Here’s an easy new year’s resolution: Swap out your fast food lunch for something healthy and fresh, like an organic salad or sandwich from Mixt Greens. The company, founded in San Francisco in 2005, will be opening four new DC locations; the first will open on January 26th at 1200 19th Street, NW.

Mixt Greens join hometown faves Sweetgreen in offering tossed-to-order salads and sandwiches made with local, seasonal, and organic ingredients. “Our salads taste different because of the ingredients we source and the way we prepare everything from scratch,” says Andrew Swallow, Mixt Greens’ Chief Culinary Officer.

One seasonal salad that’s only available during the winter months is the aptly named “The Porky,” made with mixed greens, spice-rubbed pork tenderloin, roasted butternut squash, Applewood smoked bacon, sliced seasonal apple, and house-made Champagne vinaigrette topped with a port wine reduction drizzle and chopped pistachios.

You’ll also eat in earth-friendly surroundings thanks to Charlottesville-based William McDonough + Partners, which designed the modern, urban restaurants incorporating eco-conscious materials.  Each location also features an edible living wall of seasonally rotating herbs and vegetables. The wall highlights indoor urban agriculture, a low-energy, high-yield farming technique, showcasing that sustainable, fertilizer/pesticide-free, healthy food can be grown indoors in urban environments.

What else besides the food and building design makes Mixt Greens green? All of packaging used by the restaurants is 100% compostable and biodegradable, they purchase renewable energy credits through Renewable Choice, and they use only non-toxic and biodegradable cleaners from Method.

In addition to the restaurant at 1200 19th Street, three venues will open between February and April: 2010 at 1311 F Street, NW, 1700 K Street, NW and 927 15th Street, NW. Each location will be open Monday through Friday from 10:30 AM to 3 PM, and prices will range from $7.95 to $11.95 for salads and $8.95 for sandwiches, which are served with a side salad of greens.

With the start of a new year comes hope and change and most importantly, opportunity. In reaction to such inspiring settings, most of us turn to the old pad and pen to set up our course for the next year. So, what is on your list?

As you start to compile your outline for the next 365 days, let us throw in our two, green cents. But this year, let’s do it a little differently. We are tackling the most common New Year’s resolutions and applying a little environmental know-how. You still get what you need while keeping Mother Nature in the mix.

Get the ball rolling (or dropping) and start by actually making your list:

1. Keep it real- Set the bar at an attainable height. You want the goals to stick, not just have the list stick to the fridge till 2011.
2. Be specific – Add details so you know what to expect and have a jump start on how to accomplish it.
3. Think tiny – Big goals are made up of a bunch of small ones, so start little and build up.

Resolution#1: More Family Time

According to About.com, “Recent polls conducted by General Nutrition Centers, Quicken and others shows that more than 50 percent of Americans vow to appreciate loved ones and spend more time with family and friends this year.”

Sounds good to us! But what to do with all that time…

The kids – Explore the great outdoors
To inspire an appreciation of nature, give your kids a chance to really explore it. Do some quick research to find out more about the environmental treasures in your own backyard.

Your significant other – Get up, get out and do something
Getting involved in your local community can be a fast, easy way to get connected. A simple trip to the farmers market can help sustain local growers, hook up with your neighbors and find some fresh, organic grub. Also, a Saturday of volunteering at your community garden can help you better understand the use for your own compost or those old tires you were storing in your backyard.

Parents – Food, glorious (organic) food
Mom and Dad probably prepared, literally, thousands of meals for you as a child. Repay them with a delicious family feast made from sustainably sourced ingredients. Sustainable Table has some great suggestions, or you can also whip up your mom’s favorite recipes using environmentally conscious ingredients like free-range eggs, locally raised bacon and organic fruit.
Resolution #2: Resurrect the Workout

Weight and overall health often take the top spot on the list of resolutions. In fact, diet and health awareness is growing now more than ever, and not just among adults. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2006:

* 18 percent of adolescents age 12-19 years were overweight.
* 15 percent of children age 6-11 years were overweight.
* 11 percent of children age 2-5 years were overweight.

While motivation may be your biggest hurdle, starting with simple steps is both healthy and green. Though gym memberships can be convenient and provide an opportunity to meet people, adding up membership fees and the amount of energy it takes to power a 24-hour gym may be cause to reconsider your routine. Get back to the basics and try taking your activities outdoors:

* Take a jog around the neighborhood instead of on a treadmill.
* Swim laps in a community pool instead of using an elliptical machine.
* Lift yard waste in your garden instead of free weights in the gym.

Resolution #3: Kick the Nic

Maybe you tried last year, and the year before that…but if it didn’t stick, just try again.

For more motivation, let’s start with your wallet. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the U.S., cigarette smoking costs more than $193 billion annually. And smoking doesn’t just wreak havoc on you, secondhand smoke costs more than $10 billion in health care expenditures.

But what do cigarettes cost the planet? According to TreeHugger, “Each year, nearly 600 million trees are destroyed to provide fuel to dry tobacco. Put in another way, one tree is destroyed for every 300 cigarettes. Globally, tobacco curing requires 11.4 million tons of solid wood annually.”

But once the crop is stable, it takes quite a bit to keep it going. “Tobacco is a sensitive plant prone to many diseases. It therefore requires huge chemical inputs: up to 16 applications of pesticide are recommended during one three-month growing period.”

But the planetary harm of cigarettes doesn’t stop at production. One of the most environmental damaging results of the cigarette industry lies in the trash. During the 2008 International Coastal Cleanup, volunteers collected 1,362,741 cigarette butts along U.S. coastlines.

Ready? Check out SmokeFee.gov for some helpful info.
Resolution #4: Balance Your Budget

Debt is on everyone’s mind nowadays, but where does the average consumer stand? According to Money-Zine. com:

* Consumer debt in 2009 now stands at $2.5 trillion.
* The average household in 2009 carried nearly $5,100 in credit card debt.

Many believe that balancing a budget and going green don’t exactly fit together, but the truth is, the two go hand-in- hand. Though many eco-luxuries may still be out of reach for most, many daily green activities can actually save you money. Check out our 8 Ways to Go Green and Save Hundreds and in just one year, you could save a minimum of $762.30! And this doesn’t even factor in the long-term savings.
Resolution #5: Up Your Volunteering Efforts

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor, “About 61.8 million people, or 26.4 percent of the population, volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2007 and September 2008.” As those millions can tell you, volunteering is an excellent way to meet new people while benefiting your local community. Check out our 8 Ways to Get Involved as well as HelpOthers.org to find ways to get out there and get involved.

