Additional Issues to Think About: The Environment
The global environment—air, water, land use
- survival, recreation, jobs
The infrastructure—public work for public good
- transportation, consumer services, technology
Personal environment
- adequacy, access, and safety
Notes:
What are the environmental issues for your community? Here are a few to start you thinking.
NC has both recreation and industry that depend on a healthy environment. As agriculture, forestry, and fishing are declining in our economy, tourism (which relies, in part, on preserving natural beauty) becomes more important. Sometimes recreational users and commercial users of the same resource have been in conflict. How will the culture of aging boomers influence this balance?
The infrastructure needs will grow as we age. Not only will we need to maintain roads, bridges, and other conventional parts of the infrastructure, we will need to find ways to make the public environment more accessible for intergenerational use. Public transportation, community recreation, and services for the frail or disabled will be increasing challenges; but we will also have new technologies to address needs. Do we have the will? Will we find the resources?
Boomers in NC are currently in fairly old housing stock. There will be challenges to maintain, repair, and make housing accessible. How will we find the balance of public and private responsibility?