"Was it a conscious decision or a momentary lapse of reason? How did progress take priority over humankind? Could harnessing the world’s energy that allowed our ascent now be the ledge pan of our down fall?" These are the questions addressed in the PBS ongoing series e2. The most recent episodes, narrated by Morgan Freeman, focus on energy. They look at transportation infrastructure, the auto industry, fuels and renewable fuels, alternative energy solutions and infrastructure, etc. As a result of examining such critical topics, the network was able to land a high-profile guest list for this 6-episode series including Samuel Bodman, the US secretary of energy; Brian Boldemberg, Brazil’s former secretary for the environment; Amory Lovins, founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute; and Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize winner. These began airing October 12, 2007

The next set of episodes, narrated by Brad Pitt, will focus on design and innovation. This high profile guest list features designers, architects, and other enthusiasts dedicated to changing the world though socially and environmentally conscious design. Some of the architects include Thom Mayne, architect of the new San Francisco Federal Building, and Adriaan Gueze, the lead architect of the Borneo Sporenburg development in Amsterdam. Other architects and sustainability enthusiasts include Ed Mazria, architect and founder of the Architecture 2030 organization, and William McDonough of Cradle-to-Cradle design.

These projects, among many others, are leading the way in fabricating sustainable design solutions. Whether they work with system management, future projections, or actual structures, these folks are dedicated to creating better design solutions that will last longer. It isn’t only about eliminating the bad anymore. It is about streamlining processes, and creating structures that will last and can multi-function. These architects and designers take you inside processes and reveal involved truths about good and bad design and how they leverage decisions. These episodes begin airing November 23, 2007.

As noted on the website, "The decisions in Washington affect the mountain glaciers in Peru, deforestation of the Amazon affect the heat waves of Paris, the power plants in China effect air quality in Los Angeles …" — we are faced with a lot of global issues that we collectively can have an influence on. PBS has sought out those who are leading others in aiding this progress. "It’s about facing what seem to be insurmountable challenges for what they really are — opportunities to reinvent and redesign." I have yet to see a TV series that touches on so many critical global topics and educates consumers about what is occurring in our energy and construction industries.

In its second year, digital software manufacturer AutoDesk sponsors this PBS project. e2 challenges you to live smarter, live greener, and live with the future in mind. PBS has also build a resource for you to research projects featured in the program. And just for you, they’ve made their own dictionary for the environmentally conscious, as well as a resource for additional independent research.

Just as certain building products can earn Cradle-to-Cradle Certification, now disposable materials and products can earn a compostable seal. With the adoption of the American Society for Testing and Materials Specifications (ASTM), the Biodegradable Products Institute of New York and the US Composting Council are helping provide consumers with consistent information on materials and compostability. By using standard that are already in place, this allows for other companies to use the same criteria to evaluate materials, and ultimately allow for consistency across the board.

ASTM is an open forum for the development of high quality, market-relevant international standards used around the globe. According to the Biodegradable Products Institute,

…these specifications are the result of 8 years of intensive work by researchers, product manufacturers, composters, and resin producers to identify plastic and paper products which disintegrate and biodegrade completely and safely when composted in a municipal or commercial facility, like kraft paper, yard trimmings and food scraps.

With this rising attention to life cycle analysis of consumables, it is helpful to know if a cup we throw in the trash it is going to sit in the dump for thousands of years or not. Right? As consumers, we need to know what seals and labels are valid in order to trust and respect these claims. We are in a time when these issues such as life-cycle assessment, compostablility, recyclability … are bombarding us daily. If we can’t trust the validity of these claims, or if we see most things as merely greenwashed (to appear as a part of the "trend"), then consumers will lose interest. Then, the "trend" will dissipate or expire and we will be left with the same issues, and more confusion and rebellion.

This sounds terrifying right? Yes. So, it’s important to look for seals that are used on products that come from multiple product companies. If you check out the BPI website, you will see that many companies have come to them to obtain their evaluation and thus their seal to accredit their hard work. This is a good sign.

The interesting aspect to the BPI program is that they have their own private label in which they (at a first glance, anyway) disguise that they use more widely-accepted criteria to award their seal. The problem here is that this doesn’t allow consumers to leverage decisions very easily when everything is (seemingly) evaluated against a different set of criteria, and thus obtaining different seals. I can, although, leave you with the confidence that the Biodegradable Products Institute "compostable" logo is a valid one.

