Way back in June of 2008, when ScaleDown partnered with Artcite for our roundtable discussion on the effects of urban sprawl, panelist Veronika Mogyrody watered the seed that was planted to rebrand the city of Windsor a “Green City”.  Local architect and green builder Joe Passa said these very same words in our Planning For The Future event held with St. Clair College a few months before.

It is widely accepted that Windsor needs to reinvent itself.  The problem being that we don’t know what we want to become, at least we’re not doing a very good job vocalising our vision.

Do Veronika and Joe know something we don’t know?  Veronika was one of the people responsible for building the living wall at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, and Joe is an accomplished “green” architect pulling off twin green schools here in Windsor (Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and St. Christophers) so they do walk the talk.

As much as I am beginning to hate the adjective “green”, there is a growing acceptance of the future of “green” things. “Green” cars, “Green” homes, “Green” insecticide, green everything. Can Windsor flourish as a “Green” city?

Planners in Abu Dhabi certainly think “Green” urbanism is the future. Masdar City, a zero-carbon, zero-waste, self-contained community meant to house 50,000 people has finally broken ground - both literally and figuratively. This $22 billion megaproject will include cutting-edge solar power and water treatment systems, nonpolluting underground light rail, and a small research university operated in conjunction with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. OK - you’re right. Comparing Windsor to Masdar City is a little unrealistic. As far as I know, Windsor doesn’t have untold ka-jillions of oil cash hidden somewhere.

How about something a little more grounded in reality. How about a uniting of 18 local merchants to create the US’ first ‘Carbon-Neutral’ Zone?

“While this could be seen as the latest chapter in the annals of green marketing — another emission in all the talk about global warming — there’s actually substance behind the boast.

The carbon-free zone is the result of a pilot project engineered by a local environmental company — an intricate transaction linking 18 merchants, a trading exchange in Chicago, a charitable foundation in Atlanta and thousands of acres of forest in rural Georgia.”

Imagine branding an area in Windsor a “Carbon-Neutral” Zone?  Would Olde Sandwich Towne, the recently designated heritage conservation district, rally behind a plan like this? How about the Ford City area? Frequently cited as Windsor’s “Greenwhich-Village-In-Waiting”, Ford City could move beyond its automotive-based history into a vibrant carbon-neutral artist-haven that would quickly move to the forefront of Windsor’s tourist stops.

Sure, it would require cooperation on a level that most Windsor’s BIA’s have never reached before.  But if these local merchants want to steal back some of the cash that has flown the coop out to the suburbs, they are going to have to rally around a common plan.  A plan with a future.  There are already independant businesses in Windsor who “get it”, like downtown’s Black Kettle Bistro (who are on the verge of a big, green shift in business) and Walkerville’s Taloola Cafe (haven for fair-trade/vegan/vegetarian fare, served with takeout containers/utensils made from potatoes instead of plastic).  Urban eco-tourism is a response to heightened environmental awareness and a new-found love afair with great urban spaces.  Many corporations are already seeing the future when it comes to this new trend, and following these leads would go a long way to lure people back into the city for the positive experiences they knew as a child in our once-vibrant downtown, or heard about sitting on their daddy’s laps.

Windsor as a “Green” City?  A plan I think many in this community could rally behind. 

Tags: Entrepreneurs, independant retail, local business, local economic development