I hate to sound unfaithful to my school, but daaaaaang Vanderbilt’s new dorms are attractive – green buildings, built to encourage socializing, House style.
And they’re building a biodiesel production facility on campus too – an initiative started by students! Our green tour of Vanderbilt – home of some Udall alumni – was led by Derek Riley.
Look for more resources when I post my final project in mid-August!
By: Kayanna Warren
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Vanderbilt
Thursday, July 5, 2007
First Bus Dance Party!
It’s about time! Here we have 13 strapping young Udallers traveling in a tricked out bus with a kicking sound system. A cowboy hat made its debut Sunday evening, to everyone’s delight. I can’t believe it took us 3 weeks to have our first dance party – clearly we’ve been working too hard!
Inspired by Nashville’s bumping music scene, we began playing Johnny Cash’s “Get Rhythm” and danced in the bus aisle. (We knew those hand grips on the bus were there for a reason!) Hoping to inspire some bystanders to join us, we cruised down the strip and danced off the bus in front of the bars, but you couldn’t really hear our music outside, and it was a Sunday night, so most people who happened to be hanging out nearby looked baffled rather than inspired to see us bopping around!
I know I’m not alone in saying that I hope many more dance parties are to come. We’re already looking forward to Zydeco in New Orleans!
We’re curious … What music would you blast if you were traveling around the country in a bus with your friends?
By: Jen Baldwin
Hastings Architecture – Nashville, TN
For a brief time in my life – ages twelve through fourteen – I entertained the notion of becoming an architect. When, however, I realized in a ninth grade art class that architecture was more than pretty drawings and meticulous models – that architects actually spent a lot of time doing technical calculations, spent a lot of time working on computers – I abandoned the notion entirely. But, a brief tour of the Hastings Architecture Associates’ building in downtown Nashville re-ignited my interest in the field. My passion for math has not increased in the last nine years, neither has my tolerance for computers. It was simply the thought of being able to work in such a space that got me thinking of my long retired dream of becoming an architect.
David Bailey and Erik Lund, both partners at Hastings, took us on a tour of their building, the first LEED certified in the state (it is still the only LEED building in Nashville). We have toured many LEED buildings thus far on the trip, but none were so appealing to me as 127 Third Avenue South, because none of the others was a renovation of a beautiful original structure. The architecture firm, in selecting the more than 100-year-old former furniture store, chose to save as much of the original building as possible both because the structure was beautiful, and because by saving it the firm significantly cut the amount of new material needed for construction. As a result of this environmental and historical conservation decision, the building retained polished wood floors, bare brick walls, and raw wood columns and ceiling beams.
The most important addition made during the renovation was a series of large windows set into the south face of the building that allow for passive solar and, unlike most modern offices’ windows, open to bring fresh air into the work space. The work space itself was beautifully designed. Rather than following the traditional layout pattern of partners’ offices set beside the windows with cubicles on the interior – blocked from sunlight and air – the partners’ offices at Hastings were positioned along the north wall with only glass partitions separating them from the rest of the work space. There were no cubicles, only open groupings of desks that the firm calls studios. Since the firm moved into 127 Third Avenue South, the company has recorded a fifteen-percent decrease in absenteeism. This decrease only emphasizes the importance of the built environment for employee health, productivity, and job satisfaction.
If one must work in an office, I cannot imagine a better one than Hastings’. With enough raw wood, clean air, and abundant light, technical calculations might be made palatable even to me.
By: Savanna Ferguson
Episode 1: In MO-tion
It took three weeks, but here is the first of what was originally intended to be a series of videos documenting the breadth of our activities. We’ve visited so many cities and met so many people that it’s getting really hard to keep up! I’m not certain I’ll be able to complete the full series before the end of the trip, and still find time to include some shorter clips that are fun, introspective, and more in-depth. Regardless of the style, you can expect more videos to come!
Questions: I’d love to hear your comments on the videos so far. What do you want to see? More dizzying but comprehensive round-ups of our stops in each city? More in-depth looks at individuals and organizations making change? More fun and funny clips of crew members in day to day life on the bus?
If you were given this unique opportunity to look at public service and environmental and Native American issues in a cross section of the USA, what questions would you want addressed?
Without further ado . . .
How many Udallers?
How many Udallers does it take to open a motor coach door?
