envisioning the future

here we are, another new year on the horizon...i find myself working hard cleaning up the challenges of last year to create clearings for possibility to come and setting specific intentions and goals for my next revolution around the sun... here's a little of what i've been stirring in:

today, more than ever, humanity is facing the challenges of how to respond effectively to massive ecological problems…. problems that go deeper than physical ecology, that are bound in our social and spiritual existence as well. while we are hard at work contemplating how to save the world, i'm also dreaming about how the world to save would be…the world that i wish to live in every day…a place where we can meet our current societies needs without compromising a healthy future for the next generations…a place that values meaningful relationships of all types…a place where we we can celebrate the beauty and mystery of being alive every day…

if you were to create your ideal future, what would it look like? what values would your community hold? what are the conditions necessary for this community to exist in the way that you envision it?

global emergency

In the year 2035, three quarters of the built environment in the U.S. will be either new or renovated. This transformation over the next 30 years represents a historic opportunity for the architecture and building community to reverse the most significant crisis of modern time, climate change.

in response to my last post about al gore speaking at the 2007 aia convention, i wanted to highlight a really great resource that talks about the effects of the building industry on global warming, showcases a wealth of green case studies, and invites you to join them in a campaign for global action.


architecture 2030 really breaks it down for us, stating that "unknowingly, the architecture and building community is responsible for almost half of all u.s. greenhouse gas emissions annually. globally the percentage is even greater.” also, in the u.s., seventy-six percent of all electricity generated by power plants goes to supply the 'building sector.' with so much of our resources going into this one sector, it is essential for architects, landscape architects, planners, designers, engineers, contractors, and builders to take immediate action in their current practice.

action...yes. but how?

architecture 2030 is producing a live webcast for global education and activation. the global emergency teach-in titled "global warming, climate change and the built environment" will air around the world on february 20, 2007. all design schools (architecture, planning, landscape architecture, interior design, environmental studies, industrial design, etc.) are being asked to substitute the teach-in for classes on this day, and professional design firms and governmental entities (planning departments, city officials, etc.) are highly encouraged to join in as well. it is recommended to host the event in a common space with a computer since it is an interactive discussion with opportunities for q&a. i have attached more information below about the teach-in. in the meantime, take time to browse the architecture 2030 website and their recommended resources for more information.

February 20, 2007
Noon-3:30p.m. EST

To register for the teach-in, click here.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE:
Noon - 12:15pm
WELCOMING REMARKS
Susan Szenasy, Editor, Metropolis Magazine

12:15 - 12:45pm
A THREAT TO THE PLANET
Dr. James Hansen, Director, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies

12:45pm - 1:15pm
RESUSCITATING A DYING WORLD (2030 Challenge / 2010 Imperative)
Edward Mazria, AIA, Founder, Architecture 2030

1:15pm - 1:45pm
DOING IS BELIEVING
Chris Luebkeman, Director, Global Foresight and Innovation Initiative, ARUP

1:45pm - 3:30pm
DISCUSSION AND Q&A
Q&A for the Speakers will be moderated by Susan Szenasy: Questions will be taken via the internet and sent in through a web-based interactive system. The most common and provocative questions will be posted on a screen, read by the Moderator and then answered by the Moderator and Panel.

Live broadcast ends at 3:30pm. Web archive will be posted at 3:30pm.

growing beyond green

the american institute of architects (aia) has announced that vice president al gore will be the closing keynote speaker to their 2007 convention and design expo. the event, titled "growing beyond green," will be held in antonio, texas may 3-5, 2007. the aia is excited to have gore speak at their 150 anniversary event:

We are honored to have Vice President Gore, a champion of solutions to combat global warming, speak at our 2007 national convention. We are fortunate to have someone of Mr. Gore’s stature help shine a spotlight to an often overlooked element – the impact that buildings have on the health of the overall environment.

~ christine mcentee, aia ceo and executive vice president

the interesting line up of keynote speakers also includes raymond j cole, chrisna du plessis, william g reed, and david suzuki.

