Neighbors for Neighbors

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Boston Buildling Department is it Building Sustainable Building Practices in the Neighborhoods?

This weather is not easy for a lot of people. I have no sense of what environmental protection activities are being organized in Boston through the Building Department.

On Moss Hill recently there as a house renovation that has changed the flow of water and drainage on the hill and is adversely effecting neighboring houses and the water table and drainage. Should this kind of problem been proactively avoided by the Building Department.

I began thinking about this because of the history of building in this city and what it has done to create wind tunnels and more. On January 18, 2007 I experienced severe physical harm due to the wind tunnel effect on Dartmouth Street where winds pushed people walking on the sidewalk out of control into the street.

The history of wind issues back to the construction of the John Hancock Tower have not in my experience been addressed well.

I realized today while I was helping a friend mop up her basement that law suits, angry neighbor gatherings and denial is not the way to go.

What is this city doing to lead change, in particular in Jamaica Plain to address solid and well thought out environmental issues in JP and through out Boston.

I do not wish to betray neighbor confidentiality and report on contacts at the Boston Building Department or conversations between neighbors. Why in this city do real issues have to be addressed with dissent and argument and what is Boston's proactive Environment Plan re: Air, Chemicals, Water, and more and how will that also address public health issues related to mold, allergies and chronic illness?

Last year when I visited San Francisco for an international meeting on REACH Legislation, the meeting was hosted by the San Francisco EPA. Do we have a City EPA that is as proactive as San Franciso and Santa Monica. With the Environmental Defense Fund located here in Boston can we ask their help and what can the EPA Regional office do to help us.

I want to see this happen contribute. Anyone else. I am asking the question of my neighbor to neighbors by way of finding a local network and people I can convene to build an activity that will serve us all.

It is also my hope this is how we can use N-to-N to build people and relationship of trust to address challenging issues of sustainabililty today.

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