The Power in a Group of Individuals
The question of identity is something that many of us struggle with from time to time, particularly the balance of being a recognized individual and a part of a larger group—the smaller path of self...
View ArticleRestaurant Turns Stalled Site Into Urban Farm
New York City is an environment of consistent densification with more footprints being raised up to taller heights above the street to leave the island of Manhattan as one of the most densely populated...
View ArticleNeed For Clarity on Recycling
I make no secret about my love for recycling. When it comes to the measures necessary to achieve a more sustainable society, the recycling industry represents not only one of the greatest opportunities...
View ArticleBuilding Sustainable Metrics
With some exceptions, the learned, hard-working professionals of any industry usually wish that the American populace knew more about what they do and why they do it. Artists long for a time when a...
View ArticleChicago Warehouse Becomes Net-Zero Urban Farm
Plant Chicago, NFP/Rachel Swenie Here in the U.S. we have no shortage of unused industrial space. In cities across the country there are blocks of old warehouses laying dormant and forgotten. While...
View ArticleThe Art of Ecology
As many teachers would likely confess, the success of conveying and imparting knowledge is not just the quality of the information. It’s not only a question of the underlying message, but how...
View ArticleAre All Green Buildings Healthy Buildings?
Sustainable architecture is often pitched as having benefits beyond simply a pat on the back for being more environmentally responsible. In addition to the possibility of monetary savings over time for...
View ArticleCustom or Stock: The Future of Greener Homes
This is a guest post by Steve Lionais, owner of YellowBlue Designs. They market green house plans and blog about all things sustainability for the home. Steve’s not an architect, but he’s passionate...
View ArticlePresident Reaches to Greens Forgotten in the Election
In his inauguration speech, President Obama dedicated some time to addressing the environmental contingent that was left out of the gamut of the election. In all of the months of campaigning and formal...
View ArticleThe Difference Between Efficiency and Using Less
In its basic definition, efficiency relates to a given amount of energy or effort it takes to accomplish a certain task relative to the least possible amount. It is true that a more efficient...
View ArticleSolutions are a System of Systems
Given our propensity for streamlining information paired with our dangerous addiction to hype, we have a tendency to pull things out of context to weigh them each as isolated ideas. This is just as...
View ArticleDon’t Reduce Sustainability to Just Energy Efficiency
Our migration to more sustainable buildings is an evolving process that requires a consistent combination of goals, results and critiques. Without any one of these components, we run the risk of...
View ArticleGreens Are Hypocrits
I spend some time highlighting aspects of sustainability that are passed over because they represent truths that we don’t want to accept. People don’t want to hear that we are car-dependent. People...
View ArticleApple’s New Home Base is an iPhone
The most recent set of flashy renderings of Apple’s new headquarters in Cupertino, California make the goals of the building unmistakably clear. With a design from Norman Foster, the tech company’s...
View ArticleUrbanity 2050
New York Resource Neutral Associated Press – October 17th, 2050 – New York, NY Yesterday afternoon, New York City’s administrators reported that the city has reached its goal of resource neutrality....
View ArticleCircling Sustainability
This forum continues to vet the definition of sustainability and how it differs from public perception inside and outside of the United States. For most of us, I would argue that our understanding of...
View ArticleHow Can We Make Sustainability Matter to Youth?
This was the question posed to a panel at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2014. Comprised of educators, scholars and students, the group floated ideas for how sustainability cannot only gain exposure...
View ArticleDrifting in a Cloud of Amenities
Most architects care to believe that people will recognize a well-designed space when they see it and that the nuances of a successful design process will be ascribed value in the eyes of potential...
View ArticleEnergy Conservation at Home Needs Real Time Data
In the United States, sustainable progress most often takes the form of ways to engineer a more efficient version of the status quo. Products that allow for a reduction in net resource use while...
View ArticleReviewed: Sustainable Urbanism
Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design With Nature By Douglas Farr In One Line: A well-crafted overview of sustainable planning strategies with a broad lens that is valuable for a range of readers as a...
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