Edenicity: abundantly sustainable cities

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Edenicity (noun) 1. An eden-like city. 2. A measure of sustainability and economic abundance. How can we design cities to be modern day Edens? Join Kev Polk every Thursday to meet the ideas and people behind cities that heal rather than harm the environment. Can we end mass extinctions through massive abundance? Find out in Edenicity!

Kev Polk

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    • Nov 26, 2020 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 21m AVG DURATION
    • 42 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Edenicity: abundantly sustainable cities

    42 Fixing Edenicity

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2020 14:25


    An end of season round up of corrections, omissions and breaking news about Edenicity.Episode detailsSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    41 Building Edenicity

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2020 15:41


    How will Edenicity actually get built?Episode detailsSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    40 Rating Your Edenicity

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2020 11:31


    Take the quiz and discover how abundant and sustainable your life really is (or isn’t!).Episode detailsSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    39 Securing Your Privacy

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2020 10:38


    In this episode I’ll discuss the big dystopian fear that has haunted sustainability for decades, and why Edenicity is designed to win you far more privacy than you have now.Episode detailsSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    38 Befriending Animals

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2020 15:14


    How to transform our relationship with domestic animals so we can feed everyone in the world and end the mass extinction.Episode detailsSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    37 Manufacturing a New Reality

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2020 10:24


    How to massively expand manufacturing while saving the Earth. If you thought Tesla's Gigafactory was big, wait till you hear this!Episode detailsSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    36 Recycling Everything

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2020 20:10


    A complete tour of recycling in a city built to end the mass extinction... with a special destination at the end!Episode detailsSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    35 Ending Pollution

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2020 22:34


    How ecologically sound city design can end pollution and clean up the environmental wreckage of the past.Plus, how to go "poo-less," and how to maybe use diamond batteries (a.k.a. betavoltaics) to clean up nuclear waste.Episode detailsSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    34 Balancing Inequality

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2020 19:41


    Should a city support or limit inequality? Answer: Both! Here’s why...Episode detailsSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    33 Opening Borders and Minds

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2020 19:16


    How cities can accommodate immigration so the world can become twice as rich, without the seemingly obvious downsides.Episode detailsSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    32 Powering Edenicity

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2020 16:55


    Why we’ll have enough solar power for everyone in the world within this decade.Episode detailsSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    31 Changing Big and Fast

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2020 11:58


    Why small and slow solutions to environmental problems are doomed to failure and what to do instead.Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    30 Coming of Age

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2020 14:43


    For anyone who has wondered where the adults are in the modern world, this episode examines how city design can help people grow up.Episode NotesSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    29 Living with Nature

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2020 16:21


    Trying to live closer to nature is a mistake. Here’s how to fix that.Episode detailsSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    28 Fleeing the City

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2020 20:08


    Why fleeing the city to escape disease and crime is a huge mistake.Episode detailsSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    27 Ending Racism

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2020 21:03


    How city design can end racism while healing the planet.Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    26 Finding Justice

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 6, 2020 23:01


    How to design a city that is secure, honest and equitable.Episode Notes.Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    25 Getting Free Money

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2020 24:57


    How a universal basic income would make cities economically stronger and ecologically more sustainable. Caution: the first two minutes of this program may challenge what you thought you knew about money!Episode details and downloadsSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    24 Defying the Housing Crash

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2020 17:13


    What happened when I bought a home at the peak of the housing bubble, and sold three years later in the depths of the housing crash? This episode tells my story, and how it provided the first clue that sustainable living is ready for its own "Apple Computer" moment.Episode detailsGreener Village BlueprintSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    23 Reinventing a Neighborhood

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2020 22:18


    A step-by-step guide to making a neighborhood happier and healthier for its residents and the planet. With worked examples and free downloadable checklist.Checklist: https://edenictiy.com/GreenerVillageBlueprint.pdfSourcesAlexander, Christopher et al., A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction, Oxford University Press, 1977Alexander, Christopher, A Timeless Way of Building, Oxford University Press, 1979Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    22 Growing Up in Edenicity

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2020 21:30


    In this episode, you'll get to rate the edenicity of your childhood. Then we’ll explore how much more is possible in ecologically well-designed cities.Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    21 Expanding the Commons

