The Dirt

I stole the title of this post, but I wanted to show you all a cool article I got from thedirt.asla.org

It's about an eco-district, and I thought since I said how little I actually knew about eco-villages in my previous post I would post this.

This is a plan for our nations capital, Washington D.C.  This area in the southwest part of the city is apparently not a place people want to be and with a city of so many communters coming into to work I think it is great that they are revitolizing a section so that people will fight to live in this fast paced political hub.  It will promote walkability which from what I hear about D.C. traffic is HUGE! and it will set a national example of how other cities can refresh, and give a complete new and better purpose to an urban space.

http://dirt.asla.org/2012/07/12/southwest-eco-district-plans-finally-unveiled/

I will be looking to know more about the progress of this project in the future and to see if it inspires other rundown parts of cities to make the change.

Needed a Pick Me Up

I had a bad day today and needed a pick me up and I turned to a friend for some positive thoughts and she asked me about plant walls.  She's a pharmacist and as brilliant as she is looks at me like I'm talking Chinese when I get excited about plants.  I told her they are usually called living walls and then thanked her because I was pretty sure she had given me a blog topic.

I was lucky enough to see 2 living walls designed by the famous Patrick Blanc last summer on my study abroad in Italy.  One was an interior wall in the jungle section of the Genoa Aquarium and the other was on a fancy restaurant in Monte Carlo, Monaco.  Some of his most notable works have been an evolving design to match the fashion seasons on the Paris Louis Vuitton store and London’s Athenaeum Hotel near Hyde Park.  He is a native of france and has a background in science with a strong interest in design.  After exploring south american jungles wanted to create lush environments in urban areas.  

I have been a fan of his for about 5 years and was super excited to know that I stumbled across two of his works without even trying.

My Personal Photo of Patrick's work in Monaco.  The building in the background is up on a hill and it the castle of Monaco.

http://www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com/

Just another way to express yourself using the living and built environments.

Makes Me Smile

I was playing around on Facebook (the enemy to being constructive with my time) and I saw a picture posted by a page I follow on EcoVillages.  Don't think I am some crazy cool forward thinker, I'm not.  I don't even know what an eco village is and I'm not sure those involved do either.  I think that is the beauty and attraction to them, you never know what you'll find but you know it will be pretty dang cool. Here's the link to the Facebook page and to another cool website and and image to leave you with to get you thinking about eco villages.  Maybe this afternoon when I have accomplished everything on my list that I set our to accomplish before meetings and work this evening I will read more into eco villages and give you some cool information to wow you!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eco-Village-International-Network/107895505948237
(hope that works, you may need to log into facebook)
http://www.polyfacefarms.com/
Not exactly and eco village, but a really cool operation (you need to see food inc. but thats another rant)

Picture that made me start thinking about eco villages, they get way better than this tho!

Family Garden Started by Alex Gotherman, Beau lackey and Jesse English

Oh Happy Day!

I was listening to the MSU radio station yesterday and they played "Oh Happy Day" sung by the Edwin Hawkins Singers and I couldn't help but smile and sing a long, I even fought the urge to raise my hands to the heavens.  The gospel hit reached #3 on the Billboard charts.  For some reason I think that is amazing.  I don't care what race or religion you are, that song has got to bring you joy!

It's funny how something as simple as an old gospel song can get you thinking; something once sung by the saddest and most brutally treated slaves as a redemption song.  Yesterday was a beautiful day, sun shining, birds chirping getting unexpected packages in the mail sort of day and to hear such an uplofting song on the radio only helped it to seem like something i almost didn't deserve.  But then to turn on the news and see the projected destruction in the for of Hurricane Isaac headed this way snapped me into reality.  It made me think of 7 years ago when I heard the name Katrina and had no idea how I would grow to loathe that name, that word, that connotation.  I had many around me directly influenced and everyone indirectly influenced by that terrific storm.  It makes me think of the lyrics to Oh Happy Day, "when Jesus washed, he washed my sins away." What a beautiful opportunity Katrina gave us! An opportunity to wash our sins away! To rebuild an entire coastal habitat spanning 3 states into a lesson learned from our past.

