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Maura Lout is the Guest Curator of “Growing and Greening New York: PlaNYC and the Future of the City.” The exhibition, on view at the Museum of the City of New York through April 22nd, uses Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s sustainability plan (PlaNYC) to discuss how New York must change now in order to make a more sustainable future possible. Having worked for a decade on issues of conservation, natural resource management and sustainable cities, she knows how to practice what she preaches:
What was your green turning point?
Hard to say. Environmental awareness is an important part of my family’s value system, so I had a head start – lots of camping and hiking, holiday presents wrapped in newspaper, a vegetarian mom. For my fifteenth birthday, my dad even gave me one of the first rechargeable battery systems. But we also lived in the suburbs and owned two cars, so as with most things, we moved back and forth along the spectrum.
What has been your biggest lifestyle change?
Moving to New York City. Cities are incredibly green places. And in fact, New Yorkers use less energy, produce less waste, and have a carbon footprint one-third smaller than our national counterparts: I ride the subway everywhere and don’t own a car; I live in an apartment building in a neighborhood that is densely developed.
What has been your smallest lifestyle change?
There are a lot of small things I try to do, but I’ve been particularly focused on carrying with me every day the “re-use trinity” – a canvas bag, a reusable water bottle, and a travel coffee mug. I forget at least one every day, but I keep at it.
What’s something you hope to pass down to your children (and children’s children)?
On the broad scale, I hope they have a world to live in! Beyond that, I hope they use as many hand-me-downs as possible, have access to high-speed rail, and live in supremely energy-efficient homes.
If you had five minutes in the Oval Office, what would you say?
I’m thrilled that my answer to this question is shorter now than it would have been during the previous administration. Many initiatives seem to be moving in the right direction but I would encourage President Obama to rethink farm subsidies, enhance support for local food systems, and think about how urban areas can be a great place to start a green revolution.
Maura Lout
Museum of New York curator
"I’ve been particularly focused on carrying with me every day the 're-use trinity' – a canvas bag, a reusable water bottle, and a travel coffee mug. I forget at least one every day, but I keep at it."
What are your favorite sustainable elements of your home?
Well, I’m a renter (like 70% of all New Yorkers) so making my home more sustainable is more challenging since I can’t insulate, add solar panels, or replace windows. That said, there are still some good sustainable aspects. Most of my furniture was either handed down through the family (which doesn’t mean it’s fancy, it just means I didn’t buy it new) or found through listserves like Craig’s List, Freecycle and WasteMatch. I also buy renewable energy through my electric company, which offers the option of purposing wind power if you commit to a flat rate. I’m also a big fan of my canning system, which lets me store lots of great summer produce to enjoy over the winter months when the pickings are slim. I try to avoid buying produce that was shipped over long distances.
What’s on your recommended reading list?
Green Manhattan by David Owen and Elizabeth Kolbert’s series on climate change, which both ran in the New Yorker; Resilient Cities by Peter Newman, Timothy Beatley, and Heather Boyer; Me, Myself and Infrastructure: Private Lives and Public Works in America by Gregory K. Dreicer; The Works by Kate Ascher; The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs; and old favorites: Silent Spring by Rachel Carson and Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey.
What keeps you up at night?
All of the “peak” issues – peak oil, peak carbon, peak soil – the whole gang. And the fear that people won’t act until we’ve reached a crisis.
What’s your little green secret?
Clothing swaps! Really, anything swaps. New Yorkers produce 12,000 pounds of residential waste every week. Although we all need to buy new from time to time, I’m trying to keep all the “things” I own in use for as long as possible.
What’s your not-so-green guilty pleasure?
We still eat and drink a lot of items that aren’t as local or as green as I might like. Wine is a great example.
If you could snap your fingers and create a green product or service that doesn’t exist yet, what would it be?
I would love to be able to fly without the enormous associated fuel costs.