This November 7-9, Chicago will host the largest GreenBuild Expo in history. Put on by the USGBC (United States Green Building Council), this year over 18,000 attendees will gather to learn about the trends in green construction and get inspired about future projects. In a city aiming to be the greenest, this is a monumental event. On top of it all, GreenBuild will be held in one of Chicago’s LEED certified facilities, the McCormick Place West Building.

According to the USGBC, "Chicago mayor Richard Daley has pledged to make Chicago the most environmentally friendly city in the world. Building on its legacy as a center of American architecture, Chicago was one of the first cities to adopt LEED. Today it has the most LEED projects of any city in the world."

Included in the Expo is an international conference with headlining speakers such as Paul Hawken (author), Sadhu Johnston (Chicago Commissioner of the Department of Environment),  Thom Mayne (Founder and Principal of Morphosis), Maria Atkinson (Global Head of Sustainability at Lend Lease), and former US President Bill Clinton. USGBC President and CEO Rick Fedrizzi on is especially excited about Clinton’s planned appearance:

"This is an unprecedented opportunity for our green building community to hear from one of the greatest philanthropic and environmental leaders of this century. The William J. Clinton Foundation is facilitating a series of global action plans that are addressing some of the most intractable problems of our times — AIDS, economic sustainability as a way to eradicate poverty, the elimination of childhood obesity. His framework has shown the power that groups of individuals have to effect real change."

"Reducing the C02 emissions that lead to climate change is another key area of focus, and it’s being addressed by the Clinton Climate Initiative, with green building as a cornerstone of that effort,” Fedrizzi noted. “We are making a difference, and President Clinton’s unique ability to inspire individual action will add incredible momentum to this important work."

The event has a full schedule of networking and educational opportunities. Whether you are a homeowner, a builder, designer, architect, engineer, and, heck, even a programmer or a banker, there is something applicable to everyone’s life. With over 850 exhibit booths displaying the newest products and technologies, the expo itself will be an educational and eye opening experience. If you leave thinking, "I still can’t do it," then you didn’t pick up enough tools while in attendance.

This summer the US Postal Service announced a new "Cradle to Cradle" certified shipping model and package for their postal service. This is the first US mailing service to receive such a designation. Awarded by the MBDC (McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry), the "Cradle to Cradle" Silver rating considers everything from water stewardship to renewable energy, toxicity to recyclability. The package has all-around good environmental health.

According to the press release, "Postal Service mailing and shipping supplies already had exceeded governmental requirements, including recycled content standards from the U.S. EPA. Going beyond existing federal and state agency requirements was a goal in seeking certification."

The MBDC Cradle to Cradle certification process reviews all the environmental attributes of material inputs for each product. Based on 39 criteria for human and environmental health, the rigorous process does not miss a single flaw. It doesn’t just look at the physical content of each material, but at every step the material travels before it gets into the package. "MBDC examined 60 packaging items, breaking those items down to 250 component materials and then further analyzing 1,400 individual ingredients in those component materials before awarding the certification." Due to the improvement in the 500 million + Express Mail and Priority Mail packages and envelopes provided by the Postal Service annually, 15,000 metric tons of carbon emissions will be prevented. That means that these tons of carbon won’t just be offset: they won’t even be used in the first place.

"To get some perspective on that number, consider that the gigantic South By Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas generates only 250 metric tons of carbon emissions each year — and that’s from power sources, travel and transportation from around the world and wastes generated by printing, promotion and festival-related goods combined,” states Lucinda Michele Knapp of Conscious Choice Magazine.

Going further, "the Postal Service also worked with MBDC to gain certification for an additional 200 million pieces of mailing supplies used each year (decals, labels, packing tape), examining inks, tapes and adhesives." Additionally, the Postal Service redesigned all the Flat-Rate boxes and envelopes as well; as a result, customers can use the same packaging for domestic and international mailing. This eliminates the need for separate packages (andseparate materials), and reduces the amount of source materials requires for use and recycling.

After Wal-Mart, the US is the post office is the second largest employer in the nation. These developments not only effects and educates customers about sustainable business but it will effect the entire postal service staff as well. In addition to Cradle to Cradle packaging materials the USPS has made moves towards using alternative fuel fleets, offsetting carbon emissions in plants, and now, designing more environmentally responsible packaging. With the proper incentives in sight, the postal service has an eco-effective mutually beneficial system!

It is that time of year to get on the bus and head back to school. Preparing for class and back-to-school activities is not our most sustainability-focused time or year. We want to buy new clothes, new supplies- a new look. This Fall, some students will be living in style out of an old container.