Already have a volunteering gig? Whether it is for an organization with an environmental focus or not, volunteering in general can be an eco-friendly experience. Here are a few things you can do to green the act of helping:

* Carpool with others from the same organization.
* Bring a stainless steel water bottle instead of a disposable plastic one.
* Set up a recycling system at the organization if one doesn’t already exist.
* If a recycling system cannot be put into place, collect papers, plastic bottles and cans and recycle them at home.

Resolution #6: Take a Load Off!

The American Psychological Association (APA) makes it crystal clear: Americans are too stressed. In fact, in a 2007 APA press release stated that “One-third of Americans are living with extreme stress, and nearly half of Americans (48 percent) believe that their stress has increased over the past five years.”

Although there are many ways to add relaxation to your list – yoga, mediation, organization – a good ol’ fashion vacation can often do the trick. While planning and saving for your next trip, keep in mind the keys to green traveling.

Eco-tourism is about respect for the environment. If you’re traveling by car, remember to reduce your potential waste by using reusable storage containers for travel snacks and other take-along items. And, for optimal gas mileage, ensure your vehicle is in tip-top shape before hitting the road, therefore reducing its environmental impact.

And for eco-centric locales, check out our list of top eco-destinations.
Resolution #7: Train Your Brain

Keeping the brain active and in shape is a daily need that can be accomplished in a ton of ways. If you’re looking to start off with a great read, William McDonough and Michael Braungart’s Cradle to Cradle is the ultimate in-depth look at the science and research behind some of the most innovative ideas in the sustainable scene. If you’re into the DIY movement, Lori Bongiorno’s Green, Greener, Greenest is chock full of tips for going green on any budget, schedule or lifestyle.

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• Waste is Stupid (slideshare.net)
• The design responsibility (davidairey.com)
• Kit Yarrow, Ph.D.: The Definitive Guide to New Year’s Resolutions (huffingtonpost.com)

This weekend, Studio 360 broadcasts its special time travel show, recorded in front of a live audience at WNYC’s Jerome L. Greene Performance Space.  And with this decade coming to an end, it seems like a good opportunity to revisit some of the events and trends from the 2000’s that we’ll always remember.

***

GOING GREEN

If this decade were a color, it would be green.  And while it wasn’t always so easy being green – for every Segway on the road, there was a gas-guzzling Hummer – at least the seeds were planted.  Designers managed to rethink everything from our water bottles to our grocery bags.  And among architects, there was no one more ambitious than William McDonough, who spoke to Kurt in 2008.

***

BAD NEWS

Since the near collapse of the economy, seemingly everything has been about downsizing.  But newspapers were shrinking even earlier.  Things have been so bad for print journalism that nearly 150 papers folded this year alone (and I don’t mean along the center of the page).  The Wall Street Journal managed to stay afloat (thanks, Rupert Murdoch) but still underwent some major design changes this decade.  In 2007, “Studio 360” assessed its new look.

***

LIFE ON MARS

In early 2004, right around the time President Bush announced his plan to eventually send Americans to Mars, two robotic explorers touched down on the Red Planet.  The Mars Exploration Rovers came equipped with cameras and cruise ship-like names (Spirit and Opportunity).  Gathering energy through solar panels, they lasted longer than anyone expected.  This segment aired during the summer of ’07 when the cousin Rover, Phoenix, was about to launch.  It would soon find traces of water ice on the Martian surface.  But as we reported, the trip was worth it for the photos.

***

LOL-O-V-E

This was the decade when, thanks to that screen you’re staring at right now, you reconnected with all those people you hated in high school and learned to think 140-character thoughts.  Back in 2004, we heard from a sort of online dating coach helping e-romantics make themselves more e-appealing.

***

You can revisit the past on your own by visiting the archives page at studio360.org.  As for what the next decade will bring, stay tuned to find out.

- Jordan Sayle

En el Hostal Empúries hemos hecho desde el primer día una apuesta por los valores ecológicos y la sostenibilidad tanto en la construcción y uso diario de nuestro edificio como en la gestión del establecimiento. Creemos que nuestro negocio no puede estar reñido con el respeto por el medio ambiente y que si alcanzamos nuestros objetivos podemos ser pioneros en Europa en lo que muchos llaman turismo ecosostenible.

Una de las corrientes que hemos seguido con más atención y que intentamos aplicar en la medida de lo posible  es la conocida como Cradle to Cradle c2c (de la cuna a la cuna), una nueva visión del ecologismo acuñada en un libro a principios de esta década por el químico Michael Braungart y el arquitecto William McDonough.

Ambos proponen en Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the way we may thinks, apostar por el uso de materiales que no solo sean sostenibles sino que su vida útil vaya más allá del uso al que se han destinado en primera instancia para ser reutilizados en futuros procesos convirtiéndolos al final de su ciclo en nueva materia prima.

Bajo esta concepción, nada se desperdicia, todo se reutiliza y desaparece el concepto de residuo porque vuelve a su estado de origen. La filosofia c2c puede ser aplicada al diseño de edificios pero también a la economía, el urbanismo y, en general, el sistema social en su conjunto.

En el Hostal Empúries aplicamos algunos de los principios del c2c. Usamos agua de la lluvia para el riego de nuestro huerto natural. El fertilizante de nuestras plantas no es otro que la materia orgánica que genera el restaurante. De este modo evitamos que entren en la cadena productos químicos.

Recuperamos materiales y los que usamos nuevos siempre son sostenibles y reutilizables. Por ejemplo, el uso del ladrillo ecológico francés ytong para la construcción del edificio. Hemos concebido techos verdes en los edificios y usado sistemas de ventilación natural. Evitamos el uso de PVC y gestiona nuestro residuos una empresa especializada en reciclaje. Todas estas medidas nos ayudan a respetar el medio ambiente y a ahorrar costes.

En el Hostal Empúries creeemos que este es el camino que se debe seguir para preservar el entorno, garantizar el futuro y rentabilizar procesos. Os animamos a todos a hacer lo mismo!

