A Call to Action

This morning I learned about Chicago's Red Line Green Roofs.  I was instantly intrigued by the project's name.  Underway in Chicago’s 48th Ward, it' an effort to activate a neighborhood coalition to design and create 50,000 square feet of green roofs along one of the city's busiest elevated public transit lines.  In a city known for its green roofs, it's a happy surprise to see ordinary citizens volunteering to extend what the city began.

This evening I was catching up on USA Today and found out about Albert Lea, Minnesota's attempt to remake itself into a Blue Zone where people live longer and better.  Called the Vitality Project, the effort is sponsored by AARP to encourage the town's residents to eat more fruits and vegetables,  walk instead of drive, stay productive and social well into old age and seek inner fulfillment.  It's a six-month long undertaking that focuses on four revitalization strategies: community environment, social groups, home and work habitats, and building the inner self.

Like Red Line Green Roofs, the Vitality Project (I prefer "Blue Zone") is primarily a community-driven, volunteer effort.  Also like Red Line Green Roofs, the project has the potential to change the community in fundamental ways.

As cities cut services to match reduced revenues and out of work citizens find themselves with more time on their hands, these kinds of initiatives are a good match of need and opportunity.

  

DaronDierkes, June 16, 2009

Are there any metro areas of a million plus that have made efforts towards this Blue Zone idea? Most places seem to follow patchwork projects. They tackle lead poisoning here, and they create walking options there. It would be cool to see something like a "Chicago Public Health 2015" for instance. I'm sure such comprehensive plans exist, but I've never witnessed one of the same magnitude as say an olympic bid.

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