Green Metropolis: What the City Can Teach the Country About True Sustainability

With the beginning of a new year, many of us are looking for a good read (or listen:) to inspire a new & improved life in 2010.  My selection may be a little heavier than the traditional motivational title -  "10 steps to success" or weight-loss - but as Playaway released David Owen's Green Metropolis this month, I thought it was worth highlighting as we form our new year's resolutions.

David Owen, staff writer at The New Yorker and prolific author, challenges conventional thinking on how lifestyle impacts the future of our environment.  The current movement focuses on green pastures, condemning cities for their over-development, energy consumption, and overall lack of green space.  Owen argues against that popular belief and suggests that metropolis - specifically Manhattan - is a model for sustainability.  Citing numerous examples, he demonstrates how a city-dweller consumes fewer resources and creates less greenhouse emission than the average American living in a suburb or more rural area.  Walking or taking public transportation, residing in apartment buildings that are more energy efficient than stand-alone houses, and living in concentration in place of sprawl – these are among the impacting lifestyle choices that Owen believes are crucial to sustainability.   While some environmentalists may disagree with Owen, Green Metropolis provides an interesting perspective on the current environmental crisis: good food-for-thought as we start a new year and reflect on our own lifestyle choices.  Besides, it got great reviews and was one of the "Best Books of 2009" from Publisher's Weekly, so it can't be half-bad.

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Posted by Caroline Duke

Playaway Content Development Coordinator