CHICAGO ECO BRIDGE to 1909?

GREAT SCOTT! they must have found the delorean that somebody keeps parked up on 31st. seriously, this is kinda cool. the timetable of this project is.... 100 years! i would suggest it is the longest project in history, but you never know with contractors these days. (i wont even MENTION architects)

(anyhow im talking about the BURNHAM PLAN for CHICAGO, inspiration for the newly proposed ECO BRIDGE across the lakefront downtown. have a look)

THE PROPOSED ECO BRIDGE:


THE 1909 BURNHAM PLAN

(images from inhabitat)

as you can see, our friends at adrian smith and gorden gill architecture have taken over burnham's 1909 idea to finish off the loop as a great big semi-circle harbor-type-thingy. except that they've covered the whole thing with parks, wind turbines and a monorail! (is it truly our very own EPCOT CENTER?! ) perhaps it took 100 years for everyone to realize what the original burnham plan could actually DO. who knew his breakwater could be a power plant? his harbor could be a harbinger? i betcha, if CHICAGO ACTUALLY DOES IT, the great american world might come on down, take a look, and say 'damn that thing looks good!'

then they could finally put turbines in NARRAGANSETT BAY!
happy 2009 people, lets throw enough shit against the wall for a change.

the REVOLUTION will, in fact be TELEVISED

so, who's been watching TV this holiday season?? i HAVE. perhaps its because ive been on vacation from TV for a while that im truly surprised, but i have noticed a trend in television advertising that is undeniable. im talking about CONSCIOUS PRODUCTS. (one might say 'natural' or 'organic', or, dare i say, 'green') and in the most remarkable spots too. imagine WAL MART or PIZZA HUT being sustainable, ecologically conscious businesses?

well, the time has come. make way for THE NATURAL, pizza hut's new "soft multi-grain crust" (multi!), "natural pepperoni" (no preservatives!) and "natural sauce" (no high-fructose corn syrup!) its really pretty amazing to me, that one might even confuse the word "natural" with "healthy," but there it is for you.



next to follow suit would be DUNKIN DONUTS, with the new "dd smart menu." man, we've been so stupid ordering our egg sandwiches with yolks!!! GET SMART people. they've got all kinds of tasty treats like the "latte-lite," flatbread sandwiches, and even real fruit smoothies! (...sure) all in the name of "healthy." we all know that HEALTHY is NATURAL is SMART! and why not?!?



mmmmmm... cheese...

and the final, most beauteous addition to the list of new smarter, healther, more eco- freako options is: you guessed it, WAL MART. and really, they are making strides to be sustainable at wally world, not only in some aspects of their store design, but also in their advertising. wal mart has really stepped up both the sustainability and health-consciousness of their options, and not least in their television presence. check out this store display too:



10 half-blondes don't lie! save money live better, people!!

anyways, the purpose of this post is not to pee on somebodies greenwashed fence. really, its to smile at the hilarity of the status quo attempting to cash in on what appears to be an ever-pervasive new revolution in world understanding. values are changing in america, abroad, worldwide. caring for the EARTH and caring for our BODIES are intrinsically linked. to care for a living, breathing thing means to extend its life and ensure its productivity, be it us in our bodies or US AS A SPECIES.

but the extended lip-service of 20th century corporations towards conscious living is more than a fad. they wouldnt say it if we didnt all want it - so something is happening here, and noone could deny it. next, lets bring change to the LAWS!

speak with your money, if nothing else. then they HAVE TO listen.

-g

CHRISTMAS CHEER! (or.. the TAKE BACK SPECIAL!!)

(this is true of my web site too.. i have a special version for large-boned people)

so... we all have a bunch of shit we don't need. admit it. you do too. i can tell because you're reading this BLOG. you must feel guilty.

now IMAGINE, if you will, being able to get rid of all the stuff you dont need. only, rather than throwing it 'away' (LANDFILL) or 'recycling' (aka DOWNCYCLING) or trying to find a 'good home' (probably not that good after all...) for your old junk, you could actually send it back to the manufacturer to be made into new-fangled, fancy, brand-spankin-REnew products. well - that's kinda what its like these days in GERMANY for some products. first off, ALL ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS put on the German commercial market must have a "take back guarantee." which means, basically, that they have to take back the product after you are done with it and make sure it is disposed of "PROPERLY" - i.e. they need to make sure everything toxic is not just thrown into the ground. in MANY cases, this is very expensive.