(via inhabitat)

understanding nature

i was first introduced to stacy levy's work while studying landscape architecture at penn state university (she is the wife of my landscape ecology professor neil p. korostoff). stacy was a huge source of inspiration to me in her integration of art, science, and landscape ecology and her apt for creating visual metaphors for otherwise invisible processes. so i was very excited to see her featured on the cover of this month's sculpture magazine with a nice spread titled "stacy levy, understanding nature".

as a scientist and artist, stacy brings a fresh approach to land art through her visually seductive forms while incorporating environmental education and awareness. working with natural elements of water, wind, tides, pollution, decay and microorganisms, stacy designs her projects so to allow the sites and elements themselves to tell their stories of place and progression of natural processes.

"I am interested in showing the invisible aspects microorganisms and their complicated relationships of eating and being eaten, the spiraling hydrological patterns of a stream, the mosaic of growth in a vacant lot, the prevailing winds and their effects on vegetation, the flow of water through a living system. Often people think that nature ends where the city begins. But natural processes are always occurring in the city. I like to explore the idea of nature in the city and make it visible to people. I look for sites which give me the opportunity to bring the patterns and processes of the natural world into the built environment."

the following are examples of her work:

tide flowers


the hudson river rises twice a day with the eternal motion of the tides, connecting us in the urban fabric to the ocean, the moon, and natures' own daily schedule. emphasizing nature's constant hand in the urban environment, tide flowers is an installation of colorful flowers which "bloom" at high tide and close at low tide on the hudson river.


acid mine drainage & art, projects for vintondale


acid mine drainage (amd) pollutes hundreds of miles of streams in the coal mining country of pennsylvania. this issue is close to my heart, as my fifth-year capstone project for psu was the transformation of an 80 acre site intensely polluted by amd into a healthy community park.

collaborating with a landscape architect, a geologist, and a historian on acid mine drainage in vintondale, pennsylvania, levy explained the effect of coalmines on the environment, while creating a park and a passive water treatment facility to restore nature to its pre-industrial state. "the design of the water treatment wetlands brings the massive scale of the mining operation back to the site, with raised plinths of soil demarcating the footprints of the original mine buildings. the final rinse of the water is through the series of wetlands allowing the water to slowly seep back into the blacklick creek."


river eyelash


installed for the three rivers arts festival in my hometown, pittsburgh pa, stacy used 3,000 painted buoys to create strands of an eyelash for the city from the tip of point state park. "the eyelash floats where the concrete of the city meets the fluid edge of the water, engaging the great open surface of the three rivers." the floating strands constantly change in response to wind direction, speed of the currents and types of waves.

7 un-shopping days left

fact: americans throw away 25 percent more trash between thanksgiving and christmas than during any other time of year which is an additional million tons of garbage per week!

so you can call me ho ho humbug, but i am again going the anti-consumer route for the holidays. i am over the stresses of traveling at this time of year, of running around malls, of swimming in miles of to-do lists and sales hype not to mention debt. i prefer to slow down and sip my vegan egg-nog while grasping onto the bits of sanity that i have left.

last year i celebrated christmas in the beautiful redrocks of nevada which was far more nurturing than being in a congested airport or a spiritless mall. this year i will be staying warm in el lay. i am not planning to buy any presents except for a copy of an inconvenient truth for my parents. the presents that i am making for my closest loved ones are personalized and straight from the heart. they will arrive wrapped in used magazines and newspapers.

for those of you looking to put more meaning into your holidays, treehugger has put together an extensive green gift guide. i also recommend the holiday survival guide from the center for a new american dream. if you are traveling to loved ones, consider offsetting your flight through conservation international.

the dunn county news published these questions to ask yourself as a conscious consumer at the holidays, and year-round (via the worsted witch)

• Where was this product made? What alternatives might there be locally?

• Is this really something the receiver needs or is it just something to give and forget?

