Green schools are inarguably the right decision for our children and the environment. Though up-front costs are higher, green buildings save enough in operation and maintenance expenses to pay for their original construction in a matter of months. The money saved on energy bills (the annual energy savings from a single green school is generally in the 6-digit range) can be reallocated to pay for important school initiatives, additional teachers, better computers, or thousands of textbooks. Green schools also prevent the unnecessary production of millions of tons of CO2. Overall, buildings are the largest contributors to US CO2 production. Renovations and new school construction represent the largest construction sector in the U.S.—$80 billion in 2006-2008, about 27% of the US construction market (source: McGraw-Hill).

Given the enormous financial and environmental benefits, green schools seem an obvious choice, but red tape, laws and up-front costs often prevent their construction. The highly localized nature of school budgets creates a bureaucratic disconnect between capital funds (used for construction) and operating funds (used for utility bills). The difference in funding sources makes it difficult for schools to realize the potential operating-cost savings of a green building investment.

To help school boards realize the financial and environmental benefits of green building, The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has launched the “Green Schools Advocate” Program. The program will select and train national volunteers to advocate green schools to local school boards and state boards of education.

About 75 advocates will be chosen and will be invited to attend a two-day training camp at the USGBC’s headquarters in Washington, DC. Training camp will cover the benefits of green schools, LEED for Schools certification, and tactics to propel the decision-making process of building, renovating, and maintaining green schools. Advocates will learn to present the case for green schools to district governments, the local media, and other stakeholders including PTA groups.

The “Green Schools Advocate” program is a rare opportunity to make an impact in a range of causes. Green schools provide healthier learning environments for our children and reallocate money squandered on energy bills for better educational initiatives. To boot, green schools act as community exemplars, teaching tools and levers for mainstreaming green building practices into homes and offices around the US. Most of all, green schools would save millions of unnecessary tons of CO2.

If you want to get involved or think you might make a stellar “Green Schools Advocate” email The United States Green Building Council at buildgreenschools@usgbc.org. Or visit the USGBC’s Green Schools Website buildgreenschools.org for more information.

As almost anyone who reads this site knows, we are at a critical point in human history, and I truly don’t think its hyperbole to write that we are utterly screwed if we don’t make some seriously smart choices regarding our environment in the next few years.

This conceit is the same tack that 11th Hour, the doc produced and narrated by Leo DiCaprio takes, and makes no bones about the destruction that humanity has wrought on the planet. The film looks at the whys and the wherefores, and I have to say, for the first 1/3 of the movie, I was sad and uncomfortable to be human. BUT though I can’t say I ‘enjoyed’ it, it was a comprehensive look at exactly the kinds of issues we’re facing. Going beyond global warming, the film documents and explains species’ extinction, the oceans crisis, deforestation and rainforest destruction, and how these are all connected to not just saving the planet, but ultimately saving us.

The second part of the movie is the search for how we are going to solve these problems, and it actually brought tears to my eyes (OK, I cried a bit during the first part too, out of frustration and sadness), but these tears were those of hope and excitement. Showcasing EXACTLY what humanity needs to do, how we need to do it, and how we need to change the way we think about, well, everything, the latter part of the film was nothing short of incredibly hopeful and forward-looking. Changes and more wholistic views of design, architecture, and business were highlighted of course (and readers of this blog or any of the other ‘green’ blogs will know about most of it and more already), but even better was the discussion, by all the amazing folks that got together to lend their perspectives to the film, about how we have to change the way we think about our relationship to our home planet. I won’t say much more, because even if you’re an enviro-head and think you know all this stuff you should definitely go see this movie. It’s nothing short of a call to humanity to save itself.

My favorite quote? “This is all hands on deck time.”

My fave fascinating fact from the movie? There are twice as many people on the planet now as there were when JFK was president (from about 3 billion to about 6 billion). You know, I just didn’t realize that before. The idea of it is a little mind-blowing.

