The New York Times just released a very interesting opinion article called Bio-Diversity.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Aveling Artworks
Martin Aveling is a wildlife artist originally from the UK. He developed his passion for wildlife art in Africa, stimulated by the Continent’s sharp tropical light and dramatic colour palette. Through his paintings, Martin strives to raise the profile of endangered wildlife around the world and to generate support for conservation. Martin has travelled to Indonesia on an award from the Society of Wildlife Artists thus fulfilling a long-lived ambition of seeing orangutans in the wild.
To learn more about recent projects that Martin has worked on, visit his blog at http://avelingartworks.blogspot.com
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
A couple of exciting weeks!
For the past couple weeks I have not been blogging about what has been going on in sustainability, international development and design because SO MUCH has been going on in those fields and I have been running around trying to get to all of them!
1. West Coast Green
The West Coast Green conference took place in San Francisco from October 1st - 3rd and I had the opportunity to attend under scholarship. It was amazing. The quality of speakers was incredible and I was inspired at every turn! A couple of the highlights from the 3 days include:
a. Cameron Sinclair with Architecture for Humanity was one of they keynote speakers and I had an opportunity to sit with him in a more intimate discussion afterwards. I also purchased his book Design Like You Give A Damn which showcases some of the incredible designs and work done by architects and designers around the world to promote sustainable development. Ethics is Aesthetics!
b. John Knott discussing the Noisette Company discussing his work with the Noisette Community and his learning that social durability is at the foundation of economic durabiltity.
c. Ray Anderson from Interface on the new civilization and incorporating happiness into the the impact equation.
d. Sim Van der Ryn discussing human evolution and the great shifts in human kinds history.
e. Dewpoint's revolutionary water from air techonology
f. Many other really incredible speakers and ideas which can be found on the West Coast Green website.
2. Metro Vancouver's Sustainable Community Breakfast on October 7th
Metro Vancouver's breakfast series on Exploring Rail Transporation featured Michael J. Shiffer from Translink, Steve Hall from Bombardier and Dale Bracewall on the new Olympic Line street car. Michael has recently relocated to Vancouver from Chicago after transforming Chicago's public transport systems into one of the greenest in the world. He discussed the history of public transport in his breakfast talk. Steve Hall with Bombardier discussed the major trends and growth areas in public transports - specifically rail. Dale Bracewall was happy to discuss the role of streetcars in urban areas and announce the streetcar that is being brought over from Europe for the olympic games. The presentations from the breakfast can be found on "http://www.metrovancouver.org/region/breakfasts/Pages/PreviousPresentations.aspx">Metro Vancouver's website.
3. STOP: Steps to Overcome Poverty, October 17th
STOP: Steps To Overcome Poverty was a day-long public forum at Vancouver Community College to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The day featured guest speakers, panel discussions, and opportunities to learn and share strategies around ending local and global poverty. The event was also an opportunity for people to Stand Up and Take Action against poverty.
4. Inhabitat talk with Tom Hicks of the US Green Building Council
Inhabitat has been offering a number of free webinars called Inhabitat Green Talks. These talks are with a number of different people who are working in sustainable issues in their communities. On October 19th the talk was with Tom Hicks from the USGBC on how to build performance initiatives into the LEED rating system. Some of the key points that emerged from this talk was the need for an occupant satisfaction survey and the potential to include a year's proof of performance before gaining LEED certification.
5. “RE-MEMBERING” the WORLD: How We Can RE-SET, RE-CLAIM and RE-NEW our Future
Cascadia Regional Green Building Council sponsored a talk by Dianne Dillon-Ridgley on October 22nd. Dianne gave an inspiration talk on the importance of taking a global view into account when making decisions for the future. She touched on the role of the corporation and the need to encourage leadership in and of communities not to just rely on specific leaders. Sustainability is an orchestra and for it to work well, all parts have to play together.
