FAIRFIELD – Bob Ferguson is on a mission to rid downtown Fairfield of weeds.

Ferguson is a member of the Fairfield Beautification Commission, and is spearheading its “weed-free team” that’s tackling undesirable plants that grow in sidewalk cracks and in the alleys. He dons a backpack sprayer filled with a non-toxic weed killer made of a gallon of vinegar, a cup of Epsom salt and a tablespoon of dish liquid (though Ferguson personally likes Shaklee Basic-H Cleaner). This solution desiccates the weeds, and within a few days they’re dead.

Continuing in our Leadership in Unconventional Times series, ICF Co-Founder Lou Zacharilla is joined by Dr. Peter Williams.

Syd Kitson is Chairman and CEO of Kitson & Partners, a Florida-based real estate company specializing in the creation and development of master-planned communities and commercial properties.

Environmental sustainability and energy transition: Taiwan steps up battle to cut carbon emissions and achieve Net-Zero by 2050

While the world is experiencing the Covid-19 outbreak since 2020, the most searched keyword in 2021 is net zero emissions. This implies that climate change is going to be another battlefield, because no one is immune to its effects. For this reason, U.S. President Joe Biden has promised to invest US$2 trillion in the next four years to build a green energy economy and promote the development of clean energy in the United States. Governments around the world have also actively promoted net-zero emissions to stop climate change from getting worse.

In April 2021, 131 countries including the European Union, the United States, South Korea, and Japan made more active emission reduction commitments at the Leaders Summit on Climate. The United Kingdom and the European Union both updated their mid-term (2035) carbon reduction targets to reduce carbon emissions by 78% and 55%, respectively, and reach a net-zero carbon emission target by 2050. As a member of the global village, Taiwan jumps on the bandwagon to get to zero carbon by 2050.

(September 26, 2019 - New York City) – The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) today released Steering a Sustainable Community. The new research report shares dynamics, strategies and successful examples of Sustainability in action in fix Intelligent Communities.

Sustainability can be the source of controversy on the national level. But at the local level, it is easier to agree on the need for clean air, clean water, less pollution and the preservation of what we cherish most.

Sustainability can be the source of controversy on the national level. But at the local level, it is easier to agree on the need for clean air, clean water, less pollution and the preservation of what we cherish most.

Sustainability engages the community and generates action. When communities make sustainability a goal, they energize community groups, neighborhoods and community leaders with the promise of making a difference. The work of these groups meets sustainability goals – but just as important, it strengthens the community’s identity and creates civic pride that powers more positive change.

Sustainability is also good for the economy. As the world is turning its attention to reining in human impact on the planet, sustainability is generating substantial new opportunities for technology advance, business growth and employment in green industries.

In this report, ICF examines how six communities in the US, Canada, Australia, Vietnam and Taiwan turn the practice of sustainability into a economic development, engagement and social growth, supporting their progress toward a more prosperous future.  

Report Contents:

1.  The Search for Sustainability

2.  Intelligent Communities on the Path to Sustainability

• Binh Duong Province, Vietnam
• Chiayi City, Taiwan
• Hudson, Ohio, USA
• Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
• Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
• Sarnia-Lambton, Ontario, Canada

3.  Engaging Cities, Businesses and Institutions

• Melbourne Makes Sustainability Strategy a Community Affair
• Ipswich Establishes a Youth Sustainability Summit
• Hudson Creates Engagement Around Solar

4.  Sustainability Culture

• Binh Duong’s Industrial Culture Change
• Chiayi City Lets a Thousand Energy-Efficient Homes Bloom
• Ipswich Starts with Citizens

5.  Putting the Plan into Action

• Binh Duong Focuses on Youth
• Citizen Foresters in Melbourne

6.  Partnerships

• Ipswich Works with Landowners
• Chiayi Rehabilitates a Legacy Industry

7.  Smart Energy

• LED Streetlights in Ipswich, Chiayi City and Hudson
• Binh Duong Methane Recovery

8.  Conservation and Clean Energy

• Binh Duong Fights the Petro-Curse
• Chiayi's Low-Carbon Crusade
• Sarnia-Lambton Gets Big on Solar and Wind
• Melbourne Occupancy Crunch

9.  Clearing the Air

• Air Boxes and Smart Roads in Chiayi
• Waste Reduction in Melbourne

10.  Growing a Greener Economy

• Greener Chemistry in Sarnia-Lambton

11.  An Ethos of Sustainability

12.  A Quick Self-Test

Jean-Francois Barsoum, Canadian Leader of Smarter Cities, Water and Transportation at IBM, joined Lou Zacharilla for this discussion. Since joining IBM, he has provided strategy advice to a diverse set of clients: financial institutions, higher education, professional associations, pharmaceutical companies and telecoms. Jean-Francois has also been invited to speak at conferences on the subjects of innovation, smarter transportation and climate change on four continents.

This infographic was created for ICF by StudioLocale (www.studiolocale.com) using data from the Intelligent Community in Numbers report. For more information, click here.

In 2015, ICF added a sixth criteria to its list of the Intelligent Community Indicators. It is a focus on environmental sustainability.

Improving current living standards, while maintaining the ability of future generations to do the same, is at the core of sustainability. Throughout human history, economic growth has always involved the consumption of more resources and the production of more waste. As humanity begins to push up against the limits of the ecosystem to provide resources and absorb waste, we need to find ways to continue growth – with all of its positive impacts on the community – while reducing the environmental impact of that growth.

Why Sustainability Matters

When Intelligent Communities commit their economies to a sustainable future, they seek to improve local quality of life, from cleaner air and water to improved public transportation and greater livability.

Communities that use fewer resources to create products and provide services are also more efficient and productive, which is key to continued improvements in their standard of living. As the world turns its attention to reining in human impact on the planet that supports us, sustainablity will generate substantial new opportunities for technology advance, business growth and employment in green industries.

Communities that make environmental sustainability a shared goal typically engage organizations, community groups and neighborhoods in advocating sustainability programs and activities. These contribute to civic pride, local identity and shared goals.

For all these reasons, a commitment to environmental sustainability protects the Intelligent Community's future, expands their economic opportunities, and helps create a culture of innovative collaboration that powers success.

There is now conclusive evidence that a community seeking to provide its people with a long, healthy life and meaningful days does not necessarily need more broadband but more alcohol and good sidewalks. It also would benefit from fewer conveniences in the home and the elimination of the word “retirement” from the culture. In fact, what National Geographic Fellow and TEDMED superstar Dan Buettner (pictured right) refers to as “de-convenienced homes,” as well as a concept which the Japanese refer to as ikigai, are major contributing factors to the shockingly long lives with which the people in Okinawa, Japan are blessed. A few drinks each day, a walking lifestyle and Ikigai (which translates roughly into “that which makes life worth living”) are among the criteria at the heart of what Buettner and a group of extraordinary researchers discovered as the real secrets to the long lives people experience in place as diverse as Okinawa, Sardinia and, yes, 2007 Smart21 Intelligent Community Loma Linda, California. After seeing Buettner’s recent appearance on HBO and rereading some of his work, I am surprised that Loma Linda did not make it to the top of the ICF’s Awards that year!