I wrote the cover story to the special September edition of "Green Building + Design," a design-porn glossy that doesn't shy away from hard questions about its subjects. (I, for one, balk at the consumerist trend to "be green.") I wrote about the mantra--and standards--called Passive House, which uses modelling and analysis to incorporate remarkable … Continue reading A glimpse at the ideas re-shaping building design from the science up
Green living
The past few months in photos, minus all the computers
Wisdom from people who live in cabins
Tiny-house construction in the Beaver Brook community in the forest of upstate New York. Thanks to the photographer, Jace Cooke, for the Creative Commons license. Head over to cabinporn.com for a real show. (Not that kind, you sex addict. Not that there's anything wrong with that.) The folks behind the site, the residents of Beaver … Continue reading Wisdom from people who live in cabins
For the privilege of saving 6 cents a month, please pay $50
The City of Springfield says no one has applied to its new program to award a kind of tax break to those who minimize runoff from their properties. (The city's often forced to process said runoff as sewage, an expensive proposition.) Like very few others, I read the credit manual from cover to cover. It … Continue reading For the privilege of saving 6 cents a month, please pay $50
Credit unions vs. banks: the fight started late last year; here we catch up with the data
New credit union data provided an occasion to discuss, with an A1 story, the differences between the two forms of banking — and the PR war that's been fought since the Occupy movement started pushing credit unions last fall. I also reported that the ubiquitous local bank, Security National, took a $100 million TARP bailout … Continue reading Credit unions vs. banks: the fight started late last year; here we catch up with the data
Protected: CPS sends kids to look at pollution
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Green campaign at my former school
A prefab modular home with LEED Platinum certification. Chicago should have its first Platinum-certified prefab residence in 2011. (Flickr photo from Heather Lucille. CC.) Here are some links to my 2009 project to reduce Cedarville University's environmental impact. I was collaborating with school administration to implement the project when I moved to Chicago to attend … Continue reading Green campaign at my former school
Jensen nonviolent, after all
Art I made for the large open wall of my apartment. The metal numbers were someone else's garbage. (My Dad's, in fact.) This month Derrick Jensen took a step back from his usual extreme tone in his Orion Magazine column. (Orion represents the literary and philosophical side of the environmental movement.) Normally he advocates a … Continue reading Jensen nonviolent, after all
Clandestino
Lamb stew with microgreens over a root-vegetable gratin. Lamb by the Carr family, whose Mint Creek Farm is outside Chicago. Cell phone flash by Mariely Santiesteban, Clandestino staff. Photo by Brandon Smith. The end of the semester has been upon me. Super-crunch time. But now it's over until Jan. 20 or so, and I'm happy … Continue reading Clandestino
Awesome quote of the day
The awesome quote of the day regards the upcoming climate change conference in Copenhagen: And this being Scandinavia, even the prostitutes are doing their bit for the planet. Outraged by a council postcard urging delegates to "be sustainable, don't buy sex," the local sex workers' union – they have unions here – has announced that … Continue reading Awesome quote of the day
Quick shout-out
Annie Leonard lectures at a sustainability conference. (Creative Commons photo from the Flickr account of Kevin Krejci) Annie Leonard released a long-anticipated followup to her "Story of Stuff" video, called "The Story of Cap and Trade." It's more complex than the first (I, an environmental reporter, had to rewind a couple times), but it does … Continue reading Quick shout-out
And the Pursuit of Happiness review
What a name for a blog, And the Pursuit of Happiness. The blog's beautiful, but it's not really a blog. It's a place that, once a month, displays a new piece of written and visual art—created by author and illustrator of children's books Maira Kalman. It was one of the most popular items on New … Continue reading And the Pursuit of Happiness review
Letter to Aptera followers
Remember when I posted the bit about Aptera getting approval to apply for a U.S. Department of Energy loan for advanced transportation technologies? Just today they mentioned it to their fans via a newsletter. (Either I was ahead of the game, they were behind, or both.) Also in this newsletter was an exciting update on … Continue reading Letter to Aptera followers
Links
I kept writing but haven't posted in a while, so I just wanted to fling a link your way before I hopped a bus to Columbus, Ohio to see the fam. (Look for more posts to come soon, however.) The Yes Men, a group of nationally-known pranksters, did some protesting of the Fisk power plant … Continue reading Links
Jeffrey Hollender, you rock my socks
Jeffrey Hollender, CEO of Seventh Generation (Creative Commons photo from the Flickr account of dreamymo) Note: This post is continued from Thursday's post. I suggest you start there. Hollender attended a conference by Business for Social Responsibility and blatantly asked the question, "Will this conference make business more responsible?" It's a good question to ask … Continue reading Jeffrey Hollender, you rock my socks
Pyramid schemes help to alleviate Chicago unemployment
So my second satire piece was published today on The Daily Blank. Once again, I'll repost the entire article here because their license allows it. But check 'em out some time—whether you live in Chicago or not, there's something there for you. Pyramid schemes help to alleviate Chicago unemployment Bars, movie theaters, grocery stores, … Continue reading Pyramid schemes help to alleviate Chicago unemployment
Jeffrey Hollender on Toyota
The Toyota Corolla, a highly popular car in the U.S. (Jupiter Images photo) I'm into corporate responsibility in case you haven't noticed. (I was recently approached by someone wanting me to join a pyramid scheme. It was so laughable I wrote a satire piece about it. I'll let you know when it's published.) One of … Continue reading Jeffrey Hollender on Toyota
Who are these corrupt scientists? Leachates nearly unavoidable
Gladware, the type of food storage I have at home. I've heard soft plastics are more prone to have dangerous leachates, and this stuff is as soft as you get. (Creative Commons-licensed photo from Timothy Valentine's Flickr account) Nick Kristof's column Saturday dealt with Bisphenol-A, the chemical lots of people are worried about because, hey, … Continue reading Who are these corrupt scientists? Leachates nearly unavoidable
Consumerism as conspiracy (and I believe it!)
Here's an article written by a professor in my academic department, Sharon Bloyd-Peshkin. I haven't yet had her in class; she's on sabbatical this semester. In this she's written the most complete, historically accurate magazine-format depiction of planned obsolescence I've ever read. And I've read several great ones. Planned obsolescence is, in my own words, … Continue reading Consumerism as conspiracy (and I believe it!)
Today’s link
Here's a link to a short article about how common houseplants can be very effective at filtering the air indoors: roughly the same quality filtration as human-built devices costing ten times as much. (Their source wasn't the University of Georgia study directly, but Science Daily.) Of the 28 species tested, Hemigraphis alternata (purple waffle plant), … Continue reading Today’s link
Brandon Smith 