From TreeHugger
NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM
The National Building Museum in DC has had an exhibit running called Green Communities. Its about communities who have focused on working towards a more sustainable future.
some key points:
- urban sprawl
- various DIFFERENT modes of transportation
- addressing brownfields/ greyfields
- living in cooperation with nature
not my favorite exhibit, wouldn't highly recommend it. However the bookstore at Building Museum is a real jackpot. It even had our books!!
New York Times-ing
1. Greenhouse Emissions Expected to Decline in Wake of Recession
Recent economic slump has slowed down our green house emissions. Factories aren’t producing as much junk, since we don’t have the money to buy it. And I’m ok with that. Even though emissions rates are expected to rise once the market gets back on track, it’s a good time for governments to crack down on energy efficient policies
2. Exxon Said to Pay $4 Billion For Oil Field
Basically, everything about Exxon and the oil industry disgusts me. Its like The Lorax, one day there wont be anymore oil fields for Exxon to just go and buy, its not like the earth is just crankin the stuff out. I really hope/ KNOW that we can come up with some kick ass solution/alternative to this stuff, and I look forward to it. HAHA, take that Exxon!
3. 4 Giants in Cattle Industry Agree to Help Fight Deforestation
- meat producers ban purchase of cattle from newly deforested areas of
- Destruction of tropical rainforests around the world is estimated for about 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions
- “someone that wants to be a global player can not be associated with deforestation and slave labor” – yeah right.
4. Regulators Plan to Study Health Risks of Atrazine
- Herbacide used on corn fields, golf courses and lawns
- One of the most common contaminants in drinking water
- Runoff pollutes ecosystems and harms animals
- Atrazine in drinking water is associated with low birth weights and reproductive problems
PROBLEM: Im not sure why it takes us so long to realize that we can not just do whatever we want to our environment. Just because we think we are throwing something away does not mean its gone forever, and we never really think about where it goes: back in our drinking water. Lawn fertilizers make me mad too, lawns in general just make me mad. What is our deal with grass? (that’s another rant I guess.)
5. Who Left the Lights on? This System Knows
- Vornado realty trust- owns 17.5 mil square feet of NYC office space
- Attatching small sensors to meters in their tenents offices – which send data to web site where its organized by floor
- cheaper way of “greening” and regulation energy use in a building then investing in new fuels
- I think it’s a good system because everyone benefits from it. When people can see how much they waste it shows them how much they could save on energy costs.
6. To Cut Carbon Emissions,
- Plan to reduce Greenhouse gas emissions
- Research/ development of solar panels
- Burying emissions from coal plants
- Requires government to spend more money on clean energy
- 27 member countries in the EU
- Under the plan:
- Solar sector – largest spending
- Capturing carbon/ greenhouse gasses – 2nd
- Focusing on urban efficiency – buildings/ transportation
Towson Gallery - Caroline Lathanstiefel
http://www.carolinelathanstiefel.net/
Even though Jan actually mentioned her specific dislike of pipe cleaners (/pipe cleaner like arts and crafts) I thought think her installations are really cool. I like how delicate and intricate they are and how they look like they grow around the space like mold.
St Marys Weekend Visit.
GREEN IS EVERYWHERE
http://www.smcm.edu/news/pressrelease/2009/02/09-012.html
Went to visit friends at the beautiful St Marys College of Maryland - had a lot of fun, and also noticed the steps they were taking on campus - like in dining hall to cut down on food waste. And just placed a lot more emphasis on being more environmentally friendly
beauuuutiful campus!
JAIME SALM - inspirational hottie
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/04/17/mio-founder-jaime-salm-on-sustainable-design/
Jaime Salm’s lecture was really cool and he had a lot of good insight to share with all of us. My mom always gets mad because she swears she will tell me things 1000 and I don’t listen, but the minute someone else says it I hear it. Like my mother, I have a feeling Jan felt the same way as Jaime reiterated so much of what she tells us on a daily basis. Here are a few of things that stuck with me:
- CUSTERMER-IZATION – consumers love products that they can customize. Its important in the design process to take this into consideration and design products that allow for consumer altering ie different colors, styles, patterns, shapes. Its also important to remember that not all consumers have the same aesthetic as you and try to design things from a multiple points of view
- DESIGN BRIEF - you design your own brief. When starting a project create a design brief that is a summery of what you plan do with your work. Perhaps address questions of who what when where why. Once this brief is laid out, follow it through out the whole process!! Jaime gave an example of when they took the 3d wall paper to a company and the company told them everything that was wrong with the project. Jaime took the specific criticisms and turned them into a design brief to take the project to the next level.
- STAY POSITVE – like the story about the wallpaper, Jaime embodies the spirit of optimism and positivity. Instead being crushed by the critiques, he turned it around as a way to get ahead. Negativity and “yes but” thinking will NOT get you anywhere. Also, always be in the right state of mind to take advantage of all opportunities that come your way. Make connections that will prove to be useful later on down the road. Always take yourself seriously as a “designer” not just a “student” – after all Jaime made his 3d wall paper in undergrad!!
- PROTOTYPE- maquattes are for real! Make billions of maquettes before even thinking about diving into the final project. Try out all possibilities. Maquettes should not be perfect or even highly thought out, use them as a way to explore all/any possibilities out there, Jaime used the term “Frankenstein” maquettes.
- MATERIAL USE – let the material do what it does, don’t “force your will onto the material.” Examine the materials innate properties instead of forcing them to do a job that some other material could do better. Its about working smart, not hard. Also take into account that just because someone has already done something doesn’t mean it cant be done again. Try using a different material or a process that is the cheapest AND environmentally friendly. And always remember to ask how the material relates to the design idea – in Jan’s words “ALL DESIGN DECISIONS SHOULD BE BASED ON THE GOVERNING IDEA.”
- THIRD WORLD EFFICIENCY? – I was particularly inspired by this point. Jaime noted how in poor countries there is a “weird efficiency,” that in poorer countries people have to be efficient and use everything they have because they have so little. As a designer, I feel like growing up in an affluent environment teaches you very little about efficiency. There is little need to think outside of the box or think about sustainability when money is not an option, because you could just go out and by something to fix the problem or if something breaks, go out an buy another one. I think this issue is really starting to get more attention in this economic recession when people’s funds are not unlimited and we are starting to see that our planet can not be treated like dumpster. Times of recession are often promising for alternative strategies for doing things. People are more receptive to new ideas because they begin to see that the old ways of doing things are not always the best ways.
DC Trip - Solar Decathalon
http://www.solardecathlon.org/
Really cool, learned a lot/ got a lot of new inspiration/ met a lot of people in the field. great opportunity
check out pics on flickr!!!
Really cool, learned a lot/ got a lot of new inspiration/ met a lot of people in the field. great opportunity
check out pics on flickr!!!
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