Salt Lake City has long walked its environmental talk. But to be a truly green city, Mayor Ralph Becker's team is using its black pen to cut the red tape. Marking the first major overhaul since the mid-90s, capital planners are rewriting the city's code book to help ensure sustainability for generations to come.

Under federal tax law, a commuter can shelter up to $115 a month, or $1,380 a year, in pre-tax dollars to help pay commuting expenses. But few employers provide programs that would allow their employees to take advantage of this. San Francisco recently became the nation's first to require businesses with more than 20 employees to offer transit benefit programs -- and Chicago may soon follow.

Cleveland's new bus rapid transit project, the Health Line, is already a great boon to the city and represents a model of wise infrastructure investment.

The San Antonio Express-News presents a series of posts on energy and transportation relating to a proposed light rail system -- contrasting San Antonio's development and transportation patterns with those of Portland, Ore. San Antonio formed a transportation task force in June 2008 to ensure mobility in the face of rising energy costs.

A business in San Francisco turns backyards into a "decentralized urban farm" -- a more productive use of land that can boost food production and bring neighbors together.

Portland bicycle planners have often employed the phrase, "Build It and They Will Come" to explain their approach to building a bicycling infrastructure from scratch in the early 1990s when there appeared to be limited demand. Some 15 years later it is easy to see their logic. The City did indeed build a vast network of bicycling facilities, and cyclists have come in droves. Two recent articles are showing that the-build-it-and-they-will-come theory may also hold true in other cities, as well.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Rosie Boycott, Chair of London Food, today launched an innovative scheme to turn 2,012 pieces of land into thriving green spaces to grow food by 2012. Capital Growth – the first initiative delivered by Rosie Boycott in her capacity as Chair of London Food – aims to identify suitable patches of land around London and offer financial and practical support to groups of enthusiastic gardeners or organisations who want to grow food for themselves and for the local community.

Geothermal energy, which takes less space than solar or wind farms and provides consistent baseline energy, is getting increased attention despite the high upfront costs. A new geothermal plant near Reno, Nevada produces more than enough electricity to power every home in Reno, population 221,000.

On October 22, 2008, the City council of Nevada City, California voted to adopt resolution #2008-58 regarding future energy scarcity and Peak Oil. Specifically, the resolution supports continued efforts to reduce the City's dependence on petroleum, natural gas, and other forms of energy imported to the area. The resolution also calls for the formation of an Energy Solutions Task Force to investigate local vulnerabilities to more expensive and less available energy inputs, and to suggest specific local mitigation strategies.

Eugene, the second largest city in Oregon, has adopted two recommendations from its sustainability commission to move the city's facilities and operations toward carbon neutrality.

The risk to the UK from falling oil production in coming years is greater than the threat posed by terrorism, according to an industry taskforce report published today. The report, from the Peak Oil group, warns that the problem of declining availability of oil will hit the UK earlier than generally expected - possibly within the next five years and as early as 2011.

An interview with David MacLeod of Sustainable Bellingham about the formation and goals of the joint Bellingham / Whatcom County Energy Resource Scarcity / Peak Oil task force.

Whether it is plastered on the side of a bus to promote public transit or peering out from the window of a locally-owned business, support for sustainability is gaining ground in Whatcom County. As one potential solution to globally diminishing natural resources, sustainability, among other things, will be studied as part of an Energy Resource Scarcity Task Force.

The atmosphere in the U.S. is right for growth in mass transit, but those who are trying to make the shift are finding that the funding is not there - due to years of neglect, underfunding, and now systemic economic problems that are threatening many new and existing plans.

The commissioners of McDowell County in North Carolina have voted to purchase a diesel storage tank, in order to save money on fuel costs and be prepared for future shortages. They already have a similar tank for gasoline, but emergency services and waste collection vehicles require diesel.

Victoria councillors have approved changes to the municipality's zoning bylaw to include urban agriculture as an allowable home occupation for up to two people living in a house.

In a new agreement between Hawaii's largest utility and the state, the goal is to create 70 percent of Hawaii's energy use from clean energy sources by 2030. Currently, the state gets about 10 percent of its energy from renewable sources. "We don't have years and years anymore to make these changes," Gov. Linda Lingle said Monday.

Gainesville Regional Utilities, a city-owned utility in Florida, has attracted the eyes of environmentalists across the nation for a trail-blazing plan to encourage solar energy production by agreeing to buy the electricity above market value for 20 years. This scheme for promoting small-scale alternative energy installations has been in use in places like Germany for some time, but has only appeared in the United States this year.

Two activists in Todmorden, England are working to make their town self-sufficient in ten years. The transformation of their town to a productive green landscape is part of a greater movement toward urban gardening and agriculture that can help create greater food security in cities.

Doraville and Chamblee, suburbs of Atlanta, Geo., are the first towns in their state to pass ordinances requiring LEED certification on new development.