Photo and Question By: Julie Curti
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Chicago through the lens
Some choicier photos from Chicago... (many more Chicago pics on the Flickr page)
(click photo to read the sign)
All photos (except those with Bob in them) by Bob Filbin
Alumni Meet-Up Chicago
Ariel Diamond (Scholar '04) opened her home to the crew and fellow alums Shoshannah Lenski (Scholar '05) and David Corson -Knowles (Scholar '02). It was nice to have a home cooked meal!
Good food, good times!
Monday, July 2, 2007
Chi-town Goes Green
After our day flexing muscle with Working Bikes, we set out Friday morning to learn about sustainability in Chicago from the perspective of the city government. Several years ago Mayor Daley declared that he wanted to make Chicago the “greenest” city in the nation, and over the course of the day we found out how the government is working to make that statement a reality.
We started with a meeting at the Chicago Department of the Environment, an office which is responsible for “protecting human health and the environment, improving the urban quality of life, and promoting economic development in Chicago.” Antonia Ornelas from the Energy and Air Quality division hosted us for the meeting and began by giving an overview of the city’s current environmental projects, many of which are based on Chicago’s Environmental Action Agenda
Some of the initiatives we heard about included a recently passed ordinance requiring every new public building to be LEED certified, as well as the city’s permitting system that gives priority to green buildings in the approval process. We also found out that Chicago is one of the most bike-friendly large cities in the nation, with over 100 miles of bike lanes so far, and a plan to have a 500 mile bike lane network completed by 2015.
Next we heard from Dave Graham about how the city manages brownfields, which he defined as sites with environmental health issues that affect the development of a property. Since Chicago is a city still transitioning from a heavily industrial past, many places require remediation to remove toxins from the land before they are safe for humans. Another initiative we learned about is the department’s work to encourage the installation of green, or living, roofs in the city through a grant program. Green roofs help mitigate the urban heat island effect, which is when the temperature in cities becomes much hotter than they naturally would be due to concrete, asphalt, and other traditional building materials absorbing and re-radiating the sun’s energy. Kevin Laberge gave us a guided viewing of the green roof installed on City Hall, which is just across the street from the Department of the Environment.
Our meeting rounded out with presentations by Marissa Strassel and Margaret Rice. Marissa told us about the Chicago Conservation Corps, a project to train and empower city residents to tackle environmental issues in their neighborhoods. Margaret then led a discussion on environmental justice in Chicago, and we learned about environmental health disparities between different communities in Chicago.
Our discussion at the Department of the Environment really demonstrated the potential that local governments have to set up systems that favor sustainable development. By building viable bike lanes, for example, the city encourages people to use a carbon-free source of transportation. And by offering expedited permit approval for green development projects, Chicago provides a strong incentive for developers to consider sustainable building materials and design. Far from traditional command and control environmental regulation, the Department of the Environment’s initiatives instead create conditions that make going green a logical and relatively easy decision. It’s a powerful geographic lesson to be sure: we shape our landscapes, but in turn they shape us. While there is still much work to be done in Chicago, the city has already come a long way.
Antonia Ornelas gives the crew a presentation at the Chicago Department of the Environment
I was both excited and encouraged to hear about what was going on in the city, and that feeling only increased at our next stop for the day, The Chicago Center for Green Technology (CCGT). Built on an old brownfield site on the west side of the city, the center is a demonstration of the possibility of green building technology. Meghann Maves gave us a tour of the site, telling us that
CCGT’s dual mission is to research sustainable building design, but also to educate the public on what they are learning. The center itself is a LEED Platinum building (the highest level of certification possible), and it is bursting with examples of green building technologies: wind turbines, solar panels, permeable parking lots, storm water collection, green roofs, native plantings, etc. The building also hosts a great line-up of programming related to sustainability – seminars, speakers, workshops – that are open to the public. And perhaps the best part is that it houses a growing public Green Building Resource Center, with ample materials and knowledgeable staff available to help answer questions for prospective homeowners and business owners.
If I lived in Chicago and were taking on a building project, this would be my first stop.
Our final stop on our tour of Chicago’s “green government” was just down the road from CCGT, The Garfield Park Conservatory. The conservatory, one of the largest in the nation, is an internationally recognized horticulture facility and an important part of the City of Chicago Park District and its surrounding Westside community. Thousands of plants are grown here each year for City parks and spaces. The rich and tangy smell of the conservatory alone makes it worth visiting, ant the variety of flora and fauna from around the world was really great to see in the middle of the country’s third largest city.