• What impact did the production of this product have on the environment? Look back at the sustainable principles. Were fossil fuels wasted in production or distribution? Were people taken advantage of to produce this product, as in third-world countries? Is this product a result of environmentally sustainable practices or is it something that will never decompose or be recycled or repaired?

• Who is reaping the benefit of the sale of this product … a multi-national corporation or a worker receiving fair compensation and the ability to earn a living?

• How far did this product have to travel to make it to your doorstep? What were the energy costs in getting it to you?

The article ends with something many of us can appreciate: “The most sustainable gift of all is to give of ourselves. Make time to be with those you care about, and make time for those who may be alone. Volunteer locally. Create coupons for time to spend together. These are the best, least expensive, and most sustainable items possible.”

word.

alternative car expo

this past weekend was the first annual alt car expo presented by the city of santa monica. two jam-packed days of seminars, panels, and discussions on alternative fuel technologies, urban planning, mass transit, cycling, and more! tomas and i got there sunday afternoon and unfortunately missed the seminars, but we got to catch up with some of the exhibitors and familiar faces of the alternative transportation world.

flexcar, who i am familiar with from up north, was representing their car-sharing service that they have been expanding here in el lay. flexcar offers a very affordable and convenient solution for those who only need a car a few hours a week or so. you pay a yearly membership fee and are then charged by the hour for using a vehicle (around $9-12) and they cover gas, insurance, road-side assistance, and maintenance! car shares are a more sustainable alternative to having your own vehicle, and about 30% of their vehicles are hybrids (which usually cost a fortune to rent!). i know that one flexcar is parked on 5th ave. at rose in venice and others can be located around el lay.

new to me was the euro taxi of santa monica...a taxi service currently running 4 cars all sourced with biodiesel. the father and son running the booth were so sweet and excited about their business. i'll definitely give them a call next time i am going out on the town. you can reach euro taxi at 310.828.4200.

i also got to meet some of the guys behind carless in l.a. who are documenting katie rogers and her adventures in giving up her car for 80 days. i was carless in el lay for months when i got back from indonesia, and i really loved the freedom that it gave me. i made good use of the big blue bus system and my bicycle but i did not leave the west side often. i survived my experience...and it looks like katie will as well. hoorah.

with a wide selection of electric, hydrogen, natural gas, biodiesel, ethanol and other high mpg cars, the expo did a great job of showcasing many alternatives to the standard gas guzzler. in line with the permaculture principle of diversity, it is essential for many technologies to be explored because the only way to create a resilient system that will get us through difficulties is to utilize many elements. otherwise, like the current mono-fuel system, we are setting ourselves up for failure.

on my bookshelf

i'm blogging from the santa monica public library today where there is free wireless, a coffee shop/cafe, and an amazing selection of resources for bibliophiles like me. the santa monica library is also acknowledged by the u.s. green building council as a silver-rated leed certified green building and hosts community workshops and lectures in sustainable living...rad. you can find out more about the library's initiative in sustainability here.

the following books are staples on my personal shelves. any of these books are worth a trip to your local library to check out and would make a great present for the environmentally inquisitive on your holiday list...be sure to support local independent bookstores when purchasing (you can find one near you through booksense) or buy used when possible.


gaviota's a village to reinvent the world, by alan weisman

weisman tells the story of how a diverse group of visionaries (engineers, biologists, botanists, agriculturists, sociologists, musicians, artists, doctors, teachers, and students) created a very real, socially viable, and self-sufficient community for the future in the los llanos region of colombia which is generally considered uninhabitable. today the people of gaviotas produce innovative technologies (solar collectors, irrigation systems, windmills, and hydroponic gardens) that use the environment without depleting or destroying it. the story he presents is a wonderful testament to human creativity, commitment, and effort toward building a socially viable and environmentally sustainable future.

cradle to cradle: remaking the way we make things, by william mcdonough & michael braungart

“the world will not evolve past its current state of crisis by using the same thinking that created the situation."