As some college students in Amsterdam move into their brand new housing, accommodations will be a hip combination of new and old. Rethinking the way we use things, Keetowonen, a student housing project in Amsterdam, is transforming shipping containers into 1000 units for college students. Each container block has one building services container that supplies the block with electricity and Internet. Atop the roof is a different container system that collects rainwater, while providing equal heat dispersal and insulation for the units below.

Our perception of a shipping container might not be of something very spacious since they’re usually packed full of non-perishable products from across the globe. Yet, when emptied and tidied up, they can be made into a quite accommodating space. Each 40 square-foot unit is equipped with all the amenities a college student might need- sink, shower, toilet, kitchen, a boiler for hot waster, electricity, heat, and even balconies. Some end units have windows on the side to allow more sunlight to penetrate their space. The box-in-box construction means that the floors, walls and ceilings don’t come in contact with the external structure of the container. Therefore, the interior space in insulated from thermal change and sound disruption.

Also on the campus, Tempohousing installed a café-restaurant, a supermarket, office building, laundry-mat, and a sporting area- all made out of shipping containers. So, for those of you who simply can’t resist now, here is the skinny on the cost and availability of the containers. The units are rented out by the De Key housing corporation. Additionally, in 2005 the Dutch ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) presented Keetwonen with a formal notice that the units are eligible for housing subsidies. "The amount of subsidy tenants can claim depends on their personal (financial) circumstances." Belastingdienst is the provider of this subsidy contract

The first block of 60 units was completed by September 2005 and was rented out. The last was finished in April 2006. This past April 25th, the project received the Funda Award for "best executed innovation in construction."

"At the award ceremony the jury acknowledged Keetwonen to be ‘bright stars in an otherwise dimly lit market which is acting slow on innovation.’ In the report produced by the jurors fast construction and the fact that the Keetwonen habitats are ready for habitation on arrival were the main focus. The low construction cost was also mentioned as a big plus."

Also on GO:

Urban Options: Group 41 Offers Free Custom Container Architecture

Last week I wrote an article about the new private “green” labels that electronics companies are tacking on their more energy-efficient products. Some companies are using their own labeling systems; others are employing third-party certifications. After discussing the effect of said third party vs. internal labeling systems, we can begin to ask how deep the environmental awareness of the businesses goes, and how much information do they want us to know about their practices?

Since the green market has become so competitive, companies are beginning to consider additional steps towards total embodied sustainability in order to differentiate themselves and back up their claims. These services are rooted in the marketing and design of the businesses product or service. As a result, the services they employ (graphic designers and marketing firms) can make their product/service more sustainable. The hierarchy of sustainable practices involved in the process of taking a concept to product/service is important, and every consumer should be aware of this.

When a product is designed with sensitivity to its ecological impact, the way it is a marketed will certainly be affected. Hopefully this translates into the physical marketing propaganda as well. The Royal Mail UK, for example, is a certified carbon neutral direct mailing program helping companies to minimize the impact of door-to-door mailing. First, they evaluate the company’s current mailing practice based on certain material criteria such as recycled paper content, origin, inks, paper treatments, packing material, etc. Once the company has met the material standards, they help it select a target audience to reduce overmailing. The company is awarded a green mailing label, to make the consumer aware of the company’s choices and to help the consumer make their own choices. This service requires us to look at the impact of not only our marketing industry, but the practice of graphic design as well.

As a result, many graphic designers are beginning to market their service as sustainable graphic design to businesses that need to convey their personalized message to the public. This graphic design community generally defines these motivations as design for positive change. Since so much of graphic design is the sociology of an ad, they have the opportunity to instill social responsibility towards sustainability. For these designers, there are a slew of services that educate them on sustainable design in order to add depth and breadth to their service. This also promotes a more common understanding of current activity and responsibility within the design community.

The Canadian graphic design firm smashLab started out by seeking simple ways to make their practice more responsible. They ended up with a designer’s resource site to promote positive change through design. Designcanchange.org hosts a list of designer members, a blog spot, and a growing log of research. Through simplifying information yet constantly receiving more, they hope help designers define and communicate our environmental problems in as simple terms as possible.

The AIGA Center for Sustainable Design is a site loaded with case studies and reports that seek to educate the designer about different sustainable business practices, and to equip them with the information to make responsible design decisions. Another resource forum for graphic designers is Design By Nature- an Australian-based source that seeks to educate designers on how they can create change.

