Building Alive, Designing to Thrive

Hello fellows! I am now 4 years past the BIG day! But while I was planning our wedding, it had to feel like it reflected our values (mine are his now ;) ) So, while I'd been researching bits and pieces for my 'dream wedding' for quite some time now, I finally got engaged in November 2016 to my long-time boyfriend, Matthew. Wouldn't you know it, after 7.5 years of dating we are having an 11 month engagement and getting married October of 2017. I searched laboriously for a blog or book to guide me in eco-friendly wedding choices, but didn't find anything that covered all of the areas I felt needed to be evaluated. So, I'll be adding to this post with my successes and failures as we encounter them. 1) The engagement ring : This one, I had already made subtle suggestions to Matt on where to source my ring :) Brilliant Earth  uses only certified conflict-free gemstones and precious metals. Most of the metals are also recycled. 2) The venue: We visi...

Chicago Cultural Center's Tiffany Dome My first trip to the Windy City did not disappoint; I was pleased overall with session content and have some takeaways from each below. Teslas vs: Duck Curve This session touched on something that we in the New York City Living Building Challenge Collaborative have been discussing . In California, high energy efficiency and solar PV requirements have lead to high renewables production mid day to the grid, and an exponentially higher demand on the grid towards late afternoon hours when everyone is heading home. At the same time, Electric vehicles could potentially charge mid day while people are at work, and 'sell' some of their battery charge to the grid in the early evening when people are home and won't need their full remaining capacity. The grid here on the east coast isn't well suited to accept power, I am curious to see this theory grow. Building the First LEED Platinum City Washington DC announced last year...

"Life creates situations conducive to life…we must strive to do that" -Paul Hawken I've discussed this before, but I think it's worth addressing again; what ever happened to the precautionary principle? Why doesn't it apply to building science?   Imagine a world where it is harder to create a building or product that hurts the Earth than one that heals it- I believe that was the original intention of Building codes, Material Safety Data Sheets, and EPA regulation. But instead, it has provided opportunity for companies to say their products are safe because no one can prove they are dangerous!   Modern humans spend about 90% of their time in buildings- but still we construct them and finish them off with products that aren't healthy to breathe, touch, or make.   An article was published early last week about the long term negative health effects of 9/11 victims , rescuers, and so on. This year, dozens have died from cancers that can'...

  A CSO in Brooklyn Source: Dontflush.me     The NYC+NJ Living Building Challenge Collaborative recently completed its first firm draft of a feasibility review on achieving Net Positive Water in New York City. Before I get into a NYC specific discussion, some of you may need a little background- PETAL INTENT (from the Living Future Institute) The intent of the Water Petal is to realign how people use water and to redefine ‘waste’ in the built environment, so that water is respected as a precious resource. Scarcity of potable water is quickly becoming a serious issue as many countries around the world face severe shortages and compromised water quality. Even regions that have avoided the majority of these problems to date due to a historical presence of abundant fresh water are at risk: the impacts of climate change, highly unsustainable water use patterns, and the continued drawdown of major aquifers portend significant problems ahead. IDEAL CO...

BIKE TO WORK DAY MAY 16, 2014 Bicycle Safety (now you know!) Bicycles on the roadway are, by law, vehicles with the same rights, and responsibilities as motorized vehicles. Bicyclists should travel with traffic, in the shoulder or as far over as is safely possible. In NJ, helmets are required for anyone under 18- however if you are biking in location where there is automobile traffic, it is highly recommended to take the extra step. When riding in groups, never ride more than 2 across. On narrow roads with no shoulder or bike lane, ride single file.  Use hand signals to notify motorists and other riders when you are turning or stopping "More than half of the U.S. population lives within five miles of their workplace, making bicycling a feasible and fun way to get to work. With increased interest in healthy, sustainable and economic transportation options, it’s not surprising that, from 2000 to 2011, the number of bicycle commuters in the U.S. grew by more tha...

Many of you remember I completed my Climate Ride (320 miles from NYC to DC in 5 days by bike) about 6 months ago. I was remembering some of the opposition to my fundraising efforts- one guy actually said "I wish you were riding for something important, like cancer research". Of course this beyond frustrated me- I'll ride for what I support. And you ride for what you want to. Well that was my first reaction. Then, I crafted a message that described the reasons our causes were not so different. Since most cancers are results of environmental conditions, i.e. exposure to air, water, and land pollutions- we ARE in fact, on the same side. However, in raising money for a cure- you are not acknowledging the need for change at the source. The United States National Cancer Institute (NCI) has an annual budget of about 4.8 billion dollars. Imagine if even 25% of that went to environmental protection (and therefore, prevention). We are looking for a cure to a disease we as a spe...

MSDS stands for: Material Safety Data Sheet It is intended to provide workers with all vital information about a product they are handling: melting point, boiling point, toxicity, first aid, etc. Most final products (like a refrigerator) do not require an MSDS. Chemicals and products in liquid form usually do. A safety data sheet is not intended for the final consumer - more for the person installing or working with the product in an occupational setting. Every country has different standards for what must be explored and declared on an MSDS. The EU, for example requires more ecotoxicity information than the US. And Canada considers different chemicals mandatory for listing. Of course all nations permit proprietary withholding to protect a company’s recipe. In the US, OSHA oversees MSDS creation and so it is OSHA I pick a fight with now. In pursuing the Living Building Challenge, every product that we put in our structure needs to be vetted to ensure it incl...

Well, although this blog tries not to encourage you to buy, buy, buy. Particularly during the holidays I've compiled a list to get you through the holiday season. Many of which will require only things you already have around the house- so there are some REUSE options in here too! 1) Homemade cookies/ treats on a reusable.recyclable plate. Maybe you have an old family recipe, or maybe you always wanted to try your hand at a fancy maple butter cookie. Maybe your only talent is buying the pre-made dough and using a nifty cookie cutter- whatever the result, the love and time will be evident in this delicious token of holiday cheer! 2) A hand- knit/sewn stocking. You can steady your hand with knitting needles, get the pattern to make these on a knitting loom, or even just cut out patches of old clothing in stocking form and stitch them together. Then stuff the bottom with a little newspaper to hold the shape, and fill to the brim with little candies, your homemade cookies, or some of t...