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2020 24:43


    How to create wealthier cities by sharing more.ResourcesEdenicity Reference DesignRose, Carol M. (1986). "The Comedy of the Commons: Commerce, Custom, and Inherently Public Property". Faculty Scholarship Series, Yale Law School. Paper 1828. Originally published by Chicago Law Review, 53:3.Anu Partanen, What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School SuccessThe Scandinavian country is an education superpower because it values equality more than excellence., The Atlantic, December 29, 2011.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elinor_OstromSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    20 Fixing Permaculture

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2020 22:43


    In which I call out what is wrong or missing in Permaculture and suggest changes so we can build something that actually can end the mass extinction, reverse climate change and provide abundantly for humanity. ResourcesPermaculture in One PageEdenicity Reference DesignCurtis Stone, What Permaculture Got Wrong, Medium, June 15, 2018Lillklobb Permaculture, A Response To Curtis Stone’s What Permaculture Got Wrong, June 30, 2018Mollison Lazy Gardener VideoHolzer, Sepp, Sepp Holzer's Permaculture: A Practical Guide to Small-Scale, Integrative Farming and Gardening (Chelsea Green, 2004)Mollison, Bill, Permaculture: A Designer's Manual (Tagari Press, 1988)Hemenway, Toby, The Permaculture City: Regenerative Design for Urban, Suburban, and Town Resilience (Chelsea Green, 2015)Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    19 Understanding Permaculture

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2020 22:48


    In which I take you on a brief tour of permaculture so you can better understand the context of Edenicity without taking an 80-hour course. And if you are permaculture certified, it’s a great quick review of the major concepts.ResourcesEdenicity Reference DesignPermaculture in One PageSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    18 Governing a City

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2020 24:45


    If politics seems a painful topic right now, it's because the whole edifice is crumbling under the weight of new realities and perceptions. In Episode 18, I'll take you on a tour of how governance is changing, how ecology informs the latest thinking about organizational structure, and end with some hints about what this might mean for city design.Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    17 Maintaining Populations

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2020 27:03


    In which I use a global biomass census and Predator vs. ET simulations (among other things!) to explore what it takes to sustain large, vibrant cities without killing the world.Resources:Edenicity Reference Design.Yinon M. Bar-On, Rob Phillips, and Ron Milo, The biomass distribution on Earth, PNAS June 19, 2018 115 (25) 6506-6511; first published May 21, 2018.Kayler, Z.; Janowiak, M.; Swanston, C. 2017. Global Carbon. (June, 2017). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Climate Change Resource Center. UNEP GEAS, One Planet, How Many People? A Review of Earth’s Carrying Capacity, June, 2012.Worldometer: World Population by Year, 2020.Randy Olson, Percentage of Bachelor’s degrees conferred to women, by major (1970-2012), June 14, 2014.Juan Forero, Brazil's Falling Birth Rate: A 'New Way Of Thinking', NPR, January 15, 2012.Neil Howe, Nations Labor To Raise Their Birthrates, Forbes, Mar 29, 2019Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    16 Surviving Disasters

    Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2020 25:44 Transcription Available


    Edenicity vs. pandemics, earthquakes, locust plagues and more. It's like 17 disaster movies rolled into one. But in this case (spoiler alert!) the hero is the city.ResourcesEdenicity Reference DesignUri Friedman, New Zealand’s Prime Minister May Be the Most Effective Leader on the Planet, The Atlantic, April 19, 2020Garrett M. Graff, Experts Knew a Pandemic Was Coming. Here’s What They’re Worried About Next. politico.com, 05/07/2020https://www.sundirected.com/can-solar-flares-cme-emp-damge-your-off-grid-solar-power-system/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_locustJoe Palca, Maybe The Way To Control Locusts Is By Growing Crops They Don't Like, kunc.org, Aug 19, 2019Jen Stout, Plague or plenty? Why the locust is also a prawn of the sky, http://www.bugsfeed.com/locust, March 17, 2016Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    15 Building Soil

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2020 34:24 Transcription Available


    How nature and successful civilizations build soil, and how Edenicity will use these models to create a permanently wealthy civilization. If Episode 14 was like Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back, today's episode is like The Return of the Jedi.For this episode, it'll really help to have the Edenicity Reference Design.John D. Liu videos: Hope in a Changing Climate, Green is GoldEcosystem Restoration CampsAllan Savory TEDx TalkSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    14 Losing Soil

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2020 35:32 Transcription Available


    Why civilization after civilization squandered their soils and fell, why soils are even more imperiled in the modern world, and how Edenicity will learn from these mistakes. If Episode 13 was like Stanley Kubrick's "2001", this episode is like The Empire Strikes Back.Click here to get the Reference Design and subscribe to our announcement list.Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    13 Understanding Soil