From the official promotions for the film:

The 11th Hour describes the last moment when change is possible. The film explores how humanity has arrived at this moment – how we live, how we impact the earth’s ecosystems, and what we can do to change our course. The film features dialogues with experts from all over the world, including former Soviet Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev, renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, former head of the CIA R. James Woolsey and sustainable design experts William McDonough and Bruce Mau, in addition to over 50 leading scientists, thinkers and leaders who present the facts and discuss the most important issues that face our planet.

If you go to the site, you can put your zip code in and they will give you info about where you can see the movie near you. If you’ve already seen it, I’d love to hear what you think!

For another perspective, check out Eco Chick blogger Olivia’s review on the Huffington Post.

In larger, more compact cities, though, there often isn’t enough room for residents to keep their bikes inside and the threat of theft is too great to store bikes outside (nearly every person I’ve spoken to in Cologne has had a bike stolen – hence the preference for buying cheap, unexciting, used bikes instead of mountain or racing bikes). To keep people riding, then, cities like Copenhagen offer cycles free of charge to riders (the cost of the bike is supported by advertisements). All you need is a Euro coin as a deposit to unlock the bike; you get the coin back when the bike’s returned to a station in the city and locked anew.

photo (c) aisipos, via flickr creative commons

Lyon has a similar program, though you pay a small amount for each ride; it’s a popular way home for students after late-night dinners with too much wine. Now Paris is trying it out, too. From The New York Times:

The program, Vélib (for “vélo,” bicycle, and “liberté,” freedom), is the latest in a string of European efforts to reduce the number of cars in city centers and give people incentives to choose more eco-friendly modes of transport.

“This is about revolutionizing urban culture,” said Pierre Aidenbaum, mayor of Paris’s trendy third district, which opened 15 docking stations on Sunday. “For a long time cars were associated with freedom of movement and flexibility. What we want to show people is that in many ways bicycles fulfill this role much more today.”

Users can rent a bike online or at any of the stations, using a credit or debit card and leave them at any other station.

A one-day pass costs 1 euro ($1.38), a weekly pass 5 euros ($6.90) and a yearly subscription 29 euros ($40), with no additional charges as long as each bike ride does not exceed 30 minutes. (Beyond that, there is an incremental surcharge, to make sure that as many bikes as possible stay in the rotation.)

I’m really excited that this idea is catching on; wherever my husband and I travel, we rent bikes to get around the city and these ad-sponsored cycles take some of the worry out of having the bike stolen. And as tourists, we see more of the people, the architecture, and everyday life by bike than by subway, so it’s a treat I wouldn’t want to give up. I just hope someone brings this idea to the US soon … because while it’s easy enough to make the car-free lifestyle choice in your hometown, getting around as a tourist is a bit more difficult to do and a program like this takes some of the worries away. So you can spend more time indulging in the arts and wine and not worry about hitting the wrong Metro home or trying to navigate a hatchback down one-way streets cobbled together with tiny stones.

I’m always on the lookout for interesting eco-friendly art, or creative projects that make a comment about environmental topics. Artistic endeavors are the primary way the future will look back on our time and judge where our priorities are. Whether writing, painting, sculpting, singing, or creating mixed-media pieces, art tells us where we are, where we’ve been and where we’re going. Of course creativity cannot be contained in a vacuum, and the goal of most of these endeavors is to show us how to change, and give us new ways to think.

Wind to Light is another London-based installation that I wish I could hop the pond to see (but can’t really justify, considering the CO2 emissions of a flight from NYC to London!); These gorgeous images will have to suffice until they bring it closer to home.

Wind to Light is a brand new installation that beautifully illustrates alternative, sustainable ways of harnessing energy.

Hundreds of tiny wind turbines generate the power to illuminate hundreds of mounted LEDS, creating firefly-like clouds of light.

Jason Bruges, the creator says: “Wind to Light is an experimental piece, an investigation into the viability of wind power. I hope it will prove thought-provoking as well as being an art piece that can be enjoyed by people of all ages”.

