The latest edition of PLANET FORWARD is a one-hour special that harnesses the power of the online community to uncover innovative, real-world solutions to global energy and climate challenges. Planet Forward airs Monday, April 11 at 8pm on KCPT2.
The Australian outback is the driest place on the driest inhabited continent on the planet. Yet once every ten years, rains flood into dried-up river beds and head inland to create the largest lake in Australia, and 100,000 pelicans — a third of all the pelicans in Australia — arrive for the event. Nature: Outback Pelicans airs Sunday, March 27 at 7pm.
Episode 3 of Imagine KC focuses on creating and sustaining vibrant activity centers, and the critical role these community anchors play in the region’s Centers, Corridors and Conservation strategy. Stories explore a widespread desire to revitalize historic downtowns, develop more active centers in older bedroom suburbs and build new centers in emerging suburbs on greenfield sites. This episode of Imagine KC demonstrates the defining characteristics of different types of centers by highlighting regional examples and showing how quality urban design principles have been, and continue to be the key to creating our most beloved community places. We also explore some local government plans and ordinances that can help the region achieve its vision for a connected network of vibrant activity centers.
In short, this episode answers the questions: What does a vibrant community look like and what policies and actions can local communities use to guide the development of these centers?
This second episode will focus on the third C, Conservation, as we talk about energy efficiency and conservation in our built environment — the homes we live in, the buildings where we work, the schools we attend, even our city and county facilities.
By making our built environment more energy efficient and conserving energy, we save money, protect natural resources and create more attractive and comfortable places to live, work, learn and recreate. This episode will take a look at work that’s leading the way toward a more sustainable energy future for our region. We’ll explore the benefits of LEED-certified building practices in the public and private sectors, community weatherization initiatives to help residents save energy and money, and we’ll learn about new and exciting energy technologies designed to improve our homes and public services.
This episode will look at the successes of the Johnson County Sunset Buildings in Olathe; Posty Cards Plant in KCMO; JE Dunn Headquarters in downtown KCMO; and Project Living Proof .
Imagine KC has been generously funded by: Hall Family Foundation, Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City, Garney Family Foundation Fund, ULI Kansas City, Lafarge, Inc. and the Kansas City Chapter of the AIA.
