty, and critical environmental areas.
• Strengthen and direct development toward existing communities.
• Provide a variety of transportation choices.
• Make development decisions predictable, fair, and cost-effective.
• Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions.

Does your city or town follow principles of smart growth?  Do the above criteria sound like a place you’d like to live?

This follows up on one of the most impressive displays of climate leadership (and unfortunately one of the few displays of climate leadership from elected US officials) by the US Conference of Mayors Climate Pledge, which has over 1,000 signers.  Of course it’s very easy to sign a pledge or a pact, and substantially harder to follow through on the promise, especially if it’s your predecessor who signed the pledge when he or she was Mayor and you’re left figuring out how to actually reduce emissions. However, while many of us climate hawks bemoan the lack of climate action in the US, it’s uplifting to know some leaders are listening.

A side – and not surprising – anecdote  is that this story was covered by CNN’s world/international coverage, but not, despite the presence of a number of US Mayors on the pact, in CNN’s US Politics section.

Miami, Florida faces a greater economic threat from global warming than any other city on earth.  Much of the city is just a few feet above sea level and even 3-4 foot rise in sea levels – well within the projections of what could happen over the next century - could inundate Miami Beach and downtown Miami.  Don’t believe me?  Thanks to the wonders of Google, with a little help from the architects at Architecture 2030, you can see for yourself.

So I was pleased to hear that Miami is the first participant in ICLEI’s “Climate Resilient Communities” program, which is geared to help cities prepare for, and even thrive in, a warmer – and in Miami’s case, wetter – world.  ICLEI is an organization that helps cities become more sustainable.  They have done fantastic work in helping cities reduce their carbon footprint, but have recognized that simply reducing emissions is not enough to prepare for climate change, a city must also prepare for the inevitable (and in many cases, already occurring) impacts of climate change.

You can find out more about ICLEI’s work on preparing for climate impacts (often called “climate adaptation”) at www.icleiusa.org/adaptation.  They have resources for local governments and city planners who want to prepare for climate change in their governing and planning.

Of course if you do want a Waterworld 2 (and after watching the trailer again, I think I might…), you can always write to Universal Studios.  But congratulations to Miami, for taking steps to avoid making it a reality.

I went to two campaign rallies tonight (well, three, but I got to the Obama rally right as it finished, so I don’t count that) and I think momentum is building toward a conservation platform. Maybe not yet as a number one issue, but I think the era of candidates ignoring the environment may be over.

The first rally was for John McCain, which was overflowing. Held at their campaign office, it was wall-to-wall people with many standing outside and very few leaving despite McCain being a half hour late. With McCain surging in New Hampshire and being endorsed by the Des Moines Register, I think he could be the surprise of Iowa after being written off months ago. And I’m not the only one who thinks that: also at the event were Tim Russert, Brian Williams and George Stephanopoulis, as well as Sky News (U.K.) and the San Francisco Chronicle with whom I chatted while waiting for the candidate.

McCain has not made huge issue of global warming on the campaign trail, but he is the only Republican candidate to regularly address the issue on the stump and is the only Republican candidate to have strong credentials in looking for solutions–seven years ago he co-authored the first comprehensive global warming legislation in Congress.

The second rally was for John Edwards, and I’ll be honest, I went because John Mellencamp was playing (and he played a heckuva set), but Edwards fiery rhetoric is always inspiring. Before John Edwards even got a chance to speak, Elizabeth Edwards praised her husband as a man that would not negotiate with Exxon and corporate polluters. John Edwards then hammered home his populist message of leaving America better off for our children than it is today. Not a bad turnout there either, well over a 1000 people in a packed ballroom.

Iowans think long and hard about their candidates, and it seems the longer and harder you think, the more you begin to recognize the environment–and global warming in particular–is an issue the next president better be ready to address.