My professor, Taze, said just this morning he will be interested to see how the coast handles this new hurricane.  It may all turn out to be just a big hype over a storm with low winds that will drop lots of slowly falling, annoying rain.  How obnoxious would the weather channel find that?! No juicy story here folks, just some rain.  I feel as though as a society we crave the big exciting disasters.  I know I do! It's like Jennifer Garner admits in the movie Catch and Release, I'm a little upset when there is a low death toll in "natural disasters."  There are forest fires and storms for a reason, and if you are dumb enough to get in the way...  Don't get me wrong, I am not a sadistic person, I just thing with western Medicines achievements and high tech wars, there has to be something that steps in to help with population control.

That said, I will try to get back to my original train of thought being that I look forward to seeing if we have learned anything about smart building and planning in the last 7 years.

In this very MSU Landscape Architecture Department I worked on a habitat for humanity/ coastal restoration project with Mr. Felder Rushing where we discussed trees and materials and ways to shield houses to protect from wind and water.  I wonder if any of that ever came to be or if like most conversations had with in these walls they were simple dreams of well wishers who are making a difference one isolated project at a time or it that information was heard and applied and may prove successful.

Stay Tuned...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD2D6eter7M
Enjoy this link to Oh Happy Day!!! Hope it makes you smile like it did for me!!

back to the basics

On my tri-weekly run this past week I met a little friend who was less excited to see me than i was him.  I was on the Columbus Riverwalk and I have ABSOLUTELY no idea what sort of turtle this guy was, but he was a beauty! He also got me thinging about what a good job Columbus had done with this river walk trail.  According to the signage, this park was started in 2005, but only recently has seen the trail reach its completion.  I think there is still a bit more they are wanting to do, because I can see some ground work being laid out, such as another bathroom and a few mor water fountains, but still it is quite nice and a great place for my runs.

I think there is something to these minimally invasive nature walks, even if they use concrete pathways.  I know there is a greenway effort called rails to trails that turns abandoned rail ways into bike and jogging trails, but I haven't actually visited one.  This just got me thinking about how nice a development they are.  It's already been cleared and will likely be accessible.

Anyway, it was just a personal experience that got me a little excited, here are a couple of websites with good examples I hope to check out for myself and learn a little bit from.

http://www.thecityofcolumbusms.org/primary.asp?t=9&p=85
http://www.lowelllandtrust.org/content/concord-river-greenway
http://www.traillink.com/trail/mammoth-cave-railroad-bike--hike-trail.aspx
http://www.railstotrails.org

Not Exactly Paranormal

I have the honor and privilege of knowing a talented, hardworking, young architect named Sara Silvestri.  She and I are sorority sisters, friends, and classmates.  At least we were, and we had the experience of a lifetime to study some of the oldest buildings in the world in Italy.  While there however Sara had to leave for a week to be flown off to Nova Scotia, and it didn't cost her a dime.  She was the first female from MSU to win a prestigious design award and her prize along with some spending money was a trip to the 13th and as fate would have it the least ever Ghost Lab.

It sounds like I am bragging on my friend (which I am), but this was all a back story to get you acquainted with how I even know about this phenomena of the architecture world.  Ghost lab was started by Brian Mackay-Lyons on his farm in Nova Scotia.  It was a gathering of well known architect friends as well as his students as a way to practice what he'd been preaching.  A week long conference if you will of some of the most controversial and brilliant designers.  In their first meeting they designed and built a tent like structure to hold their meetings and at night it glowed and existed in the beautiful but barren landscape, hence the name.

Every year they have added more and more structures and it is a crucial theme in the gathering, to design and build something in that week.

