Call for Posters: Global Teach-in January 19, 2009
Posted by history in : Advocacy, Opportunities, Resources, Students, Sustainability , add a commentWhen when most people think about sustainability they think of new I know not. But HP has been advocating the reuse and recycling of our built environment for over a century. We encourage people to revitalize their urban areas, we encourage transit friendly design, locally owned businesses and traditional downtown, now is your chance to let the larger global community know how important and relevant HP is. HP majors submit your posters proposal today. The deadline is fast approaching!
The first 100 days of the new administration. A new leader in the White House. A critical moment for the future of life on earth. Participate by submitting your concept/project to the poster session for this year’s teach-in.
Check out “Definition of a Poster Session” here:
WHAT::
Posters will be displayed during the Teach-In; blocks of time on Thursday and Friday will be set aside for students to “present” their posters to Teach-In attendees and presenters.
WHY:
Poster sessions are a great way to add to your portfolio, develop your ideas, concepts, and projects and get real-time feedback! And posters can be the first step in finding like-minded collaborators to turn your dreams into reality!
WHO::
Open to all SCAD students
THEME::
Topics related to sustainability (i.e., forms of alternative energy, eco-materials, efficiency
innovation, etc.). THIS WOULD BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT HISTORIC PRESERVATION, SUSTAINABILITY AND EMBODIED ENERGY!
HOW::
Confirm your participation, send confirmation email to: v paepcke@scad.edu (delete spaces) to reserve a space by January 22nd.
Create your 27″ x 34″ poster. Submit your poster to the IDUS Dept. in Gulfstream by Friday, January 31st. You must include your email & phone number.
You’ll be notified by Monday as to whether your poster will be included. For more information on the teach in click below.
TEACH-IN on GLOBAL WARMING ARNOLD HALL | WEDS. FEB 4, THURS. FEB 5, FRI. FEB 6
ORGANIZED BY THE COUNCIL FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND ECO-PRACTICES AT SCAD
Dump the Pump Convoy in Historic Baldwin Park October 1, 2008
Posted by history in : Events, SCAD, Sustainability, Travel , add a commentDump the Pump Convoy Friday October 3:
Mayor Otis Johnson, in his support for helping Savannah become a more Bicycle Friendly Community, is joining our first Dump the Pump Convoy, a group bike commute this Friday morning, October 3, leading up to a 9am press conference to open new bike racks in front of Panera at Bull and Broughton. One group will meet at 8am in the Habersham Village parking lot, and the mayor’s group will meet in Baldwin Park (Atlantic and 41st) at 8:15am and depart shortly after. Both groups will join together on Lincoln Street for the rest of the ride downtown.
These first two convoys will be a way to introduce commuting by bike to people who might be interested but intimidated about riding to work. Baldwin Park is a great neighborhood from which to ride a bike downtown, and we want to help you see how fun and easy it can be. We plan on organizing additional convoys for future Dump the Pump events.
The press event at 9am in front of Panera Bread will include free coffee and bagels for bike commuters.
We hope to see you there!
Baldwin Park Convoy Route: 2.5 miles
Habersham Village Convoy Route: 3.3 miles
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Drew Wade
coastalgeorgiagreenway.org
bicyclecampaign.org
Make Like Your Early Hominid Ancestors! September 29, 2008
Posted by history in : History of Preservation, Sustainability, Things to Read, Views , add a commentJust as the turning of the previous century brought massive changes to the way in which we lived, worked, communicated, shopped, traveled and a whole host of other things, so to will the turning of this century. This month, Wired Magazine released its 2008 Smart List: 15 People the New President Should Listen To. The only article that really deals with the built environment Redesigning Cities from Scratch is written by Mitchell Joachim who is described in the article as, a “kind of Frederick Law Olmsted for the 21st century.”
