Hi all! The Seattle DJC has a new fan page on Facebook… which means you should fan us right now. What better way to keep up with all the Seattle DJC’s great news, in addition to related news from other media outlets?
You should do it. Now. Just sayin’ is all…..
Kevin Daniels of Daniels Development and Nitze-Stagen is at it again: he’s blogging about a professional trip to Cuba. He’s on the trip with International Sustainable Solutions and Global Exchange. To follow his journey, visit his blog here.
On Thursday evening, I attended Mission: Sustainable’s premier at Fisher Pavillion at Seattle Center. IT WAS A HUGE HIT! And I mean huge.
First, the room was absolutely packed. I would say there were about 600 people there but introductory speaker Gabriel Scheer said attendance was around 1,000. Either way, it was really impressive for a grassroots Seattle event.
For those of you that have not been following this story, a little less than a year ago Producer Rose Thornton decided to make a television show called Mission: Sustainable. The reality show aims to makeover a subject’s life, eating habits, living environment and transportation choices in a sustainable way while educating viewers on the value of green choices.
For those of you that couldn’t come, here are pictures of the event. I was really impressed by how well dressed most everyone was… for Seattle, this was a really stylin’ crowd!
For those of you that did come, what did you think? Would this kind of show be interesting for a national audience or is it too Seattle? If you saw it, what did you like about it? What would you change?
As for what happens next, now that the show is complete and has had its coming out party, there’s more work to be done! Thornton and the crew are looking to find distribution for the show… and you can help! If you know someone influential in the TV business, or just have a tip for the team, visit Mission: Sustainable.
P.S. Congrats to the show and for doing this all on a $1,000 budget. It’s a great example of how something big can get done with enough willpower behind it. Also, kudos to our own DJC Green Building Blog. Without which, co-host Megan Hilfer might not ever have seen the advertisement for a host! Good job guys!
Remember the post we ran last summer about a new, local green reality TV series called Mission: Sustainable? You remember: during show episodes expert consultants provide ordinary people with the tools to make more sustainable choices around transportation, home furnishings, landscaping, food, personal care and products….?
Well, it turns out the show has shot its first episode and is seeking to shop the concept to networks in
2010. But before it gets there (and maybe gets really, really big) it is hosting a premier in Seattle in the middle of January… and is looking for partners.
Most importantly, the crew behind the TV show wants to host the premier on Thursday, Jan. 14 but it needs a place to do it. However, it needs the space for free, at a discounted price or via a sponsorship (remember, this whole TV idea is basically a grassroots effort created by Rose Thornton of ReGeneration Productions). The team is looking for a place that can hold 1,000 people and preferably has audio visual capabilities. It needs to confirm a space by Dec. 10. Dream locations include Town Hall, Fremont Studios, Olive 8 and Benaroya Hall.
It also is looking for a celebrity emcee to introduce the pilot episode, musical entertainment, local and organic food and beer and wine.
Want to help “the little TV show that could,” as co-host Megan Hilfer says? Contact Megan@parsonspr.com to do your holiday good deed! And if you’re looking for more information on what the show is all about, check out ReGeneration Production’s blog here.
As I mentioned in my past post, I’ve been on a series of vacations over the past couple of weeks. And during my series of nine flights, I had a lot of time to read magazines, catalogues and view countless adds on nameless airport walls. And do you know what I discovered? Green is really, really hip! Before you scoff and say in your head ‘hello Katie, where have you been?’ let me explain:
Over the past two years, even with a recession, sustainability and green promotion has become more than just a tactic. It has become necessary. Flipping through the Crate and Barrel catalogue, furniture
is advertised as being “sustainably harvested and sustainably engineered.” In that same magazine, Calphalon advertises a new recycling program where they promise to responsibly recycle your old cookware, while simultaneously advertising a new green nonstick finish for pots and pans. The message is pretty clear: Crate and Barrel cares about sustainability (hence you should buy their stuff, which I am in no way supportive of or not supportive of, by the way).
At my stay at the Omni Parker Hotel in Boston, it advertised green alternatives like most other hotels nowadays. But unlike many other hotels, it connected those green services to its premium Select Guest program, thereby making sustainability (and not washing your sheets) special.
Starbuck’s has upped the content of recycled fiber in its cups (now 10 percent, not sure when they did that) and touts its eco-consciousness on the side of current cups.
Heck, even Clorox has its Greenworks natural green cleaners label. It just never ceases to amaze me.
Do you agree? Are you constantly amazed?
Anyway, back to the news.Kevin Daniels of Daniels Development is currently in New Orleans where he is repairing homes that are still damaged from Hurricane Katrina. He’s there with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is blogging about the effort. To read the blog, click here. To learn more about the effort in general, click here. We also wrote about the trip here.
