Imagine what cart corals at the supermarket would look like if shopping carts didn’t nest together. Imagine what the entryway of the supermarket would look like if shopping baskets didn’t stack. This would be poor spatial planning on the designers part. Next, image what a parking lot could look like if our cars stacked? We all of the sudden will have a plethora of open space, hmmm why didn’t we think of this earlier?

The first innovative step towards stacking cars was the parking structure, where layers of cars could be stacked upon each other. The next innovative step is to actually stack cars up against each other to reduce the absurd amount of space we require for vehicular parking. The concept is a hybrid of car sharing systems, spatial planning, alternative fueling systems, and personal convenience.

Developed by MIT Media Lab students from the Concept Car Design Workshop sponsored by GM, the key behind this concept is the redesign of the wheel and axel. Rather than having a rigid axel, it will actually fold in a way that will allow the car to rotate upwards 90 degrees. In this, the long dimension of the vehicle is perpendicular to the ground while parked. Since each car has the same form and design, they perfectly nest together to reduce surface space consumption. The stackable car will be able to reduce required curbside parking space by about a third to a half. This allows for more sidewalk space, biking lanes, and comfortable city conditions.

Due to the small dimensions, the stacks of cars will be conveniently placed in locations all over the city- where you would normally come out of a building and hail a cab; you can jump in an electric city car and advance to your next desired location. The concept City Car system includes solar paneling on the rooftops of buildings adjacent to the stackable parking depositories. These panels will be the power supply to charge the electric cars while parked.

This car-sharing concept is a solution to the missing link between public transportation and the front door. Often people don’t use public transit due to the time necessary to switch from the subway to the bus to the next bus. Now people can commute into the city, get off the train, jump in a city car, and drive that extra three to ten miles to the office. This is a reasonable solution to a very prevalent problem. Instead of unnecessarily consuming a parking space while in the office all day long, you can use a city car in the morning and evening, while others use it all afternoon; and the convenience of hopping in a city car is what will make this work. In addition, since these cars aren’t personal vehicles and people will be in them on an average of five to thirty minutes, hopefully the new system will encourage people to share rides across town thus influencing our sense of community, status, and ownership.

For those of you who travel to foreign cities for conferences, get all fired up throughout the day listening to inspiring talks, and seeing innovative ideas in action, yet then dread the retreat to the seclusion of your double-bed hotel room, don’t fear: an alternative is here. Not only is renting a hotel a pain in the rear, but I frequently experience buyers remorse due to how excessive a whole room to myself feels, not to mention how unsustainable hotels really are. To top it off, hotels are lonely. When I travel alone for an event to meet people, I want to continue meeting them and enjoying their company all day long.

So, for those of us alike who prefer socializing, enjoying the company of others, and connecting with like-minded professionals nationwide, there is a creative and more sustainable hotel alternative for you called Airbed & Breakfast. Two independent designers in San Francisco recently had the idea to rent out extra space in their SOMA loft to provide an opportunity for conference attendees to connect with others off the premise. This October 17-20, a rather large conference is taking place in the bay area called the IDSA World Design Congress. The last time this conference was in the US was 20-something years ago. As a result, designers of all ages from all over the country will be traveling to the city to be a part of this important design weekend. With the theme of the conference being "Connecting," this opportunity is perfectly appropriate.

What these two gentleman realized was that they have a wealth of extra space, extra desks, plenty of kitchen space to cook everyone breakfast, and somehow a stockpile of airbeds. When you put these extra resources together, it makes for a great environment that many travelers could advantage of. This is "something new and different: classier than couchsurfing, and more personable than craigslist — it is an AirBed & Breakfast."

In addition to building a website to advertise the brilliance of this new way to connect people at the conference, the two founders, Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky, both in their mid to late twenties, wanted to provide an opportunity for others to list their place in order to create a new network of socialization and entrepreneurship at conferences nationwide. On the site is a link tovacancies where prospective residents can browse through and choose their weekend home and office based on location, attributes, ambiance, and other details. The moment that Joe and Brian launched the site (just this past week), the word spread quickly. There are now four different spaces offered on the vacancies link, and one is already sold out.

The brilliance in this idea is not only attractive because it builds relationships and creates a more comfortable living alternative to hotels, but it is far more sustainable. Even the acclaimed "green hotels" are required to use far more resources to maintain a whole room for one individual than an existing home with an added bed. If you think about it, if one is already making coffee in the morning, why not make it for 10?