One of the early projects was an octagonal barn which served at the main meeting room/dance hall for following gatherings.  Though the practice was very popular among those who participated it was widely criticized by many others.  Though I am unsure of what the criticisms are, and do not want to misinform I won't even speculate.  I do know there is to be a book written about the last Ghost Lab held in June of 2012.  It was a tradition of creation and mingling of many creative minds and I think Mackay-Lyons was on to something huge.

Imagine what could be done with a gathering of naturalists, landscape architects, architects, and  designers.  A movement toward a greater good could make an example for the world.  Think back to the days where there was no television, internet, or smartphones.  Where people dedicated their time to creating beautiful buildings and actually invented new things.  Think of a worlds fair.  People traveled across the globe to see the newest best ways to do things.  What if there could be a worlds fair of better living and smart planning.  It sounds a little dull, even to hear myself say it, but you'd have their attention.  People would want that.  They would want to preserve whats left of nature and better the cities they live in and make room inside of them for a bit of expansion.

I know, it's a far train of thought from Ghost Lab, but if it could get my mind racing with ideas I thought it might do the same for you.  Hope you enjoyed, and thanks again for tuning in!

What's in a name....

I once had a quirky but all together wonderful teacher who told me when you are green you grow and when you are ripe you rot.  What he meant by that was to never assume you know it all and to always seek to learn something new.  I had another professor who told me I should do a Sudoku a day to keep my mind sharp, and quite honestly I do and I'm not sure it has helped yet, but stay tuned.

This is the first of what I assure you will be many posts; so bear with me if you are following this blog and are not in my studio class. I have what has been called organized chaos in my day to day life meaning I have goals, and I always accomplish them, but I have been known to take the long road.  To tell you the truth I wouldn't have it any other way.  I have experienced so many fantastic things thanks to my crazy round about way of doing things.  Don't mistake what I am telling you about myself as being ADD or ADHD, I assure you I do not have a problem with my attention.  

When I was a little girl I read the classic story about a girl named Ann.  In Ann of Green Gables I read a line that I have truly not forgotten since I was about 8 years old.  Ann tearfully stated to her Aunt who cared for her that She might make a lot of mistakes, but she never makes them twice, and one day she will have made all the mistakes and will accomplish great things.  I sincerely hope I do not make every mistake there is to be made, but I vow not to make the same mistakes twice.  So through this blog I promise you I will make mistakes and I promise I will learn from them and evolve this blog into a compilation of things I find to be quite interesting and I hope you find them interesting too.

I want to start things off locally, here in Starkville, Mississippi.  I want to showcase something that has blossomed since I moved back here in 2009.  The Starkville Community Market.

At first look it truly doesn't seem like much, but brother, if you had seem what it was before you'd be pleased.  It was the most potholed, broken glassed, rubble ridden lot you have ever seen.  now it is a weekend hub for local crafts, music, produce, and goods that draws regulars and newbies alike.

http://www.starkvillecommunitymarket.org/ 

I myself have been known to buy fresh herbs and canned goods there.  Starkville doesn't have the only Public Market, Columbus has a very popular Farmers Market with a loyal fan base.

Farmers market are really growing in popularity and you can find ones all over the country at http://www.localharvest.org/.  There is also a great website for the American Community Garden Association (communitygarden.org) which if there are any in your area often have great information on participating in local markets or personal and community gardening.

I hope this is helpful in leading you on a path to healthy living and supporting local growers and businesses, it's something I feel strongly about and love to share with anyone who'll listen.

Also if you are an NPR nerd like myself there is a wonderful broadcast on Saturday evenings after a Prairie home companion called Thacker Mountain Radio.  It is a broadcast out of Oxford, Mississippi (be nice) with readings from southern authors and grassroots kind of music.  it is sometimes enlightening and always entertaining.  So next time you are sitting around on a Saturday evening, pop yourself a cold one and tune into NPR for some good old down home entertainment, you might find yourself laughing, tapping your foot, or just plain enjoying it.

Thanks for tuning in, and until I have something else to rant about (give it 2-3 days) be kind!