Wind to Light by Jason Bruges Studio is a onedotzero / RIBA London commission in conjunction with Southbank Centre Lightlab for Architecture Week 2007.

If you want to find out more please come down to a FREE talk 7pm, Thursday June 21 2007, Wren Room, RIBA, 66 Portland Place, W1B, where Jason Bruges, XCO2 and DIY Kyoto, all creatives working in this area will be presenting ideas and answering questions. Email Kate.Waymouth@anderselite.com to save your place!

What: Wind to Light | Jason Bruges Studio
When: 15 June – 1 September 2007
Where: Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof, Southbank Centre London, SE1

In case you missed it, The New York Times Magazine was devoted to green architecture on Sunday. It printed several articles, including a piece by the Times’ chief architecture critic, Nicolai Ourousoff, that I found especially interesting. In it, he asks, not entirely rhetorically, Why Are They (Europe) Greener Than We (The US) Are?

The article gives a nice overview of recent architectural history:

Americans did not always lag so far behind; much of our most celebrated architecture has had a green strain. Frank Lloyd Wright, Rudolf Schindler and Richard Neutra all sought to create a more fluid relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces, man and nature. At the height of the cold war, architect-engineers like Buckminster Fuller envisioned marshaling the immense resources of the American military-industrial complex to create a more ecologically balanced world. Fuller’s geodesic domes, which he hoped would one day house all humanity, were cheap and lightweight yet held up in extreme weather. They could also be erected in a matter of hours. In the late 1960s and ’70s, the Whole Earth Catalogue, with its D.I.Y. ethic and living-off-the-land know-how, encouraged a whole generation to dream of dropping off the grid.

By the ’80s the green dream had faded somewhat. Faced with corporate and governmental clients who saw little financial benefit in investing in sustainable design, American architects often ignored ecological questions. The few who didn’t tended to focus on small-scale projects that could serve local populations: mud-brick construction in Arizona or rural shacks made of recycled materials in Alabama.

In Europe, by contrast, where the E.U. and national governments often play a greater role in planning and regulating building, the effort to develop sustainable architecture gathered momentum. By the mid-90s, all new construction in Europe had to meet basic requirements in energy consumption, and many European architects began to make sustainability a central theme in their work. This was true of established architects like Norman Foster, whose 1997 Commerzbank in Frankfurt was conceived as a soaring high-tech glass-and-steel tower punctuated by open-air gardens. But it was especially true of younger European architects who were just beginning to practice their craft at that time and saw sustainability as a basic moral responsibility.

I’m not sure, though, that the two locales can so easily be compared based only on the last forty years. In most European countries, but especially in Germany and the former East, people remember a time when they had nothing … no bread, no water, no housing … and many conserve because they recognize the recentness of that history. In Spain and Portugal, still struggling out of the economic hardships brought on by dictatorships, indoor heating and air conditioning is considered a luxury; in the heat of those countries, energy efficiency in buildings is a must. Electricity in Andalusia remains sporadic enough that using a dishwasher and microwave at the same time can cause power failures for an entire neighborhood. For both of those reasons, both architecture and people’s lifestyles have to be “green”.

Population density here also demands a greater attention to resources and community-minded housing projects. Germany, as an example, has to fit 80 people in the same area that the US has to fit 3. One of the reasons people here tend to live in more eco-friendly multi-family homes instead of McMansions is simply a lack of space.

Environmentalism here is a necessity, more than just a zeitgeist issue. In The Netherlands, where finances are better, the country’s future depends on people being green – built on a complex dyke system, much of the country could be underwater soon if oceans keep rising.

This is not to disparage Europe’s green-ness (one of the reasons I live here!) or to counter what the Timeshad to say. But maybe comparing it with the US is more like looking at apples and pears. There are a lot of lessons the US can take from Europe (including, but not limited to, realigning our federal policy to cap emissions and provide more incentives for greening). Still, based on this country’s history of innovation, Americans should be teaching Europeans a few things about being eco-friendly.