With all of these educational resources for designers, we hope that companies will respond by hiring those designers who are actively encouraged by these resources. The next topic is how to educate companies that these graphic designers are working hard to promote positive change and that they exist in the first place. In order to do this we might anticipate a sustainable graphics license such as that achieved by architects through the USGBC for a LEED practice license. Just something to think about…

For you business owners, here are a few links to sustainable graphic design firms and individuals:

Design Archy
Metropolitan Group
CS Design

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.

Prefabrication and Modularity are new eco buzzwords on the menu this year. From homes to furniture, designers are beginning to employ new methods of construction and transportation to cut waste and energy consumption, ensure safety, and achieve greater overall methods of sustainability. When we hear the term “modular prefabricated homes,” we probably think of a little trailer down by the river. This is hardly the case with the modern rise of Steve Glenn’s LivingHomes. When you think of modular furniture, it doesn’t seem very sturdy, huh? But in fact, many of us have all used it- you buy a put-it-together-yourself desk, bring it home in a flat box, and construct it in the intended room. Just think about how many more desks can be shipped in one truckload in their deconstructed, flat form. Lots more! This cuts shipping costs, emissions, total embodied energy…

Prefab homes are constructed in a similar way, just on a larger scale. LivingHomes is a new cutting edge modern ecolicious house in Santa Monica, CA. The first model is Platinum LEED certified by the USGBC. Exquisitely designed by two renowned architects (Ray Kappe and David Hertz), LivingHomes has a portfolio of designs that their customers can choose from. The premise of the prefab/modular home is quite similar to that of a Rubik’s cube. In other words, as long it maintains a similar shape and structure, the rooms within a design can be shuffled around. The home is first constructed in a factory, then carted off to the construction site and put together in modules. The modules were completed in less than 6 months. On site construction of the first LivingHomes took under 12 hours.

Why choose prefab? Here is the skinny on the prefab eco accomplishments. Since the modules are constructed in a factory, a higher quality construction can be ensured than on site stick-built homes. The fasteners are accurately applied, materials are cut with more exactness, and since they have to withstand transport, everything is tighter and more secure. This extends the lifespan and cuts the upkeep. Modular prefabrication also saves significant amounts on their waste. While 30-40% of the material from a standard home construction site is carted off to the dump, modular homes generate only about 2% waste. That is a pretty large gap. Additionally, since the duration of construction is shorter, the cost is lower!

In terms of furniture, the complete cycle of Ecosystems Furniture resembles a quite responsible cradle to cradle method. The deconstructed components are intended to be flat and standard; therefore, the design can be sent to a computer and cut in masses at regional locations, packed flat, and shipped to more local distribution areas. The pieces are then purchased and assembled on site.

New trends on the horizon: Constructing a home in a warm climate is different from home construction in the variant climate of Michigan. Some are figuring out how to prefabricate well-insulated, secure, efficient, sustainable, and beautiful homes, even in the northern states. Challenging conventional construction techniques, a young architecture group called HueProjects in the greater Detroit area just completed a beautiful prefab home for five in the a Detroit Suburb. As the trend grows, progressive universities and community colleges are developing programs in prefabrication. Up north, prefab allows builders to construct homes year round, even in the blustery months of January and February. This concept improves efficiency and ability, meanwhile achieving all of the modular prefabrication benefits.

In the design world, often times young architecture/design firms and even individual designers will apply to competitions during the young part of their career to get public recognition, build credentials, and experience the social circuits around design.

As a young aspiring designer myself, I have made a keen observation of the design industry this year. Many of the call-for-entries and competitions this year have been for solutions related to sustainable development, energy, climate, biodiversity, environmental degradation, etc. Naturally we would expect these type of call-for-entries to come through the EPA grant programs, the NRDC, and other governmental organizations for the environment. Instead the call for action is coming from design firms, architecture magazines and other NGOs alike.

Allow me to take this opportunity to highlight some of the forthcoming competitions and competitions past that have sparked interest in publications of all sorts. The entries to these competitions not only alert us to solutions most of us have never thought of, but through the venue of these competitions many will have the opportunity to be realized! The following are just a few examples of the aforementioned. Look out world, great solutions are coming!!!

Design 21: the Social Design Network, is a mainly internet based collaborative project between the global design and merchandise company- Felissimo; and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (known as UNESCO). They seek to inspire social activism through design- design for the greater good. “We connect people who want to explore ways design can positively impact our many worlds, and who want to create change here, now.” Design 21 has been hosting international competitions since 1995 mostly based around social themes.

