addison.l.s.

Douglas L Steidl, the President of the FAIA (America's Community of Architects), persists with 'Inciting a Green Revolution' among the profession of Architecture. He recognizes that gas prices and amounting scientific evidence of climate change are swaying public opinion at 'the grassroots level.'

The AIA is associated with being very active in the future sustainability of architecture. Steidl says:

"The growing awareness comes at the very time architects are prepared to be an important part of the solution. After all, we know that building construction and operation account for about 48 percent of all energy used and consume many natural resources. We know that how we design and build can make a difference."
[http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek05/tw0701/0701pres_steidl.htm]

Recognizing a problem with resource consumption without actually taking action for the community and the world is not good enough. It is pretty clear, to me, that climate has been indeed reaching extremes in the past several years and has not been reverting itself. So many unnecessary, resource bearing steps are taken to reach point A, on a map, to point B. Is it really that devestating to your health, or any issue for that matter, to ride a bike a mile instead of driving a car or moped? This isn't the only example of laziness in our American culture today. Especially as a student living on campus, we have many obligations to nature and our surroundings; to preserve, learn and practice informative, daily 'green' activities.

It's amazing to me how riding a bike puts a completely different perspective on life and community as opposed to driving around in a car. You are better able to understand your designed environment; it's purpose and activity in supplying it's inhabitant's lives with pleasure and ease. The better I can understand my environment, the more I can help to try and give back to it and the people who inhabit it.

Please peep the following link for more insight on the whole deal:
[http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek05/tw0701/0701pres_steidl.htm]

Posted by Addison Lecysiewert at 05:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As soon as I walked into the Midtown Market I was overwhelmed with the variety of colors in the air; in both visual and cultural senses. It felt like someone was injecting me with a euphoric paranoia in that the more attention I gave to the unknown yielded a higher anxiety that eventually benefitted me with new cultural knowledge and schema. Anytime I can better understand different ethnicities and what they offer to the world I try to take advantage of the opportunity.

I soon discovered the extent of this stimulation to be embedded within the roots of each culture and subculture. So, each person present in this space, allocated for producers, consumers or passersby, held his or her own identity established from their own unique experience in life. In this case, their experience has been best depicted through their product; usually traditional foods.

The presence of energy was obvious. Transferred through the colorful air, through the gathering of diverse cultures and through the aknowledgement of valuable, cultural information.

I wasn't able to taste each culture, but I plan to return to sample as many foods as possible.

Posted by Addison Lecysiewert at 02:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)