Not too long ago, Starre asked me if I would do a Q&A with Los Angeles-based green interior designer Deana Bracken. Honestly, I felt a little skeptical at first—if only because I consider milk crates furniture. (As long as I can set my book or my beer on it, what does it matter?) But then I checked out some of Deana’s work and I have to admit that I’m warming up to the idea of “home,” especially if that home is green. Plus, I discovered that Deana and I share an affinity for Johnny Cash and, if you ask me, an appreciation for Henry David Thoreau’s idea of “living deliberately.”

Q: Here’s a cream puff question to start off with. How would you describe your work and what has led you to it?

A: I would say my work is the marriage of high style and sustainability for homes big or small, sleek, glam, gothic, mid century – whatever. As I design, I never, never stay within one era or “established” style – that’s a total yawn. And I infuse as much eco-friendliness as my client will allow. Some clients come to me knowing that protecting the planet is one of my greatest concerns. Some don’t initially consider the “sustainable” side of my work relative to their project, but in the end I think each has walked away with a greater understanding of and respect for our environment.

I’ve always been drawn to design elements from the past. I grew up in Chicago surrounded by the feats of Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, and David Adler, so pretty early on I was exposed to some of the best modern, traditional, and downright revolutionary works of architecture and furniture. That’s not to say there aren’t some brilliant contemporary architects and designers forging their own exemplary paths today—Philippe Starck, for one—but I’ve always cozied up to seasoned pieces. My passion is to restore heirloom or even discarded items – and once I got hip to eco-friendly finishes, everything seemed to fall into place.

Q: It seems like one of the environmental movement’s handicaps is that people associate it with deprivation and guilt. If you buy a new pair of shoes, Al Gore will haunt your dreams. What are your thoughts on that and how does your work challenge that notion?

A: Al Gore doesn’t haunt my dreams—though, that is quite an image!—and I live a fairly “glossy” lifestyle. I think it’s all about making responsible, informed choices. A lot of us walk around in a haze not knowing or caring about what we consume, where it’s coming from, and who it might be harming in the process. It’s willful ignorance – and it drives me crazy! I’m bent on proving that any lifestyle or aesthetic—except for those few who enjoy being absurdly toxic and wasteful—can be achieved while still being environmentally mindful. If a bike or electric car, used Levi’s, and Patagonia aren’t for you – the highest of the high-end department stores sell some organic and fairly-traded goods, convenient stores are stocking organic snacks, lexus makes a hybrid… I mean, come on! It’s out there. And once we create a solid market for responsible retail, more and more companies will turn to “greenifying” their goods.

Personally, I prefer to re-use – especially furniture and home décor. Most of what’s in my home originally had a life somewhere else, but I do totally support those who are pioneering new sustainable goods and methods. In fact, I’ve designed a pillow line that employs gorgeous, organic textiles from Mod Green Pod contrasted with hemp fabrics, kapok inserts, and are hand-crafted by my neighbor and artisan, Elizabeth O. And if I do say so myself, said pillows are pretty darn chic!

Q: Along those same lines, I laughed out loud when I read on your website that your mother thought nothing of driving 45 minutes to recycle a sandwich bag full of AA batteries, but I think that it also goes to show that we all live with contradictions. Any thoughts?

A: I guess I did phrase that carelessly…I don’t think my mother ever made a specific trip to recycle batteries – she would carry them around until she was in the vicinity of the area’s only drop box.

Anyway… yes, my mother, myself – we do all live with contradictions. I encounter them more in my work than anywhere. The majority of my clients are not as eco-focused as I am, so I consider a large part of my job is to present them with environmentally sound options. Every one of them has taken to using earth-friendly paints – which is fantastic. I buy for them as much vintage & antique furniture as I can, my upholsterer uses kapok filling, rather than synthetic, we use organic textiles when possible, but do they always go for the “green”?… No. Does it kill me a bit when a client insists on new leather sofas rather than recovering a thrift store find with a deadstock fabric?…Yes. But as long their decision is made after assessing other, more “thoughtful” options, and in the end their living space looks and feels incredible – I have done my job.

