Small Town News

Sustainable Delaware envisions a healthy future

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The first day of a two-day Sustainable Delaware conference unfolded last week in Lewes, bringing together more than 30 speakers, 10 exhibitors and scores of residents to consider an ambitious goal: how to design buildings, landscapes and communities that reduce the human footprint in Delaware.

While many in Sussex County disagree on issues such as climate change and land use, this fifth annual conference looked beyond those disagreements to unite scientists, planners, architects, policy makers and politicians in envisioning a healthy, livable future for the state and its communities. This year's largest-ever attendance demonstrates a growing interest in shaping that vision and a growing frustration with the auto-centric vision of America that has dominated the nation's cities and towns for at least 50 years.

Among the sponsors of the event was Nemours Health and Prevention Services, whose representatives urged planners and architects to reject today's sedentary society and incorporate an active lifestyle into future buildings and tgwns. Citing the 40 percent of chil

dren nationwide who are overweight or obese, health officials agreed with transportation planners who said future land-use design should reduce dependence on cars by creating communities that encourage people to walk to work, school, shopping and leisure activities.

Conference organizers say a sustainable future will require three equally important efforts: a new vision of land use, far greater reliance on renewable energy and efficient use of all our natural resources. While organizers agreed the conference offers a platform for discussion and ideas, keynote speaker Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Collin O'Mara challenged participants to take the conversation outside conference walls to engage the entire community in creating a leaner, greener future for Delaware.

"How do we take the energy out of this ... and turn it into action on the ground?" O'Mara asked. O'Mara said the state's small size offers a great opportunity: to become a leader in sustainable design that sets the standard for the entire nation. "If anywhere can pull it off, it's going to be a place like Delaware," he said.





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