Geschreven voor: www.marketingtowomen.eu

Milieuvriendelijke kleding, bijvoorbeeld gemaakt van biologisch katoen, wordt steeds populairder. Kleine, gespecialiseerde winkels verkochten dit al langer, maar ook grotere zaken als Hema en H&M hebben inmiddels ecologische lijnen in hun assortiment opgenomen. Afgelopen donderdag 19 november introduceerde de Nederlandse ontwerpster Berber Soepboer door haar ontworpen cradle-to-cradle mode. In opdracht van het Nederlandse onderzoek & adviesbureau Refinity, een collectie gemakkelijk aanpasbare kleding. De cradle-to-cradle kleding bestaat uit een wollen jurk en rok van uitgesneden stukken, die je kunt bevestigen met een klik- en vouwsysteem. De kleding kan op verschillende manieren gedragen worden. De vele kleine vierkantjes of driehoekjes geven de kleding een mozaïekachtige uitstraling. De stukjes zijn los van elkaar van de jurk af te halen, dus ze kunnen ook worden gewassen of vervangen. Het idee achter het concept is dat je door de talloze outfits die je met deze kledingstukken kunt maken, je minder andere kleren nodig hebt. Ook is er geen draad meer nodig om alles aan elkaar te naaien, net zo min als drukkers, klittenband en ritsen. Dat is allemaal beter voor het milieu en dus is de cradle-to-cradle kleding ook eco-vriendelijk.
De term cradle to cradle refereert naar het boek Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things dat in 2002 gepubliceerd werd door William McDonough en Michael Braungart. Volgens de cradle to cradle (C2C) visie houdt de huidige generatie rekening met toekomstige generaties door ‘afval’ op nieuwe manieren te gebruiken en hiermee in plaats van ‘minder slecht’, ‘goed te zijn’. Er wordt dan ook gesproken over upcycling -waarbij het product dat hergebruikt minimaal z’n oude waarde terugkrijgt- in plaats van downcycling, wat nu vooral gebeurt. Zie de website voor meer informatie.
Het cradle to cradle kledingstuk ziet er mooi uit en het concept is zeker iets wat vrouwen zal aanspreken. Veel vrouwen houden van mode, maar maken zich tegelijkertijd zorgen om het milieu. Wel vraag ik me af of vrouwen werkelijk minder kleding zullen kopen wanneer ze dit cradle to cradle kledingstuk zullen aanschaffen, maar het is in ieder geval wel een leuk en goed initiatief! Lees het volledige artikel op Styletoday.nl

In ‘Cradle to Cradle in bedrijf’ laat Marieke van der Werf aan de hand van interviews zien op welke manier de C2C-filosofie toegepast wordt. Cradle to Cradle verovert de wereld, maar vooral Nederland. Het inspirerende verhaal van de bedenkers, Michael Braungart en William McDonough, vormt daarbij een belangrijke motor. Op tal van plaatsen en in diverse bedrijven gaat men enthousiast met het concept aan de slag. C2C maakt creativiteit los en leidt tot innovaties. Het leidt echter ook tot nieuwe vragen. Waar begin ik? Hoe krijg ik anderen enthousiast? Hoe realiseer ik C2C binnen een traditionele infrastructuur? Waar vind ik partners? Hoe kom ik aan de juiste kennis en materialen?

Bij de mensen die iets willen met het concept bestaat vooral behoefte aan praktische informatie. Maar het C2C-concept laat zich niet vangen in regels of stappen. Elke specifieke situatie vraagt om een eigen aanpak. Omdat een blauwdruk ontbreekt, zijn het vooral de voorbeelden van anderen die inspireren en waar lessen uit kunnen worden getrokken. Kern van het boek vormen een vijftiental voorbeelden van Nederlandse bedrijven en organisaties die het C2C-concept toepassen. Of ze nu al een product of dienst hebben ontwikkeld, het voornemen hebben of midden in het proces zitten.
Hilde Roothart

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From the Frank Lloyd Wright´s organicism to new futuristic concepts from Evolo today architecture begins to move away from Euclidian reticularity showing that it requires an understandign in fractal dynamism and emergence of natural systems.

Eugene Tsui, Javier Senosiain, Michael Paulin, William McDonough, Renzo Piano and many others architects not only integrate in their projects ecological and sustainable principles but an undestandig that constructions require an holistic approach studying the form, materials and efficiency that Nature have becoming the infallible mentor in the creation of an comfortable and symbiotic world.

Desde el organicismo de Frank Lloyd Wright hasta los nuevos conceptos futuristas inspirados por Evolo hoy la arquitectura comienza a alejarse de la reticularidad euclidiana mostrando que se requiere entender el dinamismo fractal y emergente de los sistemas naturales.

Eugene Tsui, Javier Senosiain, Michael Paulin, William McDonough, Renzo Piano y entre muchos otros arquitectos no solo integran en sus proyectos los principios ecológicos y de sustentabilidad sino que han comprendido que las construcciones requieren de una proyección mas holística estudiando las formas, materiales y la eficiencia que la  naturaleza puede darnos, siendo ella el mentor infalible en la creación de un mundo confortable y simbiótico.

William McDonough is a designer with creative approaches to sustainability.

“Reflect on this: It took us 5,000 years to put wheels on our luggage. How smart are humans?”  William McDonough

“My goal is very simple. It’s to help create “a delightfully diverse, safe, healthy, and just world, with clean air, soil, water, and power — economically, equitably, ecologically, and elegantly enjoyed, period. What’s not to like?”

William McDonough is the winner of three U.S. presidential awards: the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development (1996), the National Design Award (2004); and the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award (2003). Time magazine recognized him as a “Hero for the Planet” in 1999, stating that “his utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that, in demonstrable and practical ways, is changing the design of the world.”

His Book, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, (North Point Press). was not printed on conventional paper, but in Durabook, a synthetic “paper” made from plastic resins and inorganic fillers, materials that can be reutilized again and again in industrial processes, what the book calls a “technical nutrient.”

William McDonough – Sustainability And The Next Industrial Revoluti… | TotalPicture Radio – Podcast Career Advice and Leadership Development | Mcdonough, Design, William, Cradle, Case

MP3 audio

Joining a long line of notable architectural designs emerging from previous Expos and World Fairs, Herzog & de Meuron today released their concept design master plan for the Expo Milan 2015.

Aerial view along the primary boulevard, Expo Milan 2015 (Courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron)

With an Expo theme of “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”, the Herzog & de Meuron master plan deliberately makes a paradigm shift away from the monumental buildings (eg. Eiffel Tower, 1889) or big pointy towers (eg. Space Needle) that characterise past Expos;

To this end, we want to reverse the notion of a monumentality that is associated with physical impact and instead offer a vision of landscape that is monumental in its fragility and natural beauty. [Herzog & de Meuron, architect's statement]

Described by the architects as a “reinterpreted urban agricultural landscape” the design reminds me of the classic Italian gardens analysed in the book “Green Architecture & The Agrarian Garden” (Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, 1988) that made such an impact on me when I studied landscape architecture. At first glance, the scheme looks like it could be for an anonymous new city in the Middle East but on closer inspection it reflects some romantic elements of Italian cities – Venetian canals and picturesque agrarian scenes in Tuscany – that sit within a rigourous urban structure.

