September 14, 2009 – The Brown Bag Green Book series sponsored by the Knox County Public Library and the City of Knoxville continues as John Craig, downtown developer, will 
speak about urban sustainability on Wednesday, September 23rd, at 12 p.m. in the East Tennessee History Center auditorium, 601 S. Gay Street. Craig, owner of Segundo Properties and a key player in the renaissance of downtown Knoxville, will lead a discussion of the book Growing Greener Cities: Urban Sustainability in the Twenty-First Century edited by Eugenie L. Birch and Susan M. Wachter.
In twenty-first-century America, not only open space but also other issues of sustainability—such as potable water and carbon footprints—have become crucial elements in the quality of life in the city and surrounding environment. Confronted by a U.S. population that is more than 70 percent urban, growing concern about global warming, rising energy prices, and globalization, today’s decision makers must find ways to balance the natural, economic, and political environment of the modern city with sustainable and responsible view to natural resources.
“Cities are, in many respects, green by their very nature. The density of development that defines an urban area offsets what would otherwise be sprawl into greenfield areas,”says Craig. “Cities with rehabbed historic structures show that preservation is one of the greenest practices around. And the ‘walkability’ of cities reduces the need for cars to get to the places where we work, live and play.”
Craig is responsible for the re-development of multiple downtown properties, including The Gallery Lofts, Emory Place, 29 Market Square, 9 Market Square, and the historic S&W Cafeteria. Currently he is serving as chair of the board of both Knox Heritage and Market Square District Association.
The series continues through the end of the year. On October 28 Dawn Coppock and Pat Hudson will lead a discussion of Something’s Rising: Appalachians Fighting Mountaintop Removal by Silas House, Jason Howard, Lee Smith, and Hal Crowther On November 18, Dr. James McIntyre, Superintendent of Knox County Schools, will lead a discussion of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv. On December 2, Dr. Bill Shiell, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, will lead a discussion of Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture by Ellen Ruppel Shell.
For more information, please call Emily Ellis at 215-8763 or Erin Burns at 215-2065, or visit www.knoxlib.org.