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2020 21:59 Transcription Available


    In which I bury techno-escapist fantasies such as The Singularity and identify the highest technology we will ever use to build a permanently abundant civilization.Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    12 Commuting Like a Rockstar

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2020 37:30 Transcription Available


    How to design a transportation system 20x more functional, sustainable and affordable than anything the world has ever known – and get all the solar energy and building blocks a city needs as a free bonus.For a copy of the reference design, please visit edenicity.com.Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    11 Feeding the World in Style

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2020 39:09 Transcription Available


    How a human-scale food system can feed 10 billion people on 97% less land than we use now, with higher quality and social justice than the world has ever known.For a copy of the reference design, please visit edenicity.com.Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    10 Greening Urban Deserts

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2020 24:52 Transcription Available


    What can deserts teach us about the ecology of wealth and designing great cities?For a copy of the reference design. please visit edenicity.com and click the News link.Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    9 Factoring a Neighborhood

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2020 22:12 Transcription Available


    Why is housing ripe for a Tesla-like disruption? What will that disruption borrow from the tech industry ... and grade school math?!Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    8 Making Everyone a Billionaire

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2020 20:32 Transcription Available


    Why sustainable cities will generate almost unimaginable wealth over the next 3 decades, in two different ways. And how to tell if a city is part of this green rush --or if it's poised on the brink of ruin.For a copy of the reference design, please visit edenicity.com.Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    7 Learning from Rat Park

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2020 17:37 Transcription Available


    Discover what a mind-blowing experiment with drug-addicted rats can teach us about designing better cities. Caution: this episode is hazardous to your existing worldview!For the latest reference design, please visit edenicity.com and click the News link.Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    6 Becoming a Green Millionaire

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2020 15:12 Transcription Available


    How you can make an extra million dollars by making sustainable lifestyle choices, and how cities could be better designed to support that.For a copy of the reference design, please visit edenicity.com.Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    5 Designing Greatness

    Play Episode Play 60 sec Highlight Listen Later Feb 26, 2020 23:23 Transcription Available


    Discover the design secrets behind Apple, Tesla Motors and other disruptive companies, and why we should design cities as if they were consumer products. If you're interested in the future of cities or the future of design, you've never heard anything like this, and you won't hear it anywhere else. Visit edenicity.com to get the latest edenicity news and download a reference design.Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    4 Living Longer and Healthier

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2020 28:52 Transcription Available


    You can add up to 6.4 years to your life expectancy with two lifestyle tweaks that also happen to be the two best things you can do for the planet. But most towns and cities make these lifestyle choices difficult. Discover how, with better design, cities could reduce injuries, illnesses, and the cost of healthcare by 50% to 80%.Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    3 Getting Real

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2020 19:39 Transcription Available


    A world tour of car-free cities, sustainable housing and gigantic ecological restoration projects that heal people and landscapes without austerity.ResourcesEdenicity Reference DesignJohn D. Liu, Lessons of the Loess Plateau (52:31)https://culdesac.com/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_car-free_placeshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car-free_movementhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_planned_citieshttp://www.villagehomesdavis.org/aboutSupport the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    2 Ending Mass Extinctions

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2020 27:21 Transcription Available


    The global mass extinction threatens our existence in a much more immediate way than climate change. In this episode, we’ll explore how our relationship with the environment is causing this problem, and the ecology of solving it. This constrains sustainable city design to an almost unimaginable degree. But it also provides a glimpse of the stunningly high quality of life that edenic cities could offer.To sign up for Edenicity News and download a reference design, visit edenicity.com Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

    1 Defining Edenicity

    Play Episode Play 32 sec Highlight Listen Later Feb 7, 2020 22:23 Transcription Available


    Edenicity (noun) 1. An eden-like city. 2. Economic + ecological abundance.The story of a new word, a new hope, a new approach to sustainability, now that environmentalism has failed.Show notesSourcesGreta Thunberg, Wikipedia, 2020Eric Holthaus, Our planet just set a scary new carbon dioxide record, National Observer, March 7th 2019 Human Population Growth and Extinction, Biological Diversity, accessed September, 2020.Kevin Polk, Gaiome: Notes on Ecology, Space Travel and Becoming Cosmic Species (2007)Ecological Footprint CalculatorJ. H. Crawford Carfree Cities, Utrecht : International Books (2000)Charles Montgomery, Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2013)Support the show (https://teespring.com/stores/edenicity)

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