Cavedigger

What Ra Paulette does with caves in the New Mexico desert blows my mind.  It's engineering and architecture and artistry all rolled into one.

Here's a bit about his work:
http://www.thisblewmymind.com/they-walk-into-an-opening-in-the-hillside-what-they-see-breathtaking/#_

Environmental film fest in DC this month

This month, Washington DC holds its 19th Annual Festival, March 15-27


60 Venues, 150 Films, 26,000+ Filmgoers

As the Environmental Film Festival launches its annual celebration of the natural world on screens across Washington, D.C., we explore one of the most controversial and timely topics of our day: the critical relationship between energy and the environment. Please join us in March as we present 150 diverse and engaging films from 40 countries.

Check the listings at their website here (most films are free!):
http://www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org/

good, green, outside the box

Here's a neat new idea I just read about in an Urbanite Baltimore article about outside-the-box ideas taking root here in Baltimore.  They've coined the term "crowdsourcing" for citizens at large committing random feelgood acts via iPhone.  Yep, there's an app for that now too.  

Using the system at www.citysourced.com you can report a sewage leak or pile of illegally dumped garbage by sending a photo that will be automatically geotagged by the system.  You can record audio clips of feedback for government officials, add to local maps, etc etc, all in the interest of fighting blight and making your city a better place to live.

Check out screenshots here.  

Also in this Urbanite article they reference the Passive House movement of super-insulated, energy-efficient houses like the one designed by the University of Illinois team in the most recent Solar Decathlon.  I blogged about this event back in October 2009. 

More good green ideas:

Produce for the People: a group of artist/activists called Fallen Fruit mapped out public fruit tree locations for the picking in Los Angeles. http://www.journalofaestheticsandprotest.org/3/viegeneretal.htm

City composting may be coming, thanks to organizations like Keith Losoya's Waste Neutral Group.  The company already hauls food scraps from institutions and businesses, composts them in nearby Carroll County, and returns them to the city as compost.  Next stop:  curbside composting?

good book: Farewell, my Subaru

I read a fun, irreverent book over Christmas break:  highly recommended reading before you move to New Mexico, buy a ranch, invest in goats, convert a truck to biodiesel, install solar panels and a solar hot water system, or any similarly rash green life-changing actions.

Read more about the author's adventures at his website:  http://www.dougfine.com/

Local green events in March

Spring is coming... and with it, a bunch of green events in the Baltimore area. Mark your calendars!

Environmental Film Festival in Washington DC, March 11-22.

National Facilities Management & Technology conference, which includes Greentech conference & expo, March 10-12.

The Chesapeake Sustainable Building Alliance usually holds a happy hour on the first Monday of each month: this month it was postponed to 3/9 due to snow. Will be held at Earth Alley, a groovy little green gift shop in Hampden.

Our local USGBC chapter (formerly known as the Baltimore chapter, now the Maryland chapter) is hosting the first annual Chesapeake Green Building Expo on March 25-26.

Baltimore AIA's 2009 spring lecture series promises to be another good one. Catch the first lecture on March 18: architect Stefan Behnisch of Germany will discuss sustainable building design.

Also, the Baltimore Ethical Society is hosting speakers on the topic of sustainability this year. I've been invited to speak on March 29 about how you can take action here in Baltimore to shrink your environmental footprint.

Stay tuned for more green events coming in April, like Baltimore Green Week.
.

Dishwasher cooking, anyone?

Unlike most of the stuff I blog about, I haven't tried this, nor am I sure that I even advocate it, but it's a pretty fascinating idea. Therefore, I cautiously submit: it might be possible to cook dinner in your dishwasher.


How to poach salmon in the dishwasher. Video and recipe included. In the comments, somebody mentioned a dishwasher lasagne recipe too.


Kids, don't try this at home.

.

Merry Christmas and stuff

I love Christmas. It’s my favorite holiday, hands down. What’s not to like about a whole month of getting together with friends you haven’t seen in awhile, sharing good food, decorating your house to look all twinkly, singing happy songs you’ve known all your life, and giving and receiving gifts?

And oh, the gifts! When I was a kid, I’d write to Santa asking for everything from a pony to Legos to new clothes, and as I’ve gotten older, my wish list hasn’t gotten any shorter… but this year it has changed a bit. I’m looking around my house and thinking, do I really need more stuff? I barely have enough room to contain all the stuff I already have! And what about the environmental implications of acquiring more stuff?

So I sat down and watched this “Story of Stuff” video. It’s only 20 minutes long, and quite thought-provoking. I’ve never been much for conspiracy theory, but the notion that Americans didn’t have such a love affair with shopping for new possessions until every household contained a television set that ran enticing advertisements designed to make us want bigger/faster/new and improved/MORE! is pretty compelling.