The design is organised around a 1.4 kilometre long boulevard about the scale of the Ramblas in Barcelona or parts of the Champs Elysées in Paris. In the tradition of Roman cities, this primary axis intersects a secondary boulevard that connects the Expo site to the city fabric. A series of strips (perhaps recalling furrows in a field) covered by shade sails cut across the boulevard axis and define the building sites for all the national pavilions. By arranging these strips perpendicular to the axis, each country has an equal frontage or representation at the Expo – despite the varying lengths and topography. Water frames the site in way that recalls the waterways of Venice (check out the boats!), provides sustainability benefits (in part a constructed wetland) as well as way to move around the Expo by boat.

Canal view, Expo Milan 2015. (Courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron)

Boulevard view, Expo Milan 2015 (Courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron)

Conceptual layers diagram, Expo Milan 2015 (Courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron)

Overall aerial view, Expo Milan 2015 (Courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron)

Close-up of the boulevard, 'strips' and shade sails, Expo Milan 2015 (Courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron)

A mini harbour off the canals, Expo Milan 2015 (Courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron)

Given the strong green theme of the Expo, Herzog & de Meuron are working with the world-renowned sustainability leaders William McDonough + Partners to develop a range of environmental processes that are guided by McDonough’s “cradle to cradle” approach. The diagram below highlights the different parts of the “nutrient system” whereby an appropriate cradle to cradle cycle is assigned to each component; Stuff (1 day to 1 month), Setting (3-30 years), Systems (7-15 years), Skin (20 years), Structure (30-300 years) and Site (eternal).

Expo nutrient system by William McDonough (Courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron)

Interestingly, Herzog & de Meuron’s bold concept for the 2015 Expo is not exactly their first. In fact, the origins of their de Young Museum (2005) in San Francisco stem from the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894 as the original building was severely damaged by a 1989 earthquake.

In essence, the design for Expo Milan 2015 by Herzog & de Meuron is an urban landscape design framework that provides a monumental yet sustainable approach for an event such as an Expo. Whether or not it makes a long term environmental contribution to the city of Milan, will be revealed in the fullness time as the concept has lofty aspirations;

Just like nature, the Expo will also change over time… it will have provided a foundation for flexible and sustainable development in the entire region, ultimately redefining our long-term approach to the worldwide production of foodstuffs. [Herzog & de Meuron, architect's statement]

I was doing some poking around on the web late last night, using the search term “Earth Changes”. Not the most uplifting topic…Ah, shall we say?

Anywho, I came across this blog. http://2012truth.com

I think ‘truth’ is a very relative thing. Everyone has their own sacred truth. Then there are larger truths but then us humans get caught up in the semantics of how to define that larger or those larger truths. And we fight over them…. Sigh.

But I was impressed by this website and blog. And found this particular entry of great interest. William McDonough has been at the forefront of some very good thinking and design for years… Way ahead of the curve in many ways. Check this out:

http://2012truth.com/2009/02/15/how-do-we-love-all-of-the-children-of-all-species-for-all-time/

What I’m finding particularly interesting about the title of this blog entry and I guess it must be part of the gist of the McDonough — is that this is Native American, rather Indigenous Peoples’ worldview! Has been for eons. All Our Relations and the sacredness of all… it is all imbued (stones, trees, squirrels and us) are part of the sacred matrix of life that God/Great Mystery has brought forth. We, as two leggeds, just need to be far more humble in our perception of who we are in the matrix.

I was put onto this talk by architect William McDonough last week. He’s speaking about Cradle to Cradle, a design method used by himself and German chemist, Michael Braungart. I read the book, named ‘Cradle to Cradle’ a few years ago, and it has stuck with me ever since.

Really inspiring stuff, check it out if you haven’t come across it already.

-Tim

An excerpt from Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough and Michael Braungart:

“The SoHo and TriBeCa neighborhoods in lower Manhattan continue to thrive because their buildings were designed with several enduring advantages that today would not be considered efficient: they have high ceilings and large, high windows that let in daylight, thick walls that balance daytime heat with nighttime coolness…Their appeal and usefulness is enduringly apparent.”

Donald Judd would agree, see! I saw his home and studio in New York last term. It was a beautiful building.

An excerpt from “The Butterfly” a poem by Arun Kolatkar printed in Jejuri:

“Just a pinch of yellow,
it opens before it closes
and closes before it o

where is it”

An excerpt from a lecture by the fictional Elizabeth Costello in the Lives of Animals by J.M. Coetzee:

“Let me say it openly: we are surrounded by an enterprise of degradation, cruelty, and killing which rivals anything that the Third Reich was capable of, indeed dwarfs it, in that ours is an enterprise without end, self-regenerating, bringing rabbits, rats, poultry, livestock ceaselessly into the world for the purpose of killing them.”

The book ended with four reflections from others, including one by Peter Singer. I had been wondering if Peter singer would save his daughter or his dog and in his reflection he writes, “I’m your father, of course I would have saved my lovely baby daughter. But the point is, normal humans have capacities that far exceed those of nonhuman animals, and some of these capacities are morally significant in particular contexts.”

An excerpt from Morpho Eugenia by A.S. Byatt

“‘They take your dress for the sky itself,’ he whispered. She stood very still, turning her head this way and that. More and more butterflies made their way through the air, more and more hung trembling on the blue sheen of the cloth, on the pearly-white of her hands and throat.”

(I spent a lot of my summer here and here.)

An excerpt from My Summer in a Garden by Charles Dudley Warner

“The principal value of a private garden is not understood. It is not to give the possessor vegetables and fruit (that can be better and cheaper done by the market gardeners), but to teach him patience and philosophy, and the higher virtues,–hope deferred, and expectations blighted, leading directly to resignation, and sometimes to alienation. The garden thus becomes a moral agent, a test of character, as it was in the beginning…I mean to have a moral garden, if it is not a productive one,–one that shall teach, O my brothers! O my sisters! the great lessons of life.

I read most of this book while on the subway. It was the least applicable.

An excerpt from Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman

“‘Why do you keep saying that?’ he asked in response. “Apples and oranges aren’t that different, really. I mean, they’re both fruit. Their weight is extremely similar. They both contain acidic elements. They’re both roughly spherical. They serve the same social purpose. With the possible exception of a tangerine, I can’t think of anything more similar to an orange than an apple If I was having lunch with a man who was eating an apple and–while I was looking away– he replaced that apple with an orange, I doubt I’d even notice.”

An excerpt from Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart

“One day in 1845 a Scottish tailor named Duncan Gow ate a sandwich made with wild greens his children had collected for him. Within a few hours, he was dead. The children had made the fatal mistake of confusing the lacy foliage of parsley with that of poison hemlock.”

