Green Philosophy Statement

To me green building and planning is an essential component to the continuation of human existence. Are population is too high to continue with the unsustainable practices of the past. We have already caused much damage to the earth which when combined with increasing population is a recipe for disaster. Green building and other sustainable practices must be enforced so that we can reverse these effects and protect our fragile environment. Green building and planning must be applied to residential and commercial buildings. It also must become the basis for both regional and global planning.

Cities should be designed in a green and sustainable manner. Not only does this reduce the footprint of the city and its citizens but it also makes sense in many other ways. Green cities will make more efficient use of utilities therefore reducing the size and amount of infrastructure required to support the city. Green cities promote healthier living by encouraging a more active lifestyle along with increasing the overall happiness of its citizens by having a more integrated and connected community.

Green cities should have streets that tend more to active transportation such as biking and walking than it does to personalized automobile use. This means using wide sidewalks and bike-lanes which are separated from automobile lanes. There should be a safe means of crossing the automobile lanes for pedestrians. The city should be designed with high connectivity. There should be a transit system ample enough so that personalized automobile use is not required for convenient living. Multi-use buildings should be utilized so that amenities are closer together and within walking distance for many residences. The use of big box stores and large shopping complexes with massive parking lots should be avoided. Medium and high density buildings should make up most of the residential living spaces. District heating and cooling should be employed as it is far more efficient than conventional single building heating/cooling systems. Renewable energy sources should be used to power these cities. Use of green spaces and parks should be integrated to help reduce the urban heat island effect along with reducing the amount of impervious surfaces. Existing cities should try to integrate as many of these features as possible and try promote active transportation and living.

Buildings need to be made more efficient. Green technologies and features should be integrated into building codes. The capital cost will be higher but in the long run reduced utility costs will offset this. Building code should require that all new homes use energy efficient furnaces and water fixtures. Manitoba has already implemented this into their building code (Turenne 2010). Buildings should use green roofs to help insulate buildings along with reducing storm water and the urban heat island effect. This will also help increase the vegetative mass in cities. When green roofs aren’t a viable option high-albedo roofing should be used. Buildings should also be designed to maximize day-lighting and in cool climates should incorporate passive solar heating. Warm climates should use shading techniques to assist with cooling while maintaining day-lighting. Buildings should be constructed of materials with a recycled content or else should be sourced from sustainable practices. Preference should be made for locally sourced materials.

There are many other green technologies that can be incorporated into buildings depending on funding, climate and the needs of the building and its occupants. As time progresses more green and sustainable technologies will become available and should continue to be incorporated into existing buildings when feasible. New buildings should be constructed with the highest of efficiencies that funding can support. By doing this along with moving away from a consumer based economy we should be able to preserve the environment and its resources so that future generations can prosper and enjoy a high quality of life.

References 
Turenne, P. (2010). Building code update requires eco-friendly fixtures: The Winnipeg Sun.      Retrieved from http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/manitoba/2010/10/15/15711351.html

The Story of Stuffs & The Story of Bottled Water

          The Story of Stuffs talks about the linear system that everything in our economy goes through and how this would only work if resources were infinite, which they are not. We have already consumed one third of the planets natural resource base. Also if a person doesn't “own” or buy a lot of stuff they are considered to be valueless. It also talks about the fact that as long as we are inputting toxins into the production process we are going to continue getting toxic products. Another words we need to come up with non-toxic alternatives for production. Due to bio-magnification human breast milk has the highest levels of toxins out of anything else in the food chain. This means that are babies are being raised with already high levels of toxins which are just going to get higher as they consume more toxins. This effect will continue to compound in future generations. Also talked about is how costs are externalized and we don’t pay the true price for products but instead pay for it in some other way or indirectly make someone else pay the price.

            The Story of Bottled Water talks about bottled water and how it is not as clean as it is advertised to be, sometimes it is worse quality than tap water. Also talked about is the amount of energy and oil resources that go into the production of the bottles, which then get shipped around the world. After we drink the water the empty water bottles that are supposed to be recycled usually get shipped off to somewhere where they get either down-cycled or simply piled up to sit for thousands of years.

            I couldn't agree more on how this system of designing stuff to break and be throw-away is bullshit. Same with the pressure put on us to buy new "updated" versions. 

Videos found at http://storyofstuff.org/movies/