This Friday is the opening day of the 3rd Solar Decathlon Exhibition. The exhibition takes place on the National Mall in Washington DC from October 12th to 20th. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the competition invites 20 teams from colleges and universities across the United States, Germany, Spain, and Canada to participate. The objective is to “design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house.” Students have been working on these projects for up to two years; they build them, then deconstruct their projects to transport them across the country and even across oceans only to put them back together again. Teams arrived in Washington last Wednesday, October 3, and have been assembling their homes to prep for Fridays opening.

Powered entirely by the sun, these high-tech homes that exhibit superior efficiency are “likely to help shape America’s clean energy future,” states a press release from the Department of Energy. The first Solar Decathlon was in 2002. I am partially inspired by this event as my old alma mater, the University of Michigan, competed in the 2005 competition. Although Michigan is not competing this year, many of the students from participating schools and prospective schools took notes on the flaws present in 2005, and went home to improve, reinvent, and discover new technologies for this year’s event.

As a result of seeing the 2005 University of Michigan MISO (Michigan Solar) home, I can tell you that these teams are consciously composed. With students from disciplines ranging from Engineering, Architecture, and Design to Urban Planning andEnvironmental Studies, these projects are guaranteed to be well-conceived. “These solar homes are powerful, comfortable, and stylish. They are relaxed, elegant, wasting neither space nor energy.” Since these projects come from an academic setting, a place where exploring concepts and visions for the future is fostered and encouraged, these homes are creative, innovative, and surprising.

Not only is this an opportunity for students to learn, explore, and experience solar home construction; it is also an occasion for the public to come view the solutions and learn about the best in energy efficiency and home design. If you are in the DC area and have a chance to stop by, the exhibition hosts an entrée of tours, seminars, workshops, and talks by students and professionals. Starting this Friday October 12, the exhibition is open to the public. Next Thursday, October 18 is a day devoted to building industry professionals, and the official awards ceremony is next Friday October 19. Enjoy!

William McDonough and Partners is teaming up this year with a list of other local and international architecture, engineering, and design firms to form Greenbridge Developments LLC, a new company focused on implementing and designing sustainable mixed-use development. The group was actually founded in 2006 by six local families with strong connections in the area whom were all influenced by sustainable development. This years first project will be in the defined “opportunity zone” of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The two-tower construction will achieve LEED Gold Certification, and serve as a national model of sustainable design and green building.

The initial plans for this retail/office/housing complex include two nine-story buildings that will be connected by a pedestrian bridge, rooftop gardens, solar panels, wheatgrass countertops, a Zipcar fleet, and a sustainable educational learning center. The developers will encourage fair-trade businesses to open shop on the ground floor’s designated retail space.

Based on the declared premise that “all sustainability is local”, the new development seeks to meet the goals of environmental sensitivity, social equity, and economic vitality. The possibility of influencing local economys and social environments through large-scale projects such as housing developments is, and always has been, present. Yet when sustainability can be the underlining theme and motivation, the project will undoubtedly have a positive “smart growth” influence. Instead of consuming new land, “green development” Greenbridge Developments LLC seeks to revitalize urban and civic centers though considering the impact of each decision made in the design process.

The most interesting aspect of this project is that, in addition to expecting LEED Gold certification, the project is largely influenced by the “Cradle-to-Cradle” design paradigm articulated in the 2002 book by William McDonough (whose architecture firm headlines the project) and Michael Braungart.

“Contrary to the cradle-to-grave patterns that make, take, and waste- cradle-to-cradle harnesses the earth’s interdependent systems to nourish one process with the ‘waste’ from another, and rely on an eternally renewing flow of resources.”

The duo now runs a practice (MBDC: McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry) in Charlottesville, Virginia that awards cradle-to-cradle certification to materials and products, and consults with businesses on strategies. Simultaneously, McDonough runs his own architecture practice focused on superior sustainable quality. With his experience alone, I would trust that any building he works on would be of the greatest, smartest eco-effective quality.

By utilizing available technology in the most complex and collaborative way, Greenbridge Developments could potentially be a nationwide and worldwide model of sustainable development, economic and urban revitalization, and progressive green design.

Kiss & Cathcart, 2020 towerIsn’t it the best thing in the world when you find out that making a decision about your lifestyle is not only the environmentally-friendly decision, but the economical one too?!!! It makes me want to run through the streets with my arms flailing, telling the world that we are going to be ok. Blue collar, green collar, white collar, red collar… we can all save a bit of money by taking a healthy and responsible action for future generations.

