Words of the Wise: On Progress and Action

March 12, 2010

Progress tends to take longer than we’d like. Change is almost always incremental: it happens through a series of steps, because many people are fearful of or resistant to change. However, small steps can gradually lead to larger strides. Individual actions can have a ripple effect. And small changes made by growing numbers of people [...]

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New Books: Thriving Beyond Sustainability, and Fundamentals of Integrated Design for Sustainable Building

February 25, 2010

I’d like to let everyone know about these important new books, which were written by a few of my esteemed colleagues. Please click on the links below for more information about each tome:
Thriving Beyond Sustainability: Pathways to a Resilient Society, by Andres Edwards (New Society Publishers) — This book will be available in May (2010), [...]

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Sustainable Neighborhoods and Communities: Certifications, developments, organizations, and websites

February 22, 2010

Several certification programs have emerged to rate the sustainability of mixed-use, neighborhood and community-scale developments—addressing a wider range of issues than previous rating systems for individual buildings have addressed. These broader-scale certification programs include: LEED for Neighborhood Development, One Planet Communities, and the Living Building Challenge. The programs’ requirements can be used as planning and [...]

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Recommended Film: The Cove

February 11, 2010

If you haven’t seen it already, I’d recommend watching The Cove.  I’m not the only one who thinks it’s a good film. It has won dozens of film awards, and it was recently nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary. (You can get it on Netflix, iTunes, or On Demand cable, or buy the DVD.)
The [...]

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Green Business: Key trends, websites, books, companies, and organizations

January 29, 2010

While the majority of businesses still have a long way to go to be environmentally sustainable, it’s clear that interest in greening the business world is on the rise. One of the many signs of this is the growing number of Sustainable MBA programs cropping up around the country (e.g., the Presidio Graduate School’s MBA [...]

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Haiti: Sustainable recovery, community development, and rebuilding initiatives

January 16, 2010

The Lambi Fund of Haiti has an established track record of implementing successful programs for sustainable development and agriculture, community economic development, and economic justice in Haiti. Their local empowerment initiatives have helped to improve food security, water safety, resource conservation, and community self-sufficiency, particularly in rural areas. The Lambi Fund will be actively engaged [...]

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Lighter Fare: Ecorazzi’s Green Gossip

January 8, 2010

If you need a brief escape from heavy news and feel like reading something a little more fun and frivolous (but not totally frivolous), check out the green gossip and celebrity news on Ecorazzi. The weblog covers limelight news and celeb activism on environmental, social/humanitarian, and animal rights issues. It’s sort of like an online [...]

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Salmon Creek Falls Environmental Center: First LEED Platinum Building in Sonoma County

December 17, 2009

The recently certified Salmon Creek Falls Environmental Center is the first LEED Platinum certified K-12 public school in California, and it is also the first building in Sonoma County to achieve LEED Platinum certification. (The first commercial/non-residential building, that is. I believe that a private residence in Healdsburg was actually the first project to achieve [...]

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Green Gift-Giving Tips

November 27, 2009

I try to come up with thoughtful gifts that are well-suited for each recipient. But I also strive to be a thoughtful consumer by choosing gifts that meet one or more of the following criteria:

Non-Stuff: Gift certificates or tickets for activities, special events, services, restaurants, or favors; or donations or memberships to non-profits
Products with green [...]

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