Q: Los Angeles has this reputation of being an environmental black hole. Do you think that’s valid? How is your work informed or influenced by the city? Or, how does your work inform and influence the city?

A: If I understand the question—black hole referring to “sorry state of” rather than “vacuum”—I disagree that Los Angeles is a black hole. In fact, I would say some of the greatest green design pioneers are based in L.A. When I first learned of the work of architect David Hertz—6ish years ago– I was blown away. His buildings are so stylish and responsible at the same time – truly inspiring. And Marmol-Radziner is creating ground-breaking sustainable pre-fabs. These people are the “Schindlers,” “Neutras,” and “Lautners” of today. Not to mention THE “ecohome” is a handful of blocks from my house.

Also, I am a true eastsider – I’m surrounded by people driving vegetable oil cars & hybrids, farmers markets, community gardens – and incredible music—which is in it’s own right—totally inspirational. That’s not to say there isn’t major room for improvement in my neighborhood, but being around progressive, environmentally-focused people, who, by the way, are pointedly non-hippie-ish, seems to resonate positively.

That being said, the down-side to Los Angeles would definitely include ridiculously oversized houses, the obscene amount of solo people driving gargantuan SUVs … and the massive amount of consumption overall. I’m personally embarrassed for those who brag about having 60 pairs of the latest jeans or 25 current handbags. Collecting is one thing, consuming another.

The irony is that a solid portion of what inspires me visually comes from the bravado of that Zsa-Zsa Gabor/Ira Gershwin/Edie Goetz-type westside style. It reminds me of my grandmother—my style icon. It’s an elegant, yesteryear approach to living (let me remind that I’m waxing nostalgic visually, not socially.)… when entertaining was an art form and mixing aesthetics was thoughtfully executed. I’m obsessed with well-designed vintage furniture, china & pottery, textile patterns, and landscaping. Los Angeles has historically drawn risk takers in every capacity and their imprints are not only prominent all around the greater area (from the Watts Tower to the Chateau Marmont), but the physical evidence of their style still exists. In scouring the thrift stores, auctions, and flea markets around here, I find an incredible wealth of brilliant – and discarded—pieces. I’m a great proponent of “re-use” and my clients reap the benefits of the style-driven Angelenos from the past.

Q: Let’s talk about Johnny Cash.

A: When I boil it down, I realize that what truly draws me to Johnny Cash is the texture of his voice (and the power of his conviction – whether it’s with humor, tragedy, or love. I then realized he was at his best when he shared the stage, harmonizing that booming, gritty voice with others. One of the best songs he ever recorded is a duet with/written by Will Oldham called “I See A Darkness.” It’s so beautiful. Another song of his I particularly fancy is “Jackson” which he sang with his beloved, June Carter. Another, “I’m Leaving Now” with Merle Haggard…I’m all about juxtaposition.

For some reason, in my life, Arcosanti keeps appearing whenever I’m doing research on something else. I’m drawn to this experiment in human living and I think that means that someday I will end up there. Paolo Soleri, and architect who studied with Frank Lloyd Wright, is the father of Arcosanti, which is run by the Cosanti Foundation.

The Foundation’s major project is Arcosanti, a prototype town for 5,000 people designed by Soleri, under construction since 1970. Located at Cordes Junction, in central Arizona, the project is based on Soleri’s concept of “Arcology,” architecture coherent with ecology.

Arcology is Paolo Soleri’s concept of cities which embody the fusion of architecture with ecology. The arcology concept proposes a highly integrated and compact three-dimensional urban form that is the opposite of urban sprawl with its inherently wasteful consumption of land, energy and time, tending to isolate people from each other and the community. The complexification and miniaturization of the city enables radical conservation of land, energy and resources.

