Economics
A windshield perspective on vehicle theft
Imagine, if you will, public reaction to a law enforcement press release like this: Police are encouraging car owners to lock their cars inside their garages. A secure car is OUT OF SIGHT!!! The Downtown Pct. is experiencing a rash of car thefts. On average 5 cars a week are stolen. In the past you … Continue reading
The wrong kind of walkability?
Lesley Conn’s Dec. 7 Savannah Morning News story, “Package store request galvanizes Victorian District neighbors,” contains an interesting passage. Nearby residents, she writes, are worried the liquor store will create “more pedestrian traffic on an already well-trod corridor.” What could happen if there are too many pedestrians? Would the sidewalks crumble? Too late! They already … Continue reading
Connect Savannah story looks at local geothermal projects
“Energy Underground” in the Dec. 7 issue of Connect Savannah surveys geothermal efforts underway in the area, including one particularly interesting project: The recent, and under-reported, symbolic groundbreaking of what will be the Savannah Gardens neighborhood redevelopment of Strathmore Estates, unearthed the city’s game plan to provide geothermal energy to 150 single family homes. According … Continue reading
On being blissfully unaware of rising gasoline prices
When it came down the Twitter-wire from WTOC-TV last week, I just scratched my head. What is with with gas prices?” Seriously. I had no idea. The photo that accompanied the Twitter question showed an Enmark gas station sign advertising regular unleaded gasoline for sale at $2.88 per gallon (takeout only). Is that a lot … Continue reading
Deadly epidemic rages on, right before our eyes and windshields
The image above reflects the Savannah Morning News website as it appeared yesterday morning. Look at the headlines on the right side. Is there a common thread? The individual descriptions of death and injury just wash over us as we read journalists’ accounts of automobile “accidents.” But consider how we would react to these stories … Continue reading
Barton predicts Food Lion store will be an oasis in a food desert
Tom Barton wrote about the new Food Lion supermarket, slated for construction on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, in his Savannah Morning News Column yesterday and reveals it was his first encounter with the concept of a food desert, which he describes as “an area where residents must travel vast distances to do their grocery … Continue reading
When trends converge: Boycotts, bicycles and a car culture in decline?
In recent days, I’ve heard a lot about boycotting BP to punish it for the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Boycotts against companies have in many ways become the default American reaction against behavior we don’t like. Perhaps we have become resigned to idea that our main role in our economy and society is to consume. American … Continue reading
Would oil off our coast cause us to change our ways?
In the early days of the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe, some local media reported the Gulf Coast’s loss could be the Atlantic Coast’s gain, in the form of tourists reconfiguring their summer vacation destinations. These stories usually included mandatory expressions of sympathy for the region dealing with the environmental catastrophe. Still, the disaster was down there. … Continue reading
If you ride your bike to work only one day this year, make it this Friday
Over the last several years, I’ve had the opportunity to talk with elected officials, community groups and individuals aboutthe tremendous benefits the city could accrue from encouraging more citizens and visitors to take to our streets on bicycles. While I think most people can get their heads around the general idea, there’s a disconnect for … Continue reading
Bamboo Farm Spring Festival presents opportunity to show support for threatened program
The 16th Annual Spring Festival at the University of Georgia’s Bamboo Farm and Coastal Garden on March 20 provides a great excuse to visit the largest collection of bamboo specimens available for public viewing in North America and maybe even buy some to take home at the plant sale. Also worth checking out is the … Continue reading
