A Sustainable Way of Life Becomes the Curriculum! Part 4
By Brian Skeele, on May 18th, 2011
Imagine. An elementary school and the surrounding neighborhoods joining together to become a sustainable community with the school at its heart. Part 4
“If it Ain’t Fun, it Ain’t Sustainable”
If it ain’t fun, it ain’t sustainable!
Students of all ages have learned that working together with the whole community, coming up with inspired ideas on how to live more affordably and lighter on the planet, is fun. Out of a Community Design Day session, a recreational waterslide was created utilizing the rooftop of the 2-story addition. In the winter, a used snow-making machine, donated by the Santa Fe ski basin, turns the waterslide into “the Luge,” a great playground for the entire community. The water park and snow playground are the source of many lesson plans; hands-on everyday science.
So what kind of fun would you add to your future neighborhood??…. READ MORE >>
Neighborhoods as Crepes…Add Your Filling!!
By Brian Skeele, on March 28th, 2011
As I was driving around the neighborhood just south of downtown Albuquerque this weekend, I kept wondering how come the 50′s deco corner buildings were empty? Why isn’t this neighborhood more alive?
Yeah, all the homes are one story, simple 50′s suburbia, sidewalks, nothing glamorous, but friendly. The corner buildings look like old gas stations, or malt shoppes. Where’s Betty Lou on roller skates??
The image of thin pancakes popped into my mind. Ya know, when there is too much water in the batter, and the baking powder hasn’t kicked in yet. Crepes! Hey I like crepes…ya fill them with stuff, roll em up….sweet or savory.
What amenities would you add to your neighborhood to make it tasty!?
But thin neighborhoods are boring. They appear vacant, nobody’s walking to anything. No kids playing in the streets….Don’t these neighborhoods have kids??!… READ MORE >>
Cap & Trade-smoke and mirrors?
By Brian Skeele, on March 19th, 2011
I’ve read a couple of articles about cap and trade, and the authors seem to think it’s bogus. Way too complicated. A boondoggle to make the same clever people who brought us the foreclosure bummer even richer.
Here’s Anne Leonard’s take on it.
The idea I like is to tax carbon, and lift taxes on income. In this way, folks will be encouraged to take their savings and invest in renewable energy. I cannot believe how happy newspaper stories report on increase fossil fuel production, or the good news about nuclear energy…What planet are these people living on???… READ MORE >>
Recycling… because trash isn’t really trash!
By Brian Skeele, on March 19th, 2011
I just moved all my stuff out of my office, as we had a broken water pipe next door and my flooring warped. All my stuff is boxed and stacked under the front portal (porch). As I was packing up all the books and collected cool stuff, I started feeling oppressed by all my stuff. It’s like my stuff has me, rather than I have stuff.
I have a lot of good books and magazines about sustainability. I want to start a library, a sustainability center reading room; share all my good stuff. Well, maybe I’ll keep my cool collected stuff. It’s amazing how much stuff we have….I bet all the storage units in the US combined would cover Texas!
Have you seen The Story of Stuff? It’s a real eye opener, it’s incredible at how much waste is created as our stuff gets mined, manufactured, and transported. Something like 6% stuff, 94% waste!!!!
Enough about stuff… what about recycling?… READ MORE >>