While I was gone, the DJC Green Building Blog was named to two “best of” lists. We were named number 71 on a list of ”100 Innovative Blogs for Architecture Students.” We’re under the category “Eco-friendly architecture.” The list is compiled by a site called onlineclasses.org that is “dedicated to bringing you the absolute best resources and online educational tools.”
We were also named number 21 (but first under the “Green Construction” category) on a list called “Top 50 Construction Blogs.” This list is compiled by The Construction Paper.
The format of both sites look suspiciously similar though I’m not positive they are related. Hmmm. Either way, they both present a comprehensive list of great blogs, many of which I read on a daily basis to keep informed. It’s a good resource to see viewpoints from around the country and world on construction and architecture.
Incidentally, on one of my many flights, a gentleman I met who owned a construction company in rural Georgia said green building techniques are not used in every project, but are becoming much more common, especially in the major cities and in office projects. He said he’s taking classes on it and suspects they are moving slower than we are on the West Coast, though the south is still moving in that direction.
Keep in mind, this picture was taken during lunch break…..
Weber Thompson is based in a naturally ventilated building (as am I!) So the staff there are thinking of novel ways to stay cool on this record breaking day of heat. If you’re wondering just how “unbearable” it is to work in a naturally ventilated space (I say it’s not so bad) read the comments on the post below. Stay cool!
Being a reporter, I get hundreds of e-mails a week. A good chunk of them are about eco-friendly products that are new, nifty and will “save the worrrllllldddd!” A couple of them are kind of nifty. But the majority of them aren’t… and are obviously motivated by business interests and the desire to make more green.
So when I received an e-mail this week about two entrepreneurs who founded an
educational campaign promoting tap water, and then just happened to sell over 400,000 BPA-free, reusable water bottles from their Web site, it piqued my interest, precisely because it was addressing the money issue.
These two people - Eric Yaverbaum and Mark DiMassimo - are asking the public in a poll whether they are “greedy entrepreneurs,” “selfless environmentalists,” or both.
Now, both of these guys work in advertising or marketing, so this survey could very well be - and likely is - a marketing ploy. But even so, it’s interesting because it touches on the nebulous and often contentious connection between money and the environment.
The environmental movement isn’t completely comfortable with the notion that people make money off of things that are eco-friendly, especially because not everything that says it’s green really is (this is called ”greenwashing”). But really, the only way to get practices accepted on a large scale will be if someone, somewhere turns a profit in some way.
These two guys are making money but in the process they’re also getting their message - that buying bottled water is bad - out there to a broader audience. So is greed ok if it has a point?
What do you think - are they greedy or selfless? To answer the poll or to see results, click here.
Recently, I received a book in the mail called, ‘True Green Home - 100 inspirational ideas for creating a green environment at home.’ The book, by Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin, was released by National Geographic this month.
The book is a handy little thing that does exactly what its title says in outlining
inspirational ideas than range from Number 1 - choose an eco-friendly location for your house - to number 100 - dry your clothes by sun.
Being an environmental reporter, most of the ideas in this book don’t surprise me. I already knew building orientation mattered, as does placement and type of windows, building material and design. But I was surprised by a few things I didn’t know. For example, Number 30 advises me to invest in a bag-less vacuum cleaner. Call me crazy, but I had no idea such a thing even existed! Number 76, regarding natural cleaning of kitchens and utensils, advises me to clean copper with equal parts ketchup and Worchestershire sauce. Really?! I almost want to go burnish my mom’s copper pots and pans just to test it out.
Every idea comes with glossy, pretty pictures. Case studies from William McDonough + Partners, Whole Foods, the USGBC and others also punctuate the pages.
For those people who live, breathe and eat green, this book will be old news. But for those who are just looking to learn about green building or are considering a home remodel, this could be a helpful source of information.
The book is available online. For more information, visit National Geographic here.
Being green all the way down to your toes!
Ok. So they’re not really green buildings…. but they’re green shoes!
This footwear, worn deliciously by my DJC co-worker Laura, is by Simple Shoes. And they simply seem to have everything. They’re made of recycled inner tubes and car tires, organic cotton, 100 percent post consumer paper pulp and they come in a box that was 100 percent recycled. The suede is also from an ”environmentally proactive supportive tannery,” whatever that means.
They look comfy, come in numerous colors, are stylin’ and reuse numerous materials. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the company also has vegan shoes.
Simple shoes can be bought at our local Seattle Nordstroms. Now if only Nordstrom’s could make energy efficiency cool…..
On my last post, commenter Webb, mentioned something spectacular: the story of stuff. And I realized that despite my good intentions, I have not yet posted this
Courtesy The Story of Stuff
delightful video on my blog. Most likely, if you’re a real sustainably-minded person (or one of the 4 million viewers), you’ve already seen it.
But if not……..
Go here http://www.storyofstuff.com/ on your lunch break. It takes about a half hour to watch but is well worth the time.
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