Architect William McDonough discusses the negative impact industry and large cities have on the environment, and ways in which good design can reduce carbon footprint. McDonough suggests a “cradle to cradle” design method that considers the full life cycle of a product.

I love sustainable design especially when it involves architecture and urban planning. His plans for a fully sustainable city in China are just phenomenal. It’s designs like these that give me hope for our future. I only wish I had the knowledge and experience needed to make a significant impact.

Video via TED Talks

I’ve always found the union between office jobs and going to the gym somewhat unholy. You spend the day chained to a desk. And at 6pm you’re emotionally exhausted, but you have all this pent up physical energy because you’ve barely moved all day. So you then pay good money to aggressively hit the treadmill, like a hamster, and attempt to burn it all off in an intense 45 minutes.

I’d rather earn less money, and have more time to lead an active lifestyle. (I know several people working part-time, doing just that.)

A few days ago I talked about how I wanted to embrace a new consumer-culture-free life. I’m also keen to make this new life low carbon emissions. Now there are loads of guides on how to do the latter – but they mainly look at how you can lead virtually the same life you do now, but just make teeny changes, and perhaps replace a few things with energy-efficient devices. But me? I want to go all the way. I want to take the minimalist approach and make a total edit, and then fill in the blanks with new, joyful experiences.

Note, under no circumstance should you think that adopting the following will solve climate change. The fact of the matter is that solving climate change will involve a lot more complicated, big-scale thinking than just tinkering with your personal lifestyle. I mean the majority of carbon emissions come from industry pollution, not the public. Redesigning cities, factories, transport links, and completely remaking whole industries and their practices will need to happen. And that means we need you on board in work, and as a citizen engaged with changing laws.

No, the reason why I want to do this is partly to internalise a strong sense of love and respect for the environment and humanity into my life. But the other reason, is simply that it will make me happier. These changes require me to be more active and out in nature and the community. It will also mean I won’t need as much money (but I will need time) so I won’t have to work as much.

I’m going to avoid labour-saving devices

While I was living in Argentina, I noticed no one owned a toaster, a kettle or a microwave. People would just toast their bread, boil their water in a saucepan or reheat things over the stove. I quickly became used to that and yeah, it takes a little bit longer. But why are we in such a hurry? And it’s liberating to just have less stuff that you have to perpetually buy, store, clean and repair or chuck out.

UPDATE: Nicole in the comments section points out that an electric kettle is more energy efficient than a stove-top kettle. A Google result agrees. – 22/08/09

UPDATE: I did a bit of research, and sources can’t give a definitive answer when it comes to microwave vs. stovetop in terms of energy efficiency. Different factors have to be taken into account. But this Scientific American article summarised it best I think:

So I think when it comes to cooking, the difference in energy efficiency of one over the other is so small, you might as well base your decisions on other factors. – 25/08/09

(A tumble dryer and dish washers are also pretty unnecessary. I don’t have the kind of clothes that need to be ironed either. Fridge and washing machine – somewhat harder to go without so when you do buy, use your purchasing power to vote for energy-efficient, high quality products that have long-life spans.)

Also, I don’t drive a car. Now I will confess this was originally because I’ve never passed my driving test! But now I’m so used to life without one that I have no interest in ever getting my license. Frankly, cars are such a high carbon emitter I can’t help but think this world would be a lot better place if nobody used them on a day-to-day basis.

You see, the whole thing is a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg situation. You need a car in Sydney because our public transport sucks. Or does our public transport suck because everyone is driving so no one invests any money in it? I’d probably add that Australians (and perhaps Americans) also have this unique penchant for living in big (energy-consuming) houses, which leads to large, sprawling suburbs.

It’s a lot easier and more energy efficient to provide public transport to high-density urban areas (ditto for providing energy, food and water). Which brings me to my next point,

I don’t want to live in a big, lonely, brutish house

I’ve written previously about why I don’t like the suburbs. And I think the fact that we live in big houses, with not that many people in them, and with lots of space between our neighbours – that’s actually a really alienating way to live! People can go their whole lives in these suburbs without having to interact with anyone else. Ideally, I want to live in a small, tidy little place, bouncing with housemates or family members, in a lively, friendly, close community of neighbours. (Also note, a small house means less to clean, less to repair, less to heat/ cool/ light, less space to fill with crap. Which means more time and money!) I want to shop, work, live and socialise all within walking distance.

The buildings I inhabit will also be designed with the ethos outlined in Cradle to Cradle, by Michael Braungart and William McDonough. That is, takes into account local context! Looks at where the sun rises and sets, the amount of sun and rain an area receives, the flow of natural wind, proximity to energy and water, the shape of the land, the local flora and possible local construction materials and so on. Build something that has a healthy and creative relationship with the land. Rather than using blasting heating and cooling system, harsh unnatural lighting, and heavy concrete to brutishly conquer the natural environment.

Combined, this means yes, we need to be redesigning cities. A greener, happier city is one that can be walked. Has high people to house ratios. Has buildings designed to take into account local environmental context. And designed to encourage community.

Appearance does not equal self-worth

You know what used to be normal? Having a small selection of clothes that you wear all the time. For hundreds and thousands of years, most people just had a few outfits that they would put on each day. And they would wear those outfits until they had holes, and then they’d repair those holes until the clothes were literally rags that could no longer be worn anymore. (And there are still billions of people who live like that.)

YES, these people also had “special occasion” outfits for religious holidays and weddings and so forth. On those days they would make a special effort to look nice, putting on makeup and jewelry, thinking very carefully about what they were going to wear.

So how come, nowadays, EVERY DAY is a “special occasion”? And wasn’t it better when fashion used to change over hundreds of years, instead of in the space of a few months?

I am happy with my wardrobe. There are clothes suitable for every day wear, work, formal wear etc. They’re all fine, none of them have holes in them or stains. I think I’ve managed to pick good quality, fairly classic things that I really like and won’t go out of fashion too soon. So guess what? I won’t need to buy any new clothes for awhile.

There will be women who kick a stink with this section. Perhaps you’re even angry at me for suggesting that something as innocent and fun as clothes shopping should be denounced. I’d rather turn this on its head and not denounce fashion and beauty but say, hey, here’s an idea. Let’s invest (and by that I mean our time, our thoughts, our feelings, our money) in people, activities, ideas, political action, creativity – rather than thinking quite so much about out looks.