Increasingly, homeowners and businesses are getting bank loans and even grants to install solar and wind power systems on the site of their property. The Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency is a great place for homeowners to start. It is common to now receive an incentive to reduce the cost of these systems from 25 to 40%, depending on location, of course. The state of Oregon now has 50% Business Energy Tax Credit for all renewable project costs. Not only does this incentive make alternative, local power generation an affordable option, but in provides individuals, families, and groups with the possibility of claiming energy independence from the electric grid.

Following is a supreme example of how the business management of renewable energy systems is gaining strength and incentives. The largest investment bank in the U.S., Morgan Stanley, will finance and own the PV systems that are to be installed atop 7 Wal-Mart stores in California. The way this works is that Morgan Stanley signs on as a financing partner of SunPower, the supplier, designer, installer, and maintenance supplier of the systems. Morgan Stanley pays for the system up front and the customer pays for it over a long period of time, as opposed to 100% up front. This means low investment risk and instant availability. Big business is seeing green in dollars returned by investing in alternative energy that makes good business sense to them. Not only is it just good business because it looks good and tops their environmental checklist, but it’s economical. Tiffany’s, for example is expecting a $500,000 annual savings on the 1.3 megawatt solar installation divided between 2 distribution centers in New Jersey.

I am not writing to debate the politics of appreciating solar value, market value due to commercial demand, and increasing utility prices; I’d just simply like you to appreciate that there is a greater demand. According to Solar Buzz, “Over the last 20 years the cost of solar energy systems has come down seven fold…” According to The Economist, “Global investment in renewable power-generation, biofuels and low-carbon technologies rose from $28 billion in 2004 to $72 billion in 2006.” If you think about it fundamentally, it makes sense that there be more value at a cheaper cost to us in something that is renewable. These businesses are not signing the Declaration of Energy Independence (yet), but they are partially acting on the economical incentive present. Even though designing these stores and warehouses to maximize on natural light might be the most energy efficient option, investing in solar to power the devices within this space has to be applauded.

Rain Shout: high volume = high pressure

We curse the sky when there is drought. Then we rejoice, and bathe, and blow kisses to our plants upon the rainfall. Now that we think about it, doesn’t it seem logical to be able to reap the benefits of that oh-so-delightful rainfall for weeks following? Since I’m not here to preach doom and fear, I’m going to tell you that you can lengthen that rainfall benefit, and also why you simply can’t pass up the opportunity to do so. As a result, the environment, your plants, the gutters, and those pipes down at the water treatment plant will thank you!

Maintaining the “perfect” vanity lawn can place a high demand on our environment, our health, and our municipal utility grid. Residential communities tend to guzzle 40% of their water consumption on irrigation in a given municipality. When cities like Chicago processes 1 billion gallons of water every day for general consumption, we wonder how much we could ease this demand if we had an alternative water source for our grass and plants.

All you need to do is divert your gutter to spill into anything that will hold a large volume of liquid over time. The most common way of collecting rainwater is in a rain barrel, which is commonly made from a 50-gallon food drums. The average roof and gutter system has the capacity to fill a 50 gallon drum with only ¼ inch of rainfall.

A good formula to remember: 1 inch of rain on a 1000 sq ft roof yields 623 gallons of water. Calculate the yield of your roof by multiplying the square footage of your roof by 623 and divide by 1000.

For those of you in a city, collecting rainwater on the roof to water your household plants is a great option. I send you forth with the confidence that you will be able to convince your landlord that it is a practical and cost-effective option. It also means that his/her and your water bill is cheaper monthly. The rainwater collection will encourage rooftop gardens, and as a result cool the roof and make cooling your building easier and cheaper. The benefits are never-ending.

For those of you out in the country who might have a few more plants and acres of maintained land, this is a very cost effective option for you as well. It takes lots of water to keep those plants and that lawn healthy. Why not collect it for free and feed them the clean, untreated juice they love and deserve! You might even have the option to install multiple rain barrels on a few corners of your house or estate.