While I would argue that starting from scratch is a bit dramatic, okay waaay to dramatic, I think that in the coming decades preservationists will face some really profound challenges as we try to adapt 18th, 19th and 20th century cities to the 21st century and meaningfully address climate change. It is an interesting and thought provoking article. I lthought what he has to say about cars was interesting as was the concept of the edible house. The car v. city battle has always been a thorn in my side. I grew up in Chicago, in the city, and we were a one car family, one car that my dad used to get to and from work. That left us carless. No worries. There were stores, a bakery, a hot dog stand, restaurants, public library and our grade school within walking distance. We lived between two “L” stops. Downtown and its museums and department stores was a short train ride away. In high school I took the train or bus to school. I didn’t have a car until college. It is amazing how quickly I got soft. Before I knew it I was going to meet friends and rather than hoping on the train or a bus, I found myself driving around looking for parking and cursing all the other people that were already parked. Yes, a car is convenient, but when your are not using it, you have to put it somewhere and cars aren’t like purses, they can’t be stashed under the table, in a desk drawer or in a locker. They need space and lots of it. Indeed, many iconic Chicago buildings were lost to the perceived need for more parking. Here is what Joachim says on the matter of cars and the city:
“‘At the top of the agenda, Joachim says, is mobility and its inefficiencies. Citing US Department of Energy statistics, he says that while 29 percent of the nation’s energy expenditure–what he calls “the suck”–now goes toward getting around, ‘in 50 years that will double.’ Among the biggest sources of waste, he argues, is the automobile–not only in energy but in the space it occupies (cars, he notes, spend more than 90 percent of the day parked). For nearly a century, Joachim says, “cities have been designed around cars. Why not design a car around a city?’ So he did just that. One of his concept vehicles, the City Car , was named to Time magazine’s Inventions of the Year list in 2007.”
Ninety percent…Think about all we do for cars. We build houses for them (garages), storage spaces (parking lots and garages), places to bathe them (car washes), their very own roadways on which pedestrians are forbidden (highways and expressways), shops for them (name your favorite), hospitals (mechanics) and restaurants (gas stations). It is not just the space to store the cars but all the services they require that is astounding. Think about the impact that all this accommodation has had on the historic fabric of American cities
I agree that we need cars for cities but it will take a long time for this to happen. We forget the history of our cities, that many were built before the introduction of the automobile, people were dependent on rail, horse or their own two feet to get from place to place. Today, the average American makes thirteen, yes THIRTEEN car trips a day and half of them are under three miles! When it comes to reenvisioning our future, I heartily agree that we need to think big, but perhaps we can start by reconnecting to a part of our past. Since horses and street cars are not necessarily a viable option, I mean walking. This is how we, from our early hominid ancestor Lucy to homo sapiens sapiens, have experienced their environment. If we are going to lament the impact of cars on our cities, shouldn’t we try to minimize our use of them? This can be challenging; time, safety, convenience, the lack of viable public transit and a host of other factors lead to a dependence on cars. All these issues can’t be solved just by designing better cars, although they certainly can’t hurt. But more urban walkers and bikers means less cars. I never have stoplight rage when I am walking and seldom do I curse out my fellow pedestrians, besides it is a great way to experience your community. With a Walk Score of 86, Savannah has been voted one of the most walkable cities in America. Some neighborhoods of Savannah are much more walkable than others, check out your neighborhoods Walk Score here.
SCAD SPONSORS GREEN LUNCH July 12, 2008
Posted by history in : Alumni, Events, People, Places, SCAD, Students, Sustainability, Travel , add a commentI am in New Orleans attending the NAPC (National Alliance of Preservation Commissions) Forum. Thus far it has been a great conference. I have met a few SCAD HP Alums, like Lilian McNee. Lilian is now an Architectural Historian with the City of New Orleans and I will be interviewing her in an upcoming blog. Laura Lavernia, who is finishing up her M.A. in Historic Preservation in the E-Learning program is attending her first historic preservation conference. She reports that she is having a great time and meeting lots of people. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Laura is one of NAPC’s conference scholarship winners. I’ll be posting photos and more details about the conference in future posts. Today, I will be attending the Green Luncheon sponsored by the Savannah College of Art and Design E-learning. Carl Elefante, AIA, LEED, AP will be discussing the relationship between green building principles and historic preservation. Mr. Elefante is principal architect and director of Sustainable Design at Quinn Evans. Check out his article, “The Greenest Building is the One…that is Already Built,” which appeared in the NTHP Forum Journal.