And I think you’re in denial if you don’t consider this a feminist issue. When I’ve been backpacking with boys, no problem, our wake-up times sync up. But when I’ve traveled with women, I’ve literally said to them, “OK, wake me up 30 minutes after you do.” Because it takes me about 10 minutes to dress, brush my hair and teeth. But it takes them 40 minutes to think about their outfit for the day, straighten their hair, cleanse, tone and moisturise their face, apply their makeup, pluck and shave what have you, etc. Not to mention thinking throughout the day about whether everything is looking in its place. And when you add all those minutes up over a lifetime, that’s a lot of energy which could have been spent on something else.

OK so far my little rant has probably involved a lot of negative don’ts and less ofs. But there are lots of awesome things you can do that don’t involve consumerism, and don’t involve high levels of carbon emissions. Mainly things that involve a lot of HUMAN energy expenditure. Here’s what to do with all that spare time now that you’re working, cleaning and shopping less …

Sports, hobbies, arts and crafts Take up anything that requires a small carbon investment (e.g. buying a pair of sneakers, or a guitar – and remember always invest in quality, long-life products), but leads to high quality of life return, such as your improving your health, having fun, learning, expressing yourself, hanging out with friends and making new ones!

Pay someone to do something Pay someone to cut your hair, clean your house, teach you the guitar, pay a band by going to their gig, pay a production group by going to the theatre, pay a group of rugby players by going to a game etc. Again, it’s better to put your money into human energy, as we emit way less carbon than machines. And this way people have jobs!

Volunteer and get involved Choose a cause. Google. Read up on it. Join groups. I know sometimes the idea of volunteer work seems like a drag, but it’s all about finding the right group and cause for you. Eventually, when you do find your “thing”, you’ll probably find becoming part of a movement and a community is incredible! There’s nothing better in life than passion, friendship and that buzzy high from altruism.

Do nothing much at all Sleep. Hang out with your family and friends. Go to the beach with a book. Sit in the park. And never feel stressed out again.

A few last things I wanted to add before I go.

You may not know this but, televisions, computers and radios use very little energy. So you don’t need to feel guilty about using them. However, as I said before, we must rail against planned obsolescence. We should demand products that are built to last, and for now I guess the best way to do that is pay extra to buy something that is high quality. Pay to get things repaired, rather than replaced. And don’t replace something unless it’s really unsalvageable. Another added note, but be wary of the mental pollution that is advertising and the cult of the celebrity.

I haven’t touched on food or recycling, mainly because I’m sure you’ve heard it all before. But if you do want to read up on it, I highly suggest reading The Guide To Low Carbon Lifestyles, which also expands in more detail about changing your lifestyle, and some basic but necessary explanations of things like carbon, CO2, fuel, energy etc.

And lastly, a lot of the things I sketched for you are still a pipe dream for me. I currently live at my mum’s house, and I’m about to live on university campus in Beijing, so many of these things will be impossible for me to implement. But I do hope to phase everything into my life, and learn more about what living in the future entails! Feel free to list any ideas or disagreements in the comments section.

UPDATE: I forgot to discuss carbon pollution due to flying – probably the thing I am most guilty of, and it’s a biggie! While buying carbon offsets is no replacement for simply not flying at all, if you are going to fly, it’s better to than not. After reading this CHOICE article, I chose Climate Friendly to offset my upcoming flight to Beijing. – 24/08/09

El dia 31.07.2009 el Far (núm 1041) va publicar un article on es veu la primera imatge de l’edifici Ferrer d’en William McDonough, conegut arquitecte pels seus conceptes sobre l’ecoefectivitat i el desenvolupament sostenible.

Segons el citat article realitzat per la Dulce Valero:

Poco a poco va ganando forma uno de los proyectos emblemáticos de L’Hospitalet, el parque de la salud BiopoL’H, que se desarrollará en el entorno de los dos hospitales de Bellvitge: el Universitario y el Oncológico.

Si en el pleno del mes de mayo se daba luz verde al futuro Campus de Ciències de la Salut del BipoL’H, (seis nuevos edificios en el entorno del Hospital de Bellvitge para la docencia y la investigación, con una superficie de más de 55.000 m2), en el pleno celebrado el martes fue el turno de la aprobación de la ordenación prevista en el sector del Oncológico, el Hospital Duran i Reynals, que añadirá a sus instalaciones nuevos edificios con un total de 53.500 m2 y que conformarán el futuro Parque Científico del BipoL’H.

El plan especial aprobado el martes, denominado BiopoL’H Mar, afecta a una superficie global de 32.931 m2 y prevé la urbanización de toda la parcela en la que se ubica el Duran i Reynals. En este ámbito se incluirá la prolongación de la calle Ciències, un proyecto que llevará a cabo el Consorci de Reforma de la Gran Via para mejorar el acceso a la zona, aunque la operación definitiva en este sentido será la conexión de los dos grandes hospitales con el futuro soterramiento de la Gran Via en este punto.

Los nuevos edificios previstos en el entorno del Hospital Duran i Reynals se destinarán a actividades sanitarias, asistenciales y educativas y a centro de investigación en los campos de la salud, la biomedicina y la biotecnología, con la implicación tanto de los hospitales como de la universidad.

Fuentes del Consorci BiopoL’H, una iniciativa impulsada por la Universitat de Barcelona (UB), la Generalitat de Catalunya, el Ayuntamiento de L’Hospitalet y el Biocat (Bioregió de Catalunya), aseguran que las actuaciones sobre el terreno incluyen un edificio para el Parque Científico, de 32.000 m2, una parte del cual (8.000 m2) estará ocupado por el CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas).

Pero uno de los edificios singulares y que se convertirá, según las mismas fuentes, en “referente mundial en biosostenibilidad”, será el que ha diseñado el arquitecto William McDonough como futura sede del centro privado de investigación del grupo farmacéutico Ferrer, de 17.500 m2 sobre rasante y que se levantará al lado de las instalaciones del hospital con una inversión de 45 millones de euros. Las obras está previsto que empiecen a principios de 2010. El grupo farmacéutico explica la elección de esta zona para instalar su sede por “estar al lado de donde se lleva a cabo la investigación clínica, y BiopoL’H está llamado a ser un parque de referencia en el sector de la salud”.

Según el Consorci BipoL’H, las obras se completarán con una ampliación del Hospital Duran i Reynals, la instalación de un centro técnico-médico, y la construcción de un aparcamiento subterráneo con un mínimo de 660 plazas.

Desconeixem encara si el Biopol afectarà al Tennis Gran Via i/o al sector de Cal Jaume de la Vidala, ja que des de l’Ajuntament no hi ha molta transparència cap als ciutadans sobre aquests temes. Des de l’entorn de l’AV es va fer una instància el dia 12.06.2009 reclamant informació sobre el futur del sector de Cal Jaume de la Vidala, i si es faria el parc que estava previst des de l’any 1996, però encara no hem obtingut resposta de la gent de l’ajuntament. Aquesta demora ja ha estat denunciada al Sindic de Greuges que es troba estudiant el cas des del dia 24.07.2009. A veure si diuen alguna cosa, que no mosseguem,…

Veure article del 05.06.2009 sobre les notícies que tenim fins ara.