6. October 24th - Global Day for Climate Action
On October 24th, people in 181 countries came together for the most widespread day of environmental action in the planet's history. At over 5200 events around the world, people gathered to call for strong action and bold leadership on the climate crisis. Vancouver had Bridge to a Cool Planet where Cambie Bridge was closed off so that 10,000 people could parade from the bridge to Science World to show their support for climate action. This marked the biggest advocacy mark in Vancouver since the peace march in 2003. Fantastic!
Anyway, now that the month of sustainability action has wound down, I should be able to blog more regularly about exciting upcoming events, new designs and fantastic actions that are taking place around sustainability.
1. West Coast Green
The West Coast Green conference took place in San Francisco from October 1st - 3rd and I had the opportunity to attend under scholarship. It was amazing. The quality of speakers was incredible and I was inspired at every turn! A couple of the highlights from the 3 days include:
a. Cameron Sinclair with Architecture for Humanity was one of they keynote speakers and I had an opportunity to sit with him in a more intimate discussion afterwards. I also purchased his book Design Like You Give A Damn which showcases some of the incredible designs and work done by architects and designers around the world to promote sustainable development. Ethics is Aesthetics!
b. John Knott discussing the Noisette Company discussing his work with the Noisette Community and his learning that social durability is at the foundation of economic durabiltity.
c. Ray Anderson from Interface on the new civilization and incorporating happiness into the the impact equation.
d. Sim Van der Ryn discussing human evolution and the great shifts in human kinds history.
e. Dewpoint's revolutionary water from air techonology
f. Many other really incredible speakers and ideas which can be found on the West Coast Green website.
2. Metro Vancouver's Sustainable Community Breakfast on October 7th
Metro Vancouver's breakfast series on Exploring Rail Transporation featured Michael J. Shiffer from Translink, Steve Hall from Bombardier and Dale Bracewall on the new Olympic Line street car. Michael has recently relocated to Vancouver from Chicago after transforming Chicago's public transport systems into one of the greenest in the world. He discussed the history of public transport in his breakfast talk. Steve Hall with Bombardier discussed the major trends and growth areas in public transports - specifically rail. Dale Bracewall was happy to discuss the role of streetcars in urban areas and announce the streetcar that is being brought over from Europe for the olympic games. The presentations from the breakfast can be found on "http://www.metrovancouver.org/region/breakfasts/Pages/PreviousPresentations.aspx">Metro Vancouver's website.
3. STOP: Steps to Overcome Poverty, October 17th
STOP: Steps To Overcome Poverty was a day-long public forum at Vancouver Community College to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The day featured guest speakers, panel discussions, and opportunities to learn and share strategies around ending local and global poverty. The event was also an opportunity for people to Stand Up and Take Action against poverty.
4. Inhabitat talk with Tom Hicks of the US Green Building Council
Inhabitat has been offering a number of free webinars called Inhabitat Green Talks. These talks are with a number of different people who are working in sustainable issues in their communities. On October 19th the talk was with Tom Hicks from the USGBC on how to build performance initiatives into the LEED rating system. Some of the key points that emerged from this talk was the need for an occupant satisfaction survey and the potential to include a year's proof of performance before gaining LEED certification.
5. “RE-MEMBERING” the WORLD: How We Can RE-SET, RE-CLAIM and RE-NEW our Future
Cascadia Regional Green Building Council sponsored a talk by Dianne Dillon-Ridgley on October 22nd. Dianne gave an inspiration talk on the importance of taking a global view into account when making decisions for the future. She touched on the role of the corporation and the need to encourage leadership in and of communities not to just rely on specific leaders. Sustainability is an orchestra and for it to work well, all parts have to play together.
6. October 24th - Global Day for Climate Action
On October 24th, people in 181 countries came together for the most widespread day of environmental action in the planet's history. At over 5200 events around the world, people gathered to call for strong action and bold leadership on the climate crisis. Vancouver had Bridge to a Cool Planet where Cambie Bridge was closed off so that 10,000 people could parade from the bridge to Science World to show their support for climate action. This marked the biggest advocacy mark in Vancouver since the peace march in 2003. Fantastic!