After a day of much walking, we were excited to rest our feet and spend the evening with Julia Ferguson (Udall ’05) and her dad, Doug Ferguson. Along with good conversation, they grilled us an excellent dinner, complete with Midwestern brats! It was a great way to end our tour of the city, though I know that with so much exciting environmental work going on in Chicago, I’ll be back.
*A special thanks to Samantha Bingham, Clean Cities Coordinator, for helping us set up our visits at the Department of the Environment and the Chicago Center for Green Technology!
By: Julie Curti
A Warehouse of Working Bikes
In the wee morning hours of Chicago’s West Side, we put on our grubs and working gloves, ready for a day of toil with the Working Bikes Cooperative. An artsy fellow who calls himself Danny Danger greeted us and opened a small door through which we stepped. Very soon we were digging through piles of discarded bicycle wheels, frames, seats, and various other rusty parts, intermingled with abandoned medical supplies. Beneath us was a layer of assorted particles recently matted together in a gruesome sludge. Above us was an enchanting sparkle from the sunlight that cut through a rusted corrugated steel roof.
The warehouse stretched the length of a city block. By day, it was used to store Chicago’s recently discarded bicycles, as well as used medical supplies kept for re-use and distribution to underprivileged populations by another non-profit who shared the space. By night, the space was home to fifty armed dogs, who kept local thieves – namely, those disadvantaged children from surrounding neighborhoods – from leaping through the rusted roof and stealing bikes.Our purpose in this chaotic rubble was to restore order to the warehouse from which Working Bikes was in the process of moving. They needed to relocate their storage facilities to a safer venue, especially one that did not tempt wayward children into thievery. Because the Cooperative has been so busy collecting and refurbishing bicycles, they have not had the time or resources to clean and move out of the warehouse. Our help, therefore, was much needed and appreciated. Lee Ravenscroft, founder of Working Bikes, expressed his gratitude before taking off at day’s end in his diesel pick-up.
During our day with the Cooperative, we were struck with the extensive service they provide not only to Chicago residents, but also to international partners. For example, a woman named Lucy stopped by in the morning to collect bicycles that would soon be refurbished and shipped off to Ghana. We helped her collect and load a number of them into her truck. She was a soft-spoken woman who worked very hard for her cause. On Working Bikes’ website you can find a list of their various local and international partners. Even just one bicycle can change a life. Working Bikes changes many lives. In 2005, they gave away over 5,500 bicycles locally and internationally. This year, they plan to do even more.After our day in the grit, the Legacy Crew showered and made our way to the home of Ariel Diamond, a fellow Udall alum from 2004. There we ate, drank, and were merry until late in the evening, a fine finish to a dirty day of good deeds.
By: Crystal Olin
Is it just me, or is it gettin all fuzzy?
(Editors Note: Apologies for this post being a bit unchronological. It is completely the fault of the editor :)
So, I don’t know about you… but I’m getting more and more confused all the time about what I want to do when I grow up.
Coming to the Ithaca Farmers’ Market on Saturday, June 23, has made me more deliciously unsure.
We spent the morning alternating between snagging local Ithaca people to tell them about the bus tour, and scoping out the farmers market. It was definitely the hottest market east of the Mississippi. (I can’t say it’s better than the Beaverton, OR one though). ;-) Beaver State pride!
The strawberries were local and fresh (and way tastier than the California red balloons), the radishes were arrayed in rainbows, the stalls had Kayanna-friendly food. We talked to tourists with ‘Ithaca is Gorges’ shirts and several-generation Finger Lakes farmers with dirt under their nails – that dirt is pretty appealing, if you ask me.
I’ve been pretty sure for a while that I want to go into policy, international conservation (or sustainable development) policy. I’d travel to important international meetings, work a scientific perspective into big decisions to benefit our global biosphere and people worldwide. And unfortunately, sit at a desk pushing a pencil in a cubicle while I ‘do my time’ in middle management. In DC or New York City, where I’ll either see no green or see no culture.
I mean, what if I get stuck down a path or stuck in a place that I don’t really want to be? Will I be wasting time before I figure it out? What skills and talents do I really have to offer the world?
But this farmers’ market, along with the beauty of Cornell’s campus, has made me re-think. I could go into agricultural policy – I do have some experience in China. Hmmmm…
Ha, and we’re only 2 weeks into our tour.
What do you want to be when you grow up? Where are you headed?
Actually, no. If you could leave me suggestions about what I should do, that would rock my world. And leave a link. : ) Thanks.
By: Kayanna Warren
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