Posted
on Thu, May. 29, 2008
reprint or license print email
Lexington tops list of
enemies to environment
'Carbon footprint' is largest in nation
By Andy Mead
|
|
Lexington,
which touts itself as the Horse Capital of the World, now has a less
appealing nickname: Bigfoot. A
first-of-its-kind study of the carbon footprints of the nation's 100 largest
metropolitan areas being released by the Brookings Institution on Thursday
puts Lexington at No. 100 -- the worst of them all. |
Lexington: 91st-largest metro
area, #1 per capita CO2 polluter
This study: "a partial
footprint" considers only residential buildings and transportation.
Drivers:
á Traffic. Metropolitan sprawl + little use of public transportation
o Single-family homes in a Lexington subdivision use more energy than,
say, Baltimore rowhouses that have shared walls.
o Truck and other traffic on the interstate highways intersect here.
á High consumption of dirty energy.
o Lexington's hot summers and cold winters mean residents use furnaces
or air conditioners almost year-round.
o energy comes from burning coal, a high-carbon fuel.
á Inefficient homes.
o building standards in Kentucky (and Southeast US) place minimal importance
on energy efficiency.
o Lack "a conservation ethic". Oregon, Washington and Idaho
have relatively cheap energy, but waste less
Los Angeles ranked well:
concentrated area,
strict
building standards
mass-transit
rail system.
Study recommends federal and local
policy changes:
á Federal
o promoting transportation choices,
o rewarding local and state governments for reducing driving
o requiring that homes for sale include the costs of heating and
cooling.
á state and local governments:
o tightening building codes to produce more efficient homes
o strengthening planning and zoning regulations so less forest and
farmland is converted into subdivisions.
o encourage Infill
á City voters approved a tax to increase LexTran bus service in 2004,
á more emphasis on bike lanes