Anyway, now that the month of sustainability action has wound down, I should be able to blog more regularly about exciting upcoming events, new designs and fantastic actions that are taking place around sustainability.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
West Coast Green Conference
I recently learned that I received a full conference scholarship from West Coast Green. West Coast Green is the largest interactive conference on green innovation for the built environment and is taking place in San Francisco's Fort Mason Center, October 1-3, 2009.
West Coast Green attracts thousands of the brightest minds in green building, business, and technology.
West Coast Green is a feast of innovations, ideas and opportunities:
* 125 speakers – hear from the industries top leaders – including Ray Anderson, Mayor Gavin Newsom, Michelle Kaufmann, Hazel Henderson, Bill Reed, Dan Kammen, Andrew Tang, Josh Becker, and more!
* 300 exhibitors – see the emerging breakthroughs, clean tech showcase, and the coolest innovations in green
* Entrepreneurship Series – launch your concept to the next level with one-on-one expert business consultation
* Network like crazy – build your future and meet your next business partner at dynamic, topic-specific networking sessions
* More! Experience the Green Jobs Pavilion, Self-sustaining Show Home, Hanging Storm Water Gardens, and more
Register now to gain the tools you need to express your brilliance!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
BIXI Bikeshare Montreal is Fantastic
I was recently on holiday in Montreal and had the pleasure of experiencing another city's bike-ability. Montreal is a fantastic city for bikes. First of all, they have implemented a fantastic bike sharing service called BIXI.
BIXI is a very simple concept. There are hundreds of BIXI bike racks around the city. You can have an annual membership for about $78, or if you're just visiting Montreal, you can pay $5 and have access to the system for the day. In order to get a BIXI bike, you just have to walk up to one of the bike racks solar powered panels, put in your credit card and you get a code that you can put into any of the bikes on the rack and take out. When you're done with the bike you simply put it in any other BIXI bike rack in the city. It is genius and I highly recommend it.
Montreal is very bikeable. During the summer, sections of main roads are sectioned off for bicycle use only. So bikers don't have to ride with the cars. They also have a number of non-BIXI bike racks around the city. For example, on a street with parking meters, the bike racks are in between the bike meters.
This creates an area that is as bike friendly as it is car friendly - pretty unusual for a North American city.
Montreal - a fantastic city for bikers, at least in the summer months.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
tcktcktck
TckTckTck is a global movement for a unified voice against climate change. The combined efforts of millions of people and member organizations hope to deliver a clear message that we demand meaningful leadership and action against climate change.
TckTckTck calls on the leaders of the world to come together at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, a meeting of world governments in Copenhagen, Denmark on December 7, 2009. TckTckTck unites people from around the world, from all walks of life, to tell the leaders that climate change is already costing lives. The poorest countries are suffering the most even though they didn’t create the problem. The world has the ability to turn this around and the solutions are available. We have the opportunity to create a new, strong economy based on clean jobs and energy for all. An ambitious, fair and binding climate agreement by world leaders is our single best hope.
Learn more and sign up at tcktcktck.org.
TckTckTck calls on the leaders of the world to come together at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, a meeting of world governments in Copenhagen, Denmark on December 7, 2009. TckTckTck unites people from around the world, from all walks of life, to tell the leaders that climate change is already costing lives. The poorest countries are suffering the most even though they didn’t create the problem. The world has the ability to turn this around and the solutions are available. We have the opportunity to create a new, strong economy based on clean jobs and energy for all. An ambitious, fair and binding climate agreement by world leaders is our single best hope.
Learn more and sign up at tcktcktck.org.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Around the World on Solar Power
A Swiss engineer is attempting to lead the first expedition to sail around the world on a catamaran powered entirely on solar energy. The catamaran, designed by Raphael Domjan, is called "Planet Solar". The boat is being built in Germany and the round-the-world attempt will launch in 2011.
The boat’s deck will be covered in 470 square meters of solar panels and its skippers hope to average a speed of eight knots. To take advantage of the most sunlight possible, the tentative route is largely around the equator. In case of bad weather, batteries on board will be able to store solar energy to power the boat for three days. Domjan hopes the $11.5 million project will prove that boats can travel at high speed without emitting any carbon dioxide.
Source: Thomson Reuters
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