Building Alive, Designing to Thrive

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...

Hello peers! Yes, I realize this is super late- but better than never! This year, I participated in Plastic Free July  with about a dozen people from my former office. I made a pledge to do my best to reduce the amount of single-use plastics I used throughout the entire month. July snuck up on me, but I made a few immediate changes : Get a bigger purse- It may feel like you're saving space to have a compact bag where nothing else fits, but having a larger purse allowed me to refuse a plastic bag and place things directly in my handbag like: fruit, convenience store groceries, etc. Carry a reusable tote-You'd be surprised how many times people use a plastic bag because they forgot their bags at home. Best way to avoid that? Carry one in your now larger purse, leave a couple in the car, an one in your work desk- voila! You've always remembered now! Carry a reusable straw- I am very excited about my Final Straw (image below) that I ordered- but they won't be f...

...Not that you asked Because there are so many wonderful people and projects to celebrate, no one was able to share any thanks or wisdom at the big bang dinner- but in case you were wondering, here's mine :) In 2010, I suggested to Mark Biedron, co founder of The Willow School, that he could use my help in creating his vision, a building that would act like a tree. For the next four years, I served as consultant, coordinator, educator, construction manager, and site police woman to guide the Health, Wellness, and Nutrition Center towards its goal of Living Building Challenge certification. In 2013, Paul Hawken spoke at Living Future and said, "Are these (climate change) things happening to us, or for us? If to us, we are victims. If for us, they are a catalyst for change". I believe this project is another enzyme in the series of catalyzing events that spurs us forward. I believe my hill to climb has gotten just a little bit lower, and will continue to wear ...

January 20, 2017 People continue remarking how Historic today is. Historic seems like a big word, and yet- it's totally neutral. Barack Obama as the first African-American President, historic. Hitler's genocide on the Jewish and minority peoples of Europe- also historic. I believe it's historic for many reasons, but the most notable to me are: A man who lost the election got elected. By a difference of over 2 million votes!!! 1 of the least qualified people EVER to run has been elected to the most powerful position in the free world An open campaign of hatred, bigotry, assault, misogyny, sexism, and racism (to name a few) is what got that under-qualified candidate elected. And it has impassioned a sect of America we had swept under the carpet for many years. The American people are engaged. Perhaps our mistake was resting on the laurels of our successes and growth in justice and equality. But the election of Donald Trump proves how little progress we have reall...

💜 I apologize for reading in this video, but I had a bunch of points to make and if I go off book the list may have grown too long. xo, Casey

I got this above question from my future mother in law, among others. And I'm so excited to have these conversations! Figured It's best to share my initial response to her with all of you as well   First thing you can do (and you're already on your way!): Keep watching documentaries, reading news stories, and educating yourself. But ALWAYS ask, who funded this study/movie? What interest do they have in the outcome? What qualifications do they have to make these statements or decisions? You'll notice Leo did most of his movie as a fact finding mission for the UN. He interviewed academics, who don't typically get funded by private interests.   We need to stop wasting our energy on a discussion of if it's true or not . Climate change is real. EVEN if 97% of the climate scientists in the world are wrong (but they're not), we are seeing day to day changes like: rising energy costs, increasing rates of asthma, drought and flood and plight that req...

Let me guess, it's Christmas Eve and you still have gifts to give? Boy oh boy do I have good news for you! What do you get for that special someone who has everything? The gift of giving! And here are some of my favorite charities I think you should consider this holiday season (or for Valentine's Day, Birthdays, Anniversaries!) 1) Oxfam- Oxfam  working to right the wrongs of poverty, hunger, and injustice. As one of 17 members of the international Oxfam confederation, we work with people in more than 90 countries to create lasting solutions. Oxfam saves lives, develops long-term solutions to poverty, and campaigns for social change. Whether it's providing a packet of seeds for a farmer in a poor area ($12) or a meal for a school aged child ($35), or supporting a women entrepreneur so she can get her business off the ground ($100). It's a one stop shop to provide meaningful gifts that will matter to each person you gift them to! On top of which, a donation g...