Fruit @ Tuesday Farmer's Market & carbon-sexy gear.

Hello from your friendly neighborhood blogger at salamanderpoints.com! I'm relishing this chance to wax poetic on the 2 things I love about our ‘hood.

First, Hamilton = Fun
Harford Road is hoppin’, kids! From the farmers’ market to Hamilton Tavern, from our original fave Red Canoe to Tues night open-mic gatherings at the Parkside, stuff is going on, baby! Check out my Top Ten (+2) for 2009 list for more.

Plus also, Hamilton = Carbon-sexy
Urban lifestyles tend to be greener—especially in older cities like Baltimore. Average carbon footprint of city dwellers: 8.21 tons (still three to four times what’s sustainable, but 14% lower than non-city people).

“If you want to take good care of the environment, stay away from it and live in cities.” (Economix)

“Put simply, bigger cities enjoy economies of scale. In this sense, bigger is greener.” (Math and the City)

“The suburbs, for the most part, are toast. They have three possible outcomes in the twenty-first century: as slums, salvage yards, or ruins.” (How Should We Be Thinking About Urbanization?)

Unfortunately, it’s not enough just to inhabit a concrete rainforest. The fact is that we need to adopt a carbon diet, because 30 - 40% of US greenhouse gasses come from individual and household emissions. We also gotta be carbon-sexy by keeping our Salamander Points under 150. It helps to belong to a close-knit urban community (Holla, Hamilton!) where you can buy locally and drive less.

So keep the ‘hood happening, and challenge yourself to adopt carbon-sexy habits. It’s a win-win-win for you, Harford Road & the planet. And everyone loves a winner!