Die Green

I have to admit that I have never contemplated the environmental impacts of cemeteries. I know that from a land usage standpoint... well, they often take up a lot of land and have a near zero shot of ever being utilized (at least in our lifetime, ha) for another purpose. But there are obviously some people that have thought the environmental impacts and taken steps to return the burial process to a more organic one. The article below is about a few individuals in various parts of the country who have established "green cemeteries", the benefits they see in them and how they see this trend continuing.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/newspaper/printedition/monday/chi-green_burials_26nov26,0,3347144.story

One Bryant Park

Anyone who has walked around Bryant Park over the past year has seen the building skeleton being erected for this new highrise office building. The goal early on which was set by the developers, the Durst Organization, was to make this the first USGBC platinum-certified highrise in the country. According to reports, the project is still on track to acheive these goals. Durst even took the added measure of hiring an on-site LEED compliance supervisor, Amanda Klotz, to ensure materials used were in accordance with LEED guidlines. For an informative read on the project's progress, check out the New York Construction's latest cover story.

http://newyork.construction.com/features/archive/2007/11_cover.asp

Columbia's Manhattanville Expansion

On November 26 the City Planning Commission voted to approve with modifications the proposed rezoning of the old Manhattanville manufacturing zone in West Harlem for academic mixed-use. This expansion plan has been a long-brewing debate with many socio-economic and political implications that are way outside the scope of this blog. From the environmental perspective, Columbia has already selected their consultant, the London-based group, atelier ten. (http://www.atelierten.com/)

From Columbia's website, "Atelier Ten will help Columbia set environmental performance goals for the proposed campus. In addition to assisting the University with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) consulting services, Atelier Ten will develop strategies for management and conservation of energy and water, as well as maintaining high air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions." (http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/07/08/atelier.html)

It will be interesting to see what kind of advances can (and should!) be made in sustainable design and construction on such a high-profile stage. The spotlight will certainly be on both atelier ten and the university to use the available resources in innovative ways. More to come...

Green = Sex(y)

Green is selling.

It's almost the new sex. ...Almost. (Okay. Not quite. But you get it.)

The other day I got a Barney's New York catalogue in the mail and opened its glossy pages to discover that I may now support the betterment of the environment by purchasing a $400 environmentally-friendly, 100% organic cardigan. (Thank you for this wonderful opportunity Barney's.)

So. Okay. People are lining up to get behind the idea. This is fabulous. It's the new thing! And it's a good new thing! Wouldn't it be more interesting if we actually knew the realities of what we were getting behind...?

In the weeks to come, navigate your way back to Before Green Was Gold to hear more from myself and others, both about the days before Green was a tangible movement and what's new and exciting in the field right now.


Have a story to share? Send your Green tale to Stephen and see your story published on Before Green Was Gold!