Imatge de la zona on en principi s'ubicaran totes aquestes noves instal·lacions del BiopoL'H Mar. la Torre Ferrer creiem que es situaria a la zona de l'actual parking, a l'esquerra.

William Bullock is the Director of the Design for Energy and Environment Laboratory (DEE Lab,) an Affiliated Faculty Member for the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC,) and he has been my professor of industrial design at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign for the past two years. I sat down with him recently to get an experienced designer’s perspective on e-waste.  After all, designers are a vital part of the creation of e-waste; they can have a lot to do with the perpetuation or prevention of waste just by the decisions they make early on in the manufacturing stage.

Recently, I have noticed that most designers came to an unspoken consensus about design, it can not be about simply making more things; resources are limited, waste is ever increasing and our environment is suffering.  Sustainability is no longer just a good idea, it is a necessity.  This change came in the middle of William’s career and instead of reluctantly complying like some of his colleagues did, he embraced the idea of socially conscious design wholeheartedly.

William acknowledges that industrial design can be part of the problem.  Industrial designers create attractive newer looking products in an effort to stimulate sales.  This can encourage consumers to unnecessarily throw away products in favor of buying newer looking, often more “aesthetically pleasing” ones.  William also believes that we have the capability, as designers, to change that. William said, “We need to not only to deal with waste but also figure out how to reuse, recycle, design things so that they can be easily upgraded instead of thrown away all together.” He wondered if it is possible to find a universal aesthetic so that objects do not get dated as easily.

The positive side to designing superfluous products is that it sustains our economy. I asked William if he thinks it has to be one or the other; environmental concerns over economical ones.   He admitted that  is a challenge. “We are gluttonous” William explained, “so we might not only have the problem of having people buy new, but how do we make it so that when the old things are thrown out they do not harm the environment?”

William McDonough, a designer that recently spoke at the University of Illinois, has a lot of ideas that address this problem. For instance, he proposed a pen that you can stomp into the ground when you are finished with it and it would have the right nutrients and seed impeded in the pen to make it grow into a flower.  Ideas like these that do not discourage consumption but are also great for the environment is a trend that needs to be further exploited.

Another solution that William Bullock is focused on is providing information to the public because he believes that people are more apt to the right thing once they have the right information.  That is why he is working hard to set up initiatives that teach all there is to know about sustainability in product design.

For more information on William’s educational efforts, see the description of the sustainability and e-waste issues course he taught on the SEI Current Projects page.  The course had a Sustainable E-Waste Design Competition associated with it.  I spoke about both in an earlier post.

we often think about how amazing our flowers are, while we are making our felt no animal, person or landscape is harmed in any way we know of… that makes us happy!
our felt is made by hand… totally by hand we don’t use machines because we don’t need to… we don’t use electricity either…. its not necessary and we don’t make any waste… nothing goes in the bin… we like to KISS… thats Keep It Simple for Sustainability in case you were wondering… any questions just ask!

As makers we are thinking and sharing information about what we do to help our customers decide about buying from us and we were really chuffed to find consumers taking to the streets and raising the profile of the power of the consumer.

How Organized Consumer Purchasing Can Change Business from carrotmob on Vimeo.

If we are going to change the world then we all need to think even more carefully and ask even more questions about where things come from when we buy them… in san francisco carrotmob is taking to the streets and using consumer power to assist the socially – responsible business practices also become the most profitable choices. Businesses compete with one another to see who can do the most good, and then a big mob of consumers buys products in order to reward whichever business made the strongest commitment to improve the world. It’s the opposite of a boycott. take a tour of the website to find out more and get involved!

“Sustainability takes forever. And that’s the point.” ~ William McDonough

UPDATE: coming soon to London sign up here

I’m going to view this a few hundred times to suck the marrow out of it.

Proof that regressive asceticism doesn’t work: China and India refuse to be pressured by the West into reducing their carbon emissions at the expense of their development. I am proud of China and India for withstanding such unfair pressure by countries who have themselves gone through a severely polluting phase in order to get to where they are now, and are in fact still enormous polluters. Non-Western societies have just as much to gain from development as Western societies do, and they ought to develop to the greatest extent they can. The improved technology, organizational and intellectual resources resulting from such development can then be used to design eco-friendly, eco-centric or bio-mimicking structures, thus serving the same purpose as the carbon restrictions that would have impeded their development.

Urlaubspläne – leicht gemacht! Kann sich bitte jemand erbarmen und für mich so ein handliches Ding schreiben – mit einer Route für den Sommer, wo einem kein Highlight entgeht – geht das? Ich sitze vor einer “To-Visit-Liste”, die bald unendliches Ausmaß annimmt und ich mir nach dem Sommer nochmals Sommer wünsche – bitte!

Ein Highlight auf meiner Liste ist beispielsweise die Ausstellung “Green Architecture for the Future”, die in Dänemark – im Museum Louisiana in Humlebaek – noch bis vierten Oktober Ideen und Arbeiten von mehr als dreißig internationalen Vordenkern grüner Architektur zeigt.

Dänemark machte bereits in den vorangegangen Jahren auf das Thema der Nachhaltigkeit aufmerksam: 2008 bei der Architekturbiennale und das Architekturzentrum zeigte in den vergangenen Jahren mehrere Sonderausstellungen dazu.

An der Schau, die Ideen, Konzepte und Installationen zu den drei Kernthemen „Die Stadt“, „Klima und Komfort“ sowie „Metabolismen“ zeigt, nehmen Behnisch Architekten, Foster + Partners, Ken Yeang, Sauerbruch + Hutton, Lacaton & Vassal und Shigeru Ban teil, ferner Vordenker wie Michael Braungart und William McDonough (die „Väter“ des Cradle to Cradle-Konzepts) und die Ingenieure von Transsolar teil.

Als Dreh- und Angelpunkte der Ausstellung fungieren vier so genannte „Laboratorien“: inhaltliche Schwerpunkte, die je ein Projekt oder das Werk eines Architekturbüros vertiefen.

Die beiden Laboratorien zum Thema „Stadt“ haben das spanische Architekturbüro Ecosistema Urbano sowie Foster + Partners beigesteuert – letztere mit ihrem vieldiskutierten Entwurf für Masdar City in den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten. Ferner werden in dieser Abteilung der Ausstellung die Initiative „Rethink Paris“ des französischen Präsidenten Nicolas Sarkozy und Jaime Lerners Wirken in der brasilianischen Metropole Curitiba gezeigt.