mcdonough & braungart have been my heroes ever since i saw "the next industrial revolution" which documents their cradle to cradle design projects pointing the future of design as being one of use, recycle, and used again without losing any material quality (cradle-to-cradle) rather than the all too familiar use once and then dispose (cradle-to-grave) mentality. i bought the dvd a few years back and then the book. as a 'treeless' publication printed on a synthetic plastic resin 'paper' made to be easily recycled, the book "cradle to cradle" is itself a symbol of the design philosophies inside.


natural capitalism: creating the next industrial revolution, by paul hawken, amory lovins, and l. hunter lovins

this book, written by three visionaries from the rocky mountain institute, explains how the world is on the verge of a new industrial revolution—one that promises to transform our fundamental notions about commerce and its role in shaping our future. natural capitalism describes a future in which business and environmental interests increasingly overlap, and in which businesses can better satisfy their customers' needs, increase profits, and help solve environmental problems all at the same time.

this is my all-time numero uno. you can even download the book from the natural capitalism website for free and start reading it right now!

partying with purpose

i am quite behind in my posts, but i wanted to shout out to the inspiring group of people who came to the good magazine and world changing party a few weeks back in celebration of the launch of the world changing book.

i took phil (who still hasn't passed on the photos from that night...ahem) and he was so inspired that he bought 5 copies of the book for edsa offices around the world. alex steffen (executive editor) signed each copy with a few words for each office and our new friend, tomas, caught it on film. tomas is fabulous and so is his website think organic where you can view his video shorts on topics of sustainability.

i also got to catch up with the beautiful alanna, feris of greenopia, barent of greendrinks and grow-design, damien of treehuggertv and green la girl siel among others doing amazing, world changing things. except for carrying phil's 5 very heavy books back to santa monica (thank goodness for beer muscles) and my headache the next morning (the after-effects of beer muscles), i had a blast.

the book itself is beautifully designed and the message is powerful. you can find it at a local bookstore near you, or through the world changing site.

swap-o-rama-rama

"There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness." Gandhi

i can not wait for december 16th, the swap-o-rama-rama is coming to el lay!! i discovered the sorr a few months ago when i was researching re-made clothing and came across their website which featured images of not one, but two of my very dearest girlfriends! so i knew that this was something that i needed to know about!

say hello to my dear friend maryann (aka orange) who worked with me in the environmental consulting world in sacramento when i first moved to california. she introduced me to the n street co-op that eventually became my home in davis. that's the fabulous amy in the background. this photo is from the san francisco sorr.

and my sweet kristy who went through landscape architecture school with me at penn state. she is crafty beyond comprehension and a very green lady indeed. this is her sewing up her masterpiece at the brooklyn sorr.

sorr is basically a huge clothing swap and series of do-it-yourself workshops that help participants unleash their creative genius. the following is from an email that i received recently:

It's easy to move from consumer to creator! At Swap-O-Rama-Rama you'll find talented indie designers and DIY stations where you can learn traditional crafts like embroidery, beading and appliqué. These include sewing stations with sewing machines run by knowledgeable clothing and costume designers; silk screening, and decoration stations for working with beads, buttons, and a variety of accouterments. This year we'll have a team of LA's best volunteers ready to help you find a new recycled look. But of course the core of the swap is the gigantic piles of free clothing sorted into categories: pants, shirts, skirts, sweaters etc. These piles are the collective total of each guest’s contribution of one bag of unwanted clothes. Take home as much clothing as you can carry. Remainders go to Out of The Closet Thrift Stores.

so start decluttering your closet now (i already have a bag of clothes ready) and join me at the swap-o-rama-rama el lay...

december 16th, 11am to 7pm
$5 plus any size bag of unwanted clothing
$10 without clothing
once inside all of the materials for creativity and all the clothes you can carry are free
all ages welcome!
join the list: swaporamarama-subscribe@gaiatreehouse.com

location: shrine auditorium expo center
700 w 32nd st, la 90007