Green Building Blog - Jetson Green

07.07.2007 - Thoughts on Live Earth, John Mayer + David de Rothschild

Unless you're completely oblivious to what's happening on Earth, you know there's a world full of concerts going on.  Live Earth.  With some things, I like to exercise a modicum of skepticism to make sure I know my feelings on the issue.  I was slow to come around to Live Earth.  I mean, I love a good concert.  I've seen DMB in concert multiple times.  I respect many of these artists for their tireless contribution to musicality.  But, I popped open the Live Earth Global Warming Handbook and here's Tip #45: Take a Bath Together.  How am I supposed to take this book seriously?  What is this, some silly excuse to get it on?  Well, I kept reading.  Tip #45 talked about low-flow toilets and a future world with water shortages.  Water heating can take up to 25% of a home's energy use.  I decided I should change my attitude and bought the book.  To take the words of one of the greatest musicians (and I mean musicality when I say that), John Mayer:

To the journalists who will lay in wait for the perfectly maligned moment of hypocrisy, you will probably find one if that's how you want to spend your time. Just use this as a measuring stick; give Live Earth's initiative at least as much benefit of the doubt as you've given to the iPhone, or a new Radiohead album...Sure, if I wanted to be cynical, I could pose the question as to what happens if the biggest concert on Earth takes place only to hear the world respond with a resounding "that's nice, but have you seen the cat that plays piano on YouTube?" But all I feel going into Saturday afternoon is hope. And lots of it.

Point well taken.  I'm watching Live Earth highlights of what looks like Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, Ludacris, Jack Johnson, and maybe the Pussycat Dolls?  I'm also thinking this event should raise the world's awareness of the low hanging environmental fruit.  Plastic bags, CFLs, Junk Mail, etc.  I've spent the last 2-3 hours reading through David de Rothschild's Global Warming Handbook and there's some good leads here.  Here's some content relevant to the scope of Jetson Green,

Good Links:
++The 10 Easiest Ways to Green Your Home [MSN RE]
++Re-Thinking Energy in Homes [Live Earth Green]
++Green Construction Saves Money and Earth [MSNBC]

Quotable: Barry Commoner Interview w/ NY Times

If you ask what you are going to do about global warming, the only rational answer is to change the way in which we do transportation, energy production, agriculture and a good deal of manufacturing. The problem originates in human activity in the form of the production of goods...The Chinese like to say, 'Crisis means change.' It means you can get things done. Unfortunately, I think that most of the 'greening' that we see so much of now has failed to look back on arguments such as my own — that action has to be taken on what’s produced and how it’s produced. That’s unfortunate, but I’m an eternal optimist, and I think eventually people will come around (color added).

               --Barry Commoner
                 The Paul Revere of the Environmental Movement 

Quotable: Donald Wood, Federal Realty Investment Trust

"It's better to be ahead of the 'green' curve than to play catch-up.  A proactive program to modify your development methods clearly represents an opportunity to increase competitive advantage in civic development projects.  This is the case for Federal Realty where Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified buildings and other environmentally based requirements are mandated by a number of jurisdictions in charge of civic projects." 

                                --Donald Wood, President & CEO
                                  Federal Realty Investment Trust
                                  Real Estate Portfolio, May/June 2007

Ray Kappe, FAIA: 10 Most Important Principles to Success

Lately, Ray Kappe has been getting a lot of attention for his residences designed for LivingHomes, the Steve Glenn prefab company.  Kappe's first home has been featured all over the place for achieving the highest LEED certification possible, the Platinum rating.  I think his work is incredible, so I was studying his stuff when I came across this list of his, "the ten most important principles that helped make me a successful architect, planner, and educator."  In the interests of learning from those that are remarkable examples of continuing achievement, I thought I would be good to share his list with the JG readers.  Any thoughts?

1. Think positively, not negatively.
2. Accept structure but know that it is to be questioned and broken when necessary.
3. Always be willing to explore, experiment and invent.  Do not accept the status quo.
4. Know yourself and keep your work consistent with who you are and how you think.
5. Maintain good moral and social values.
6. Be humble, honest, compassionate, and egalitarian.
7. Have conviction about your work.
8. Be open and say yes to most ideas and requests. The good ones will be valuable, the bad ones will cease to exist.
9. Allow employees and fellow workers freedom and the ability to work to their strengths. Avoid hierarchy.
10. Money should be the residual of work, not the goal.  But do not compromise your worth.

Quotable: RK Stewart, FAIA

"Climate change, carbon emissions, greenhouse gases, green design--call it what you will.  The need to change how we inhabit the planet to avoid catastrophic consequences is now widely accepted...in the year ahead I plan to work with the AIA board's Sustainability Discussion Group to aggressively advance sustainable design and the key role the AIA can and our members must play to engage the great challenge confronting our generation--the future of our planet."  - RK Stewart, FAIA, Principal at Gensler, AIA President

Via Eco-structure

Quotable: William McDonough, FAIA

"If people have done any math, they will understand how valuable the green agenda is economically, and that if they don't adopt it, they are probably not intelligent fiduciaries as developers or owners."  - William McDonough, FAIA, Co-Author Cradle to Cradle, Time "Hero for the Planet," + Founding Principal of William McDonough + Partners