Im Mittelpunkt bei „Klima und Komfort“ stehen zwei sehr unterschiedliche Ansätze: Das Ingenieurbüro Transsolar arbeitet seit Jahren erfolgreich mit Architekten – zum Beispiel mit Foster + Partners für das Projekt Masdar – zusammen, um ganzheitliche Energiekonzepte zu verwirklichen. Eher auf künstlerischer Ebene mit dem Thema setzt sich der Pariser Architekt Philippe Rahm auseinander: Er setzt die Betrachter seiner Installationen regelmäßig Extremsituationen wie Hitze, Kälte, gleißendem Licht oder sauerstoffarmer Luft aus und lässt sie so am eigenen Leib erfahren, was der Begriff „Klima“ bedeutet. Auch für „Green Architecture for the Future“ hat Rahm eine eigene Installation realisiert.

„Cradle to Cradle“, das Konzept einer integrierten Kreislaufwirtschaft ganz ohne Abfälle, bildet einen Schwerpunkt des Themenkomplexes „Metabolismen“. Das Laboratorium für diesen Ausstellungsabschnitt haben R&Sie(n) aus Paris beigesteuert. Sie befassen sich bereits seit längerem mit menschlicher Interaktion, biologischen Stoffwechselvorgängen, chemischen Reaktionen und der Frage, wie diese die Architektur beeinflussen können.

Begleitend ist ein Katalog erschienen.

Ik woon in Almere. Op een steenworp afstand van Amsterdam. Almere is ervoor gemaakt om de woningnood in de Randstad te helpen oplossen.

Ik ben geboren in de Jordaan en opgegroeid in het – nu problematische toen paradijselijke – Amsterdam west. Vanaf het moment dat ik het huis uitging, op mijn 17e, heb ik nooit in een goed Amsterdams huis gewoond. Goede Amsterdamse huizen in een redelijk buurt waren simpelweg te duur. Zeker voor een gezin met twee kinderen. Weg dus. Zoeken. Waterland? Abcoude? Gooi? Te duur. Almere? Ammenooitniet! Het werd Almere. Uit nood. In 1997 verhuisden we. Die eerste ijskoude vriesnacht stonden we op ons dakterras en keken naar de sterren en de komeet Haley. Iets in mij smolt. Misschien kon het wel, thuiskomen in Almere.

Ben ik na 12 jaar Almere thuis? Ja en nee. Ja: in mijn buurt, en in mijn netwerkje, fietsend door het groen. Nee: lopend in de stad, tussen mensen waar ik niets mee heb. Na jaren werken voor en in Almere, forens ik weer. Ga ik een paar keer per week naar hartje Amsterdam naar mijn werkplek in een ‘broedplaats’. Fiets ik dolgelukkig door mijn stad, een stad die me prikkelt en voedt. Iets dat Almere niet doet. Want Almere is nog geen stad. Een stad is namelijk geen numeriek begrip, het is niet het aantal inwoners dat een stad tot stad maakt: het zijn de mensen.

Een echte stad, is een gelaagde stad. Gelaagd in bevolking, gelaagd in sferen. Dat maakt de ziel van een stad. De ziel ontbreekt in Almere omdat gelaagdheid ontbreekt. En dat blijft zo met Amsterdam als concurrent als het gaat om cultuur, ziel en sfeer. Er moet dus een verbinding gelegd worden zodat het kan gaan stromen tussen Amsterdam en Almere. Dat is niet alleen in het belang van Almere, om te voorkomen dat Almere een onbereikbare achterbuurt in de polder wordt. Het is ook in het belang van de rest van Randstad.  Om te voorkomen dat kwetsbare natuurgebieden opgeofferd moeten worden aan wonen en werken.

Er spelen dus twee dingen: de hardware – stenen, economie, infrastructuur. En software: sfeer, gelaagdheid, ziel: mensen. Een IJmeerverbinding dient allebei. Een IJmeerverbinding is hardware en software. Verbindt de oude ziel van Amsterdam met de ruimte van Almere en zorgt dat mensen kunnen wonen en werken.

Onze overburen aan het IJ maken een vergissing door tegen de IJmeerverbinding te zijn en niet met alternatieven te komen. Er moet iets gebeuren, zoveel is duidelijk. De kans is anders levensgroot dat zij zelf een gepeperde rekening krijgen en stevig moeten gaan bouwen.

Er ligt een mooi, liefdevol plan voor de ontwikkeling van de Randstad. Een plan in samenwerking met William mcDonough, de peetvader van Cradle to Cradle. Nederland zou z’n handjes dicht moeten knijpen. Dat zouden Noord Holland en de milieubeweging ook moeten doen. Ik heb zelf ervaren met hoeveel liefde en respect voor mensen en hun omgeving mcDonough en zijn team werken.

De wereld verandert en verandering doet pijn. Een mooi, liefdevol plan voor de ontwikkeling van de Randstad, kan die pijn wegnemen. Sterker nog: van een goede verbinding, op alle niveaus, groeit iedereen. Domweg tegen zijn, beperkt het uitzicht aan alle kanten.

Check out the lecture by William McDonough on Cradle to Cradle Design. The lecture was filmed in 2005.
McDonough grew up in China, went to Yale Architecture (Grad) and had Richard Meier as a professor during the first energy crisis. He was designing a solar heated house in Ireland which he eventually built. “Richard Meier my professor kept coming over to my desk and saying ‘Bill, you’ve got to understand. Solar energy has nothing to do with architecture.’…”
“So perhaps we can develop a strategy of change which requires humility and in my business as an architect its unfortunate that the word ‘humility’ and the word ‘architect’ have not appeared in the same paragraph since The Fountainhead “.

Green-minded architect and designer William McDonough asks what our buildings and products would look like if designers took into account “all children, all species, for all time.”

The lecture spoke to me, and reminded me why I am going to architecture school. To pursue developing the affordable and self-reliant architecture both for housing and hospitals in urban settings and third world countries. Needless to say, I wasn’t exactly inspired by the lectures we had first semester on the Medici fortunes. My ambitions may be considered “idealistic” or whatever newest catch phrase is used for my intended line of work. However, I think the best place to start is by following the advice of Aaron Betsky. He said that the best architecture is no architecture.

As a complete non sequitur, I am currently converting my friend’s slides to TIFFS. Can’t help but think of the Analog vs. Digital (or Analog Digital Spectrum) discussion that will forever be burned in our minds (in a good way).