Permaculture in Germany and New York's bold post Sandy green infrastructure plans

There's a ton to catch up on from the last two weeks. Good stories with no central theme. Well, two central themes, green infrastructure and living architecture!

-The LEED system appears to be under attack from a few folks with big money. I don't usually write much about LEED, but the "dark money" behind its attack begs the question what would happen for any other technical organization, especially an environmental one, which gains the trust of the market?

-Permaculture continues to spread across the world, here's a video of a permaculture community in Germany!

-True composting efforts and even businesses are growing in Washington DC and around the US! Great news for us all!

-New York is making bold moves to combat global warming by authorizing initiatives like having the state by back land ruined by Hurricane Sandy and leaving it as green space to buffer against more flooding. Besides the cost ($400 million), this requires a centuries old departure from how New Yorkers look at coastal land and will further cement New York's status as a leader in green infrastructure and urban forests, although there is always room to improve.
In Chicago they are rethinking the work of an architectural giant to make buildings and the city more vibrant and sustainable.

-Tool libraries have been the rage since 1979 and I've been a fan since 2009. Toronto is getting its first in a few short weeks. I will definitely donate a few things and sign up as well!

Borrow tools at your library

How much easier would it be to do those small home repairs, if you could just borrow tools from the local library, instead of bothering your neighbor for the 93rd time? Hey, you could even do a little street repair! (I kid.) From Utne reader comes the following:

"If you need a tool in Santa Rosa, you get in touch with Dustin Zuckerman. He's a junior college librarian by day. The rest of the time he's running the Santa Rosa Tool Library from his apartment. Make editor Dale Dougherty writes about Zuckerman's project:

Zuckerman set up his lending library by purchasing circulation software used by small libraries ... "It's good to think like a librarian in setting up a tool-sharing service," he says ... Users register online with their driver's license or ID to borrow a tool. There are no fees for borrowing, but you have to sign a borrowing agreement ... More women than men use his lending library, including a handful who have little experience with power tools. He spends time giving each person a tutorial in how to operate the tools, and provides goggles and earplugs, plus a hard hat, if needed. "I'm not an expert on tools," he says. "I just try to learn the basics so I can pass it on."

A list of tool lending services in three countries and 15 American states lists the Berkeley Tool Lending Library, which opened its dopors in 1979, as the pioneer.