This holiday season, I challenge you to think about your stuff, and the stuff you give to others. Need some ideas for stuff-conscious holiday shopping?

Give an experience, like concert or sporting event tickets from Ticketmaster.

Give food, like fair trade chocolate from Ten Thousand Villages or a fruit basket from Harry and David.

Give online memberships, gift cards, or services, like CooksIllustrated magazine's online portal, Flickr photo site, Amazon gift cards.

Donate to a charity like Heifer International, Sustainable Harvest, Engineers Without Borders.

For more ideas, google "green christmas ideas"... there are lots of good websites out there. Get creative!

While I’m on a feel-good bent… the holidays also happen to be a popular time to volunteer! Did you know that Thanksgiving is THE most requested day to work at soup kitchens? A friend of mine who works with one in downtown Baltimore gently reminds people that while venues may be all booked up for volunteers on Thanksgiving, there are still plenty of time slots to fill on the other 364 days of the year! I read several studies that proved such tangible health benefits associated with volunteering as improved physical fitness, decreased rates of depression, and increased longevity, for starters. Read more at www.nationalservice.gov

Destination: Planet Green

It's the latest in eco-tainment: a channel called Planet Green, sponsored by the Discovery channel. Do you know what this means? Now you can turn on your TV and watch green programs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even without TiVo!


Remember when I blogged about the green rebuilding of Greensburg, Kansas after it was destroyed by a tornado? Well, there's a show all about it on this channel.


But it's not all building: they broadcast shows on all kinds of topics. Fashion & beauty, food & health, home & garden, tech & transport, travel & outdoors, work & connect are the headings listed on their webpage.


These TV marketing people are pretty slick. They've been broadcasting some of the shows from Planet Green (Greenovate, Wa$ted, etc.) on the regular Discovery channel just long enough to get people hooked... then they launch a separate channel and move all the green programs there. I wouldn't mind it so much if it were a channel I had access to! In Baltimore County, Planet Green is on channel 113 for Comcast subscribers. I guess it's time to upgrade my cable package.


Those of you who already have the fancy channels can check your local listings or the extensive Planet Green channel website for show times, descriptions, blogs, Q&A, and more. The website has an email newsletter and all kinds of stuff. Get your green on!

Why I love Brad Pitt

Ask any woman in the world: Brad Pitt is *hot*. I’ve been a fan since his big screen debut in “Thelma & Louise”. Then a few years back, I read an article in House & Garden magazine about his interests in gardening and green architecture – now that’s my kind of man!

Fast-forward to today: Brad Pitt has become quite the international advocate of green building. Not only is he building his own off-the-grid home in California, but he’s lending his star quality to green projects around the world.

He’s hosting a PBS series called Design: E2 (the economies of being environmentally conscious). Watch the trailer here: http://www.design-e2.com/

In New Orleans, he’s working with several organizations to rebuild homes in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. As a Global Green design jury chairman, he’s helping organize a competition for architects, urban planners, and ecologists to propose solutions for re-designing New Orleans neighborhoods.

He founded Make It Right, a green rebuilding effort in the Lower 9^th Ward of NOLA. Under the umbrella of MIR, The Pink Project is a vehicle for raising awareness and money for the cause. Individuals can contribute to specific portions of a house, gather a group to sponsor bigger chunks or even a whole house, or simply make a general cash donation. The Home Depot Foundation is contributing at least $7 million to MIR, and getting into the act with new eco-friendly product labeling at their stores. You Idol fans out there may recall that this project was also featured on American Idol Gives Back.

Now he’s working with Zabeel Properties and L.A.-based architecture firm GRAFT to design a five-star green resort in Dubai.

To be sure, there are other celebrities out there doing good things for the green movement: Leonardo DiCaprio, Al Gore ... But I confess, Brad is my favorite!

Watch some green TV

This past week I've been out of commission with a nasty cold, but I've comforted myself with two thoughts: (1) all this sleep I'm getting must be good for me, and (2) while I'm lying around, there are lots of good green TV programs to watch!

I've discovered Building Green TV on PBS, Modern Marvels specials about renewable energy and building materials on the History channel, and a whole slew of home & garden programs on HGTV.

In fact, on Earth Day, all HGTV programs will follow an environmental theme. Their latest special, 20 ways your home can save the planet, has some great ideas for going green around the house. They are even sponsoring a green home giveaway.

Now that's TV worth watching.

Earth to America: time to get green!

Here's a fun little video I found as I was assembling a presentation about green building. It's from the "Earth to America" TV special that aired on TBS in November.

Watch more videos here.