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Green Military Vets Would Benefit Urban Cities
Simone Lightfoot
Special to The Truth
Inspiration was the feeling that followed my recent trek to
George Washington University in D.C. where I serve as an
instructor for their Veterans Campaign program - training
military personnel and veterans how to run for public
office.
During instruction, soldiers acknowledged that the impacts
of climate change threaten our nation’s security.
Correlations were made between the adaptation, impact and
vulnerability of US cities to those learned rebuilding and
preparing to exit urban areas of the Middle East.
When it comes to climate change impacts, US cities in
general and post-industrial urban centers specifically,
shoulder a large portion of the human, infrastructure and
economic assets most at risk. These cities concentrate key
residential, medical and government facilities that include
headquarters for many area services (public transportation,
water and sewage, sanitation, jail, police, fire,
courthouse).
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Simone Lightfoot |
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Additionally, these cities
face high population density, aged buildings and
infrastructure, abandoned and vulnerable housing stock,
first responder reductions and a high number of senior and
low-income residents.
Amidst budget deficits, cities such as Cincinnati, Cleveland
and Gary have multiple green needs while many veterans
possess practical, green skills, for example, thwarting the
disruption of services, reducing disaster-risk, and
emergency response overload.
Vets understand the
process of addressing, planning and managing aged and
destroyed systems such as drainage and wastewater
infrastructure, storm and surface runoff and protecting
drinking water.
Soldiers have expertise addressing the impacts of
concentrated heat on human health, food supplies,
infrastructure, ecological (grasslands, wetlands, rivers,
lakes) and impervious surfaces (roads, sidewalks, driveways
and parking lots covered by materials like asphalt, concrete
and brick).
Cities like Detroit, Indianapolis and Toledo increasingly
require a mounting response to known climate change threats
exacerbated by other municipal stresses (state takeovers,
public education, service delivery, budget shortfalls, city
layoffs, legacy costs).
Trained soldiers have a heightened sensitivity to systems
vulnerability and degree of impact. They are familiar with
both long and short-term work-intensive assignments that
emphasize hands-on, transitional projects. Veterans are
used to both long-range planning and quick turnaround as
they have worked through heat waves, cold snaps, heavy
precipitation, drought, storms, winter weather, and floods.
With a focus on human health, improved outcomes and
sustainable development, our military could help Great Lakes
urban centers reduce climate change risk for individuals,
infrastructure and enterprise.
In other words, we as a country have invested great
resources and comprehensive skills building into our
military personnel. Now with a large exiting force, we have
a rich opportunity - as well as degree of obligation - to
integrate their meticulous work ethic, leadership and
technical training into sustainability and conservation
efforts that benefit our communities most in need. |