Whether you like it or not (but I think you will like it) collecting rainwater doesn’t just save you money and provide you with good plant drinking water. Rainwater collection eases our demand and impact on the municipal water grid, meanwhile keeping the environment cleaner. Rain commonly travels across our land picking up harmful chemicals from fertilizers and pesticides. After traveling across the land it dissipates to the water table and erodes our rivers, and lakes with water unfit for drinking and often times swimming. Agricultural herbicides are found in 99% of all urban streams sampled. When you think about the fact that 2.1 billion gallons of water move from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico daily, we are reminded of how much water is constantly traveling through our watershed. Since pollution from city streets, suburban lawns, and factories are of the largest of contributors to water pollution, let’s use our tools to reduce the odds of that not-so-green option.

Additionally, rainwater commonly travels down the street collecting harmful petrol-chemicals from oil and gasoline. When and if this water travels through our sewer system to the water treatment plant, it has to be treated with chlorine, lime, or calcium to restore safety. Not only do we not want to drink these solvents, but these dissolved salts, sediments, and chemicals are not palatable to our lawns and plants. When we intercept water during rainfall, we reduce the impact of all the aforementioned steps. Brilliant!

Phillip kindly wrote you a Do-It-Yourself tutorial today on how to obtain the materials and build one for your use! Check it out and get yourself leaps closer to cheaper bills, happy plants, and relaxed water treatment plants.

Pile of Plastic Silverware

Americans alone use and dispose of enough paper and plastic cups, forks, and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times. Lets break this down, mathematically first (then we can physically break down the paper and plastics). If the circumference of the earth at the equator is 24,901.55 miles (a bit longer than measured at the poles), and there are 365 days in the year, then we dispose of 20,467.027 miles of disposable paper and plastic to go ware each day! That is about enough distance to stretch from the coast of Gabon (the westernmost country in Africa on the equator) all the way around the world to the eastern mouth of the Amazon in South America, every day!!!

If this startles you, consult your daily schedule and you will be surprised with how many disposable items we throw out daily. Here is a scenario for you: a gentleman goes out to lunch during his workday. He orders a sandwich and a side salad, with a fountain beverage. He orders it “to go” so he can sit in the park and eat in a more pleasant space. The food service worker wraps his sandwich in paper, puts it in a plastic bag, puts his salad that is in a plastic container in the plastic bag along with a prepackaged plastic silverware set equipped with paper packages of salt and pepper, and a paper napkin. He sits and enjoys his meal, and ends up throwing out more than half the volume of what he consumed.

An easy solution to ease the impact of disposables is to bring your own silverware to eat with and a bag to put your items in. I want to introduce you to a little product called to-go-ware. The company was started by Stephanie Bernstein who had an epiphany over a cup of ice cream “for here” that was dished in a paper cup with a plastic spoon. She decided to design a small package of utensils (spoon, fork, knife, chopsticks) made of bamboo that one can bring along with them daily. The utensils are kept in a cloth pouch (which serves as your napkin) that wraps up into a small long sleeve. You carry it around with you every day to avoid the result of our convenience culture.

The tragic thing about food service that is different than purchasing clothing, is that you cant really give back a disposable good once it has been given to you. In other words you can’t lick the ice cream off the spoon once they’ve stuck it in your cup and say, “thanks, but I brought my own! Can you reuse this?” It is certainly worth a try in order to stimulate a consideration, but it does not entirely meet food code. So, although to-go-ware is partially effective and a great product, we need to begin even deeper and earlier in the service-to-customer relationship. We need to be more proactive and make sure we tell our server to please leave out as many disposables as entirely possible.

I lived in New York City for the summer of 2003 and I used to go get iced coffee a few mornings of the week around the block. I remember being so startled upon receiving my simple small iced coffee because I also received the added value (waste) of 3 napkins, a straw, and a paper bag that they put my full (yet soon to be empty) disposable plastic cup in. I had to stop going there because they would neglect to meet my request of “no napkins or straw or lid or bag please”. It was the full package deal or nothing. This was when I really began to realize how many little things we throw out every day that often times are never even used. Our consumer driven convenience culture is in part supported by the service industry. Convenience is no longer a conscious decision to leverage; convenience is an assumed desire.

So, to prove the service industry otherwise make sure you request no-few disposables. Try this next time: When you call in you’re “to go” order for family dinner pizza, ask for no disposable silverware, no cups for the soda, and no plates with the pizza. And upon pickup bring your own tray or plate to take the pizza home on as opposed to taking it home in a large cardboard box. Of course there will have to be sacrifices, but like every change, once we get used to them, it no longer seems difficult or different.

To-Go-Ware
Tip o' the Day: Bring Your Own Coffee Mug

Image courtesy of To-Go Ware