An arcology would need about two percent as much land as a typical city of similar population. Today’s typical city devotes more than sixty percent of its land to roads and automobile services. Arcology eliminates the automobile from within the city. The multi-use nature of arcology design would put living, working and public spaces within easy reach of each other and walking would be the main form of transportation within the city.

An arcology’s direct proximity to uninhabited wilderness would provide the city dweller with constant immediate and low-impact access to rural space as well as allowing agriculture to be situated near the city, maximizing the logistical efficiency of food distribution systems. Arcology would use passive solar architectural techniques such as the apse effect, greenhouse architecture and garment architecture to reduce the energy usage of the city, especially in terms of heating, lighting and cooling. Overall, arcology seeks to embody a “Lean Alternative” to hyper consumption and wastefulness through more frugal, efficient and intelligent city design.

Arcology advocates cities designed to maximize the interaction and accessibility associated with an urban environment; minimize the use of energy, raw materials and land, reducing waste and environmental pollution; and allow interaction with the surrounding natural environment.

As you can tell from the pictures, Arcosanti is quite beautiful and original, as well as ecological. Arcosanti runs all kinds of environmental education classes, as well as conversations with Soleri, art shows, concerts and more, and is available for overnight (or longer) visits. Arcosanti gives me hope for a future where human beings can go back to living in harmony with the natural world, without going back to the stone ages.

Not surprisingly, now that environmentalism is ‘hot’, the stars are coming out in support of various green causes. Of course some notable celebrities have long shined light on various aspects of the environmental movement (Leo, Darryl, and Woody, I’m talkin’ about you!)

So I was really excited when I found out that two smart folks had joined my US Magazine reading self (only online! I swear!), and green obsessive self on a new site. Ecorazzi gossips about stars do-greening all over the place, and offers plenty of funny and snarky commentary. Those celebs that do the green thing deserve recognition, and Ecorazzi gives it to them. Via: Treehugger

 Speaking of going green, America’s Royalty has been busy:

Hollywood stars Orlando Bloom and Kate Bosworth joined 60,000 festival-goers at Japan’s Fuji Rock festival to bless the launch of Global Cool.

According to Morrell, Fuji Rock’s spotless credentials as a carbon neutral festival singled the three-day event out as the ideal launch pad for Global Cool and it’s ten year plan to cut global CO2 emissions by 10 billion tons. Via: Hugg

Brad Pitt, a lover of architecture with green roots, is helping to judge the Global Green competition Green Building Designs for New Orleans.

All of the submissions feature green building principles for affordable housing complexes that would save residents money by reducing energy costs. The designs improve the health of the community and reduce the impact on the environment. They will also serve as model projects for the healthy green rebuilding of New Orleans.
Via: RemyC

Charlize Theron is into Hip and Zen, which has launched a new South African-based line.

“Online retailer HIP & ZEN specializing in sophisticated, sustainable and organic products, has announced the launch of its new South African Chic Collection. This unique offering of handcrafted fashion accessories and artifacts designed by South African artisans brings awareness to the rich creative culture of the region and benefits women and children with AIDS via the Topsy Foundation .   Via: Ecorazzi

Brian Howard of E/The Environmental Magazine and Lisabeth Weber of fundraisingpins.com. Yours truly with pink dress.

Danelle Brown of Verte (the organizer of the event) with speakers from Kids with Cameras, Architecture for Humanity, and Sanctuary for Families, the groups that benefitted from the POMED event. Danelle works the raffle at right.

Kyeann Sayer and Graham Hill of Treehugger. Brian Howard and Ben Jervey, author of The Big Green Apple guidebook.

Jill Danyelle of Fiftyrx3.com and Friend. Kelly with a great dress!

Our own Summer Rayne Oakes and Remy Chevalier of Lu Magazine. 

Many thanks to Danelle and all her friends who put hours of time and effort into putting this all together. Great food, great folks, great time!

ADDED: See more great party pics at Remy C’s site!!