Prize for the most green words in one paragraph
The best reason to take care of the planet isn’t global warming--it’s as simple as keeping your home clean and attractive--we live here, so be nice to yourself and your neighbors! It’s like putting good food in your body so your brain and nervous system work well--not that you'll cure cancer or prevent dementia. But being green is also a marketing tactic for some businesses; a religious, pantheistic faith for some; a warm, emotional feel good for others; a power trip for some even on an in-house task force or committee of a college, church or corporation; and most important, a way to gain total political control at the local, state, federal and international level through laws, regulations and treaties.This paragraph should get a prize for the most trendy, "gosh-I’m-so-green" words:
“We sell ourselves as a green-focused firm,” says HOK Architect Casey Visintin, LEED-AP. “Our community service program reinforces that and shows how our principles affect the community.” At the same time, he says, the collaborative project shows that sustainable strategies can be achieved at any level.
LEED
Community
service
Collaborative
Sustainable
The story which appears in the AIArchitect This Week is about a very large architectural firm with offices all over the world transforming “an unused back lot” of a school into an outdoor classroom for learning and investigation.
It had all the feel good elements of a good green story--
- ”members of the firm volunteering their week-ends”
“collaboration with the parents and principal”
“tangible illustration of the firm’s values,”
“Spanish immersion program school”
“outdoor classroom in the sciences”
“opportunity to learn about environmentally friendly practices”
Remembering the outdoor time where I went to grade school, we managed to be pretty active on concrete, asphalt, dirt and grass. We even managed to run the bases in skirts, crinolines and white bucks. Now the children will need a special grant from USDA for exercise to reduce obesity, topped off with an HHS grant to teach them social skills and how to communicate face to face to make up for being on-line in their free time.
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5 comments:
Good Afternoon Norma:
I appreciate your criticism of the Community Service Project, however, I would encourage you to do some more research before you post your opinions. I am the Architect who was misquoted and also the one behind the project.
First, I would like to express to you the same thing I expressed to the columnist. We were responding to the needs of a horribly underfunding school system in San Francisco. Each public school in San Francisco has a "wish list" put together by their respective garden coordinators, teachers, and the students. This particular space is located behind portable classrooms and currently gated off so we did not rob the students of any playground space. I had been looking for funds to do work with the schools for several years now; to no avail might I add, and my company enabled me to complete this project.
Second, to posture that the company had no marketing interest in the endeavor would be absurd, but you blatantly underestimate the good intentions behind this. The idea was to create a space that taught kids how to respect the earth rather than let them get it from the overwhelming amount of true "greenwashing" out there.
Third, I take personal offense to your quote "most trendy, 'gosh-I’m-so-green' words". You see, anyone who knows me, or takes the initiative to do some background research, will reveal that I truly practice what I preach. I do not own a vehicle, do not fly, haven't taken a single disposable grocery bag in over four years, only use reusable containers such as coffee mugs, etc..., donate and volunteer with several environmental organizations, teach kids about the important of respecting the planet, work virtually electronically, counsel family and friends on how to make energy efficient updates to their homes,...and the list goes on.
I do not know you, nor have I taken the time to research, so i will not make any assumptions as to your character. But I hope that you also practice good environmental stewardship and maintain a relatively low global footprint before you criticize. Or, you may just relish appearing as a hypocrite, and that is your prerogative.
Good Day.
I've reread what I wrote. I probably read more architectural magazines than you do and have read about dozens of these feel good projects. However, I didn't say anything about you personally.
Why are the S.F. schools so underfunded? Excessive taxes that have driven out the tax base? Restrictive zoning? Illegal immigration out of control? Real estate priced so high that all the rich people moved to Neveda and Oregon? If your school system is in such bad shape that volunteers need to green up the playgrounds, you are indeed in the kind of trouble that green words and exchanging carbon credits can't solve.
"Green" is the biggest marketing tool to come along in years for architects, engineers, interior designers and builders. Intentions may be good, but the end result doesn't improve the lives or education of these children.
So who's the hypocrite, starting an overly defensive blog comment with "I appreciate your criticism of the Community Service Project, . . " I read every word of the article about your project; you ignored all my points. If you plan to go anywhere in the world of architecture, you'd better learn to be less defensive or you will indeed be just a volunteer.
Ok, so now I have taken some time to scour your blog and get a better sense of your personality and character. Unfortunately, I must conclude that you are a sad old woman who is bitter about nearly everything and uses a blog to gain some false sense of self-actualization. I did respond to your point (only one real thesis there).
I no longer take offense to your banter now that I understand the premise of your character. But I would encourage you to get out and do some volunteering yourself and maybe you will come to realize that the motives can and will be argued for years, but at the end of the day, the means always leave a situation better than it was before. And this world could sure use some of that right now.
I wish you the best for the remainder of your years.
Good day.
As I said, you are way too defensive to make it in the tough world of private architectural practice--or maybe not. Frank Lloyd Wright made it. I did not attack your character, but you certainly unloaded on me. What a cranky, unhappy person you are.
Obama supporters are so critical.
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