This year, one competition called Heated Issue, was a call for an environmental campaign; another was for an educational “Childs Play” toy that encourages children to cultivate their own imagination; and the third, Shelter Me, is for a new design of a natural disaster temporary relief shelter. The competition award recipients were voted on by the public, and the winners were just announced! So go ahead, view the future!

Metropolis Magazine: an architecture, design, interiors magazine has strongly directed its focus towards sustainable development in design over the last few years. Annually, they host a design competition called the Next Generation Design Competition that awards $10,000 to the winner and they choose a list of runner-up proposals that get published as well. This year the competition focused on solutions for ENERGY reduction, consumption, efficiencies and alternatives. The award recipients this year designed a city streetlight that conserves urban energy based on the lunar cycle. Check it out. Metropolis also just announced next year’s theme: WATER.

Droog Design: an international design collective based in Amsterdam, seeks to “create innovative concepts that change perspectives." This past month they had a call for entries for concepts based on Climate Change. As a result of picking a winner, they hope to develop a product that pushes boundaries, changes perspectives of environmental issues, and invent new experiences, interactions, and participations… How exciting. Droog will select the top 10 designs, and the public will be able vote online to pick the winner. Public voting begins in September, so look it up and get your vote on.

Aside from the competitions calling specifically for sustainability conscious and socially responsible entries, many award recipients of internationally acclaimed annual design competitions are being recognized for their environmental awareness. Competitions such as the ID Annual Review, the Red Dot Design Award and the Spark Awards. This interesting progression is to be noted among the design circuits as a landmark in sustainable development. Lets hope that this is not the trend of the year but an annual progression towards more socially and sustainability conscious design and cradle-to-cradle conscious products.

Devils Lake installation: image courtesy of Green Museum

There is a little family of asexual plants commonly known as duckweed, and otherwise known in the botanical world as lemnaceae. These smallest flowering plants are lean, lime-green, clean, eating machines. Lemna is the most common of this family, and has quite a profound impact for its size. Each plant has one paper thin leaf the size of the tip of an eraser. They thrive in freshwater lakes, streams, and ponds high in nitrogen, ammonias, and phosphorus. As they feed on these “excess nutrients” the tiny plants help remediate the water on which they live atop.

Though these lime-green plants are tiny, there is no need to call them fragile. They can grow in full sunshine or dense shade, and they endure a challenging range of ph levels. They hibernate during the cold months at the bottom of their watershed and, come May, the plant “springs” up and gets to work cleaning its ecosystem. This tiny plant has been known to cover bodies the size of football fields in just a couple months. It goes unsaid that these tiny soldiers are friend and not foe when it comes to water remediation.

When artist and engineer Viet Ngo established a company back in 1983 called Lemna International that applauds and utilizes the capabilities of these mini soldiers, we weren’t surprised. Ngo, a first-generation Vietnamese immigrant, and his colleagues got a little fame when they designed a carefully engineered art installation in 1990 on Devils Lake, ND. Funded by the EPA, they designed and implemented the beautiful 50 acre, 9 channel, intestine-like system that extracted all detrimental phosphorus, nitrogen, and algae from the wetland before the water reached a bay of Devils Lake. This $50 million project encouraged the group of designers, artists, and engineers to combine the profoundly simple yet complex water remediation technology with other environmental infrastructure problems to clean up the earth. Over 25 years later, the company is managing its success with innovation, consciousness, and integrity.

Lemna International designs environmentally responsible and economical wastewater treatment technologies that naturally clean our polluted waterways. They design for everything form dams to freshwater remediation to drinking water treatment plants, pipelines, and distribution systems. Based in Minneapolis, MN the company has designed and implemented over 300 projects in 16 countries.

The company does not stop at only providing us with clean water. They make sure our water stays clean by removing any harmful waste and either safely putting it in landfills built to international standards, or incinerating it to generate electricity and heat in facilities equipped with air pollution control systems. Their impressive profile of clients ranges from industrial food manufacturers and tire plants to hospitals. They additionally serve a number of cities worldwide.

As the company gained momentum with their patented water remediation technology, they have branched out into additional sectors of environmental infrastructure including transportation, alternative energy, and general infrastructure. Like the lean, lime-green, clean, machines that duckweed are, Lemna International is actively seeking to fix any environmental problem a private or public client might have with an ingenious and unique solution!