(see? there's a lot of it)

this leads many companies to find new, innovative ways to disassemble, recycle, or even reuse electronic parts - a much less expensive solution than disposing of electronic wastes as what they truly are - hazardous waste. given this endgame scenario, the new German product policy has encouraged the full-scale re-imagining of the electronic industry, forcing companies to think AHEAD OF TIME about how the product can be most easily and inexpensively disposed of. the result has been products that have been "DESIGNED FOR DISASSEMBLY" - products that are made to be taken apart, and, for a large part, reused or directly recycled. take this picture of a new German car as an example:


this picture was first showed to me during a lecture by WERNER SOBEK , principle architect for the Institute of Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design (ILEK) as an illustration of the changing industrial climate in Germany (they make buildings designed for disassembly too) sounds a bit like the CRADLE TO CRADLE design we have all heard so much about. (Haven't heard? look HERE )

although the "cradle" paradigm has not been fully embraced yet, the new German legislation has really encouraged the electronic industry there to start moving in that direction. once again, German engineers are leading the way to the future of great products. funny, how countries with NO STANDING ARMY tend to be the most economically progressive and successful these days. perhaps we should TAKE A HINT!

oh yeah.. merry christmas USA!!

CASULO!!!!!

ok.

this is the bomb. with all my talk about tiny houses, i actually paid almost $2000 (holy crap!) to cart all my goods across the country from san francisco to chicago. not only that, but i used MAD FOSSIL to do so (imagine a 'mad' fossil? ha) i have been in debate internally ever since (especially since i realized my financial aid wouldnt cover it)

anyways, lately i have been obsessed with the idea of living on as little (and IN as little) as possible. its more sustainable in SO MANY ways, plus its cheaper, more convenient, AND gives you a super-cool reason to not have much and still impress the ladies.

enter CASULO.

(image from TOFSLIE and though i dont know what it means, they also have this awesome image:
(click on it and drag to see the answer) HA!!!

but i digress...

the CASULO ROOM IN A BOX is one of the sweetest things i have seen in a long time. i dont know what it costs, but imagine tossing that in the back of you car, or better yet, shipping it to where you are going and getting there on a train. in a studio apartment, that truly is plenty of stuff! and it actually looks pretty hip, being all minimalist and designery. (YES, i made up the word "DESIGNERY" but i bet you can guess what it means. ... well, if not, it means that even if it doesnt look THAT cool, it looks like designers would be into it)

oh, i forgot the video. look at this!!



VIVA LA CASULO!

and call me in the morning.
-g

the TINY HOUSE gallery

ok, so we've all gotten tired of MCMANSIONS... but there is a LITTLE MOVEMENT going on behind the scenes that many would call ridiculous. but i call it RIDICULOUSLY SWEET!!! this is the TINY HOUSE MOVEMENT, roughly defined as home under 750 sq. ft. I knew one day the MICRO MACHINES generation would rule the world. HA!


actually, ive been thinking about building a little house for some time. there are some vacant lots in my neighborhood, and i figure with school loans ill never buy a "regular" house, but why not have a tiny house on a little lot? i mean, my APT is 650 sq. feet. and i dont even REALLY this much space. ive been thinking of using an old shipping container.

anyways, without further ado, here is a gallery of some of the tiny houses i have found online. like em?? CHECK THE LINKZZZ!



from MICRO COMPACT HOMES

(the MODERN CABANA house. great slideshow!)

the Z-GLASS house from TUMBLEWEED

(its another from MODERN CABANA in red bluff, CA)

the weeHOUSE! (this one's in MN)

anyone have ideas on building a shipping container house? ill leave that for the next entry... ENJOY!

WOONERF!!!

(...no, it's not just a cheer for foamy balls)

image from BRAND AVENUE a nifty place/space/identity blog

according to my trusty dashboard dictionary, WOONERF is "a road in which devices for reducