Adventure is where you find it!

I just found this in my inbox:

It’s official. After almost 3 years and 6 competitions to gather innovative new ideas, Re:Vision is proud to announce the winners of the Re:Vision Dallas Competition. Taken together, the winning designs prove once and for all the viability of building an urban community based on The Urban Re:Vision Framework™. In fact, these tremendous re-visionaries have shown that it can be done economically, using forms and materials in ways never seen before.

Many thanks to the literally hundreds of designers who took on this unprecedented challenge. Their entries have sparked conversations and shifted perceptions around the globe. And with this fantastic milestone in Dallas and continued progress in San Francisco, we’re that much closer to fulfilling our goal – to Re:Vision city blocks all across America.

Stay tuned to UrbanRevision.com for more information about the upcoming traveling and online exhibit of all the qualifying entries. If yours, or a city block you know, would benefit from a Re:Vision, please contact Nicole@urbanrevision.com with your suggestions.

“When the lion bleeds, the jackals take back courage.” –Author Unknown

According to CNN, the UN is reporting that at least 10 million new jobs could be created by employing “sustainable forest management” in developing countries.

“The report does not mention any countries but is aimed at “mainly regions with substantial rural unemployment and degraded land areas,” said C.T.S. Nair, chief economist in the U.N. Forestry Department and one of the authors of the report.”

It is of course assumed that the UN is referring primarily to Asia, Africa and Latin America. But India, China and All countries in Africa were mentioned specifically.

Sustainable forestry aims to prevent depletion of forests by managing them and making sure their use does not interfere with natural benefits or the local environment….

…the United Nations is suggesting that people be hired to monitor and manage how much wood is taken out to ensure the forest does not become depleted and can grow back fully. Managers also would make sure the wood harvest wouldn’t affect biodiversity and the water supply.

I guess the key to the success of such a program is that it be more profitable to be a forest ‘manager’ than it is to be a forest ‘harvester’.

It’s a great idea and I hope the UN can put some teeth into the plan that will make it actually work. We need advocates on the ground in these areas that will look to prevent deforestation, but they will only do so if they feel that the interests of regulatory agencies like the UN and their own interests are in alignment.

Here’s to a great start!

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back– Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless   ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now. Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. –Goethe

I’ve always liked this sentiment, romantic as it is, and I believe there is a certain kind of truth in it. The quote is all over the internet and I was thinking about jotting down some thoughts on the idea and was in turn trying to find the correct attribution. But as it turns out, Goethe never wrote those words. According to a story on the Goethe Society Website, the phrase is actually a paraphrasing of Goethe by W. H. Murray in The Scottish Himalaya Expedition,1951. Murray’s text reads:

But when I said that nothing had been done I erred in one important matter. We had definitely committed ourselves and were halfway out of our ruts. We had put down our passage money–booked a sailing to Bombay. This may sound too simple, but is great in consequence. Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, the providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets:

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!

Goethe, on the other hand actually wrote:

Enough words have been exchanged;
Now at last let me see some deeds!
While you turn compliments,
Something useful should transpire.
What use is it to speak of inspiration?
To the hesitant it never appears.
If you would be a poet,
Then take command of poetry.
You know what we require,
We want to down strong brew;
So get on with it!
What does not happen today, will not be done tomorrow,
And you should not let a day slip by,
Let resolution grasp what’s possible
and seize it boldly by the hair;
it will not get away
and it labors on, because it must.

[Der Worte sind genug gewechselt,
Laßt mich auch endlich Taten sehn!
Indes ihr Komplimente drechselt,
Kann etwas Nützliches geschehn.
Was hilft es, viel von Stimmung reden?
Dem Zaudernden erscheint sie nie.
Gebt ihr euch einmal für Poeten,
So kommandiert die Poesie.
Euch ist bekannt, was wir bedürfen,
Wir wollen stark Getränke schlürfen;
Nun braut mir unverzüglich dran!
Was heute nicht geschieht, ist morgen nicht getan,
Und keinen Tag soll man verpassen,
Das Mögliche soll der Entschluß
Beherzt sogleich beim Schopfe fassen,
Er will es dann nicht fahren lassen
Und wirket weiter, weil er muß.]

- Goethe, Faust I, Zeilen 214-230

So what’s a poor blogger to do? Idleness must eventually acquiesce to action, for without action, there is nothing. Without action, there can be no ‘this’ or ‘that’, but only ‘potential’. We recognize the person of action when we meet one. We call them ‘a force of nature’ and ‘bigger than life’. They convey a sense of confidence and authority without pretense. What of the rest of us?

J. says ‘just show up, it’s half the battle’. Not bad. For now, I will print these lines and post them on my monitor:

Grasp what is possible and seize it boldly by the hair..

And then I set my quota. I’ll report back on this on Friday.

Note: It seems IBM has been brushing-up on its Goethe too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziOG_GHNVq0 :

“In all the cities of the world, it is the same. The universal and modern man is the man in a rush (i.e. a rhinoceros), a man who has no time, who is a prisoner of necessity, who cannot understand that a thing might perhaps be without usefulness; nor does he understand that, at bottom, it is the useful that may be a useless and backbreaking burden. If one does not understand the usefulness of the useless and the uselessness of the useful, one cannot understand art. And a country where art is not understood is a country of slaves and robots.”

- Notes et Contre Notes, Eugene Ionesco, pg. 129.

Just found  this great project on design boom and had to reblog. I particularly like the use of local materials and building methods, a topic that is not discussed enough in LEED circles. In this case local materials are used out of necessity, but I think we should all be incorporating more local building materials in our projects. Why should I build a house in the Pacific Northwest with lumber from South America!

The model project for sustainable and recyclable architecture used traditional old wooden japanese houses that were dismantled and transplanted to the city redesigned using local resources.

With this project it was calculated that transporting and reusing the houses instead
of dismantling and burning them reduces carbon dioxide emissions by a maximum
of 8.4 tonnes. in view of existing regional infrastructure, a rainwater purification
system was installed. electricity needed for lighting and operating water pumps
will come from the solar panel system affixed to the roof. within the site there are
also traditional ethiopian circular stone houses which will be relocated to become

part of the japanese pavillion. it will be used for vocational training for residents.

japanese pavillion


japanese pavillion

interior view of roof

general info:
location: gondar, ethiopia
organization: city of gondar, amhara regional state,
NPO japan kominka research society
architectural design: atelier tekuto / yasuhiro yamashita, fasil giorghis
site area: 450 meters squared
total surface 105 meters squared
construction system: wooden and stone structure, one storey building

This idea is a home-run: rent storage containers for your next move instead of buying/borrowing/scavanging boxes and save up to 50% on your move.

Big claim, true. But have a look at the concept: “Rent-a-Green box is America’s first, comprehensive, zero-waste pack and move solution made entirely from post consumer recycled trash mined from local landfills. Our mission is to provide relocating business and residences with an authentic and genuine earth friendly packing and moving alternative that will save time, money and Earth.”

Here’s what they do. Call them up, make a date and pay up. Then they deliver, you pack and move. Finally, when you’ve unpacked, they come pick up the containers. That simple. Genius.

And that’s not all to this moving system. Doubters, please check out all the tertiary components that make great strides toward a completely waste-free moving system:

“Geami is the modern day eco friendly replacement for petroleum based bubble wrap and it’s made from 100% recycled cardboard sludge. Geami is made right on our trucks from our own self generated power supply, in rolls of 100 or 200 linear feet and is half the cost of bubble wrap.”

The Poopy Pallet is made from “over 700 recycled baby diapers and yes they were once used- but have no fear… they were cleaned, sanitized and the anaerobic polymers ( the stuff that will never break down in our landfills) is used like bindingg filament to make the Poppy Pallet. It’s remarkably strong and durable.”

Expandos are truly “Cradle to Cradle” technology.

“Image all of those cereal boxes, food related packed goods and just about anything that’s put into a paper fiber box or paper container. It’s recycled and the fibers that are no longer good enough for another packaged product are made into 100% post consumer, recycled flat sheets ready to make Expandos. We take these sheets and then convert them into these cool little triangles that interlock, brace and block your property from moving around in transit. What’s so amazing is that when you’re done, just put them back into the supplied recobag and we’lll reuse them again and again. Eventually, when they wear out, we just recycle them into more Expandos. Another zero waste, trash based, green sensible packing and moving alternative from rentagreenbox!”

Another helpful product is the recobag, a great story. The designer heard about a sail-maker that had a bunch of unusable sail material destined for the landfill. One thing lead to another and the recobag was born. Now Rent a Green Box uses these 100% recycled bags to transport recocubes, transports and flat sheets.

And the recocube! Probably my favorite product in the line, the recocube is made from ‘unusable’ recycled newspaper sludge. They add nutrients to the sludge, compact it into these cubes which are used exactly like packing peanuts. Only when you’re done with recocubes, you can toss them in your compost heap, or on your garden and they will fertilize your vegetables. This product actually NOURISHES the earth! Brilliant!

And reco-zips set the standard as well, use, peel, and toss in the toilet. Really. No waste, no problem!

And finally, reco-zips. Made from, “100% recycle plastic bottle caps that we remove from all of those hard to recycle plastic bleach, detergent and household chemistry bottles that are used to make our word famous lime green [ recopacks ].

Rent a Green Box is operating in Southern California for the moment, but is planning on expanding across the country in the near future. So the next time you’re planning a move, be sure to check them out. I know I will…

http://earthfriendlymoving.com/greenbox/

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. This is something we should have been doing years ago. But no need to beat ourselves up about it, just grab one now!

From Yanko: “Check out the simplicity. Just punch out the corner, make a cut or two, fold back, and POW! You are green. You are sooo green. And Sherwood told us to make sure to mention that the money you save on staples is money you should spend on something totally nice for yourself. So, you know what to do!

Get out there and kick-start the economy!

That Forlee, always thinking with his heart.

Visit his portfolio or click below to see the other things by SF that have been featured on Yanko Design.

Designer: Sherwood Forlee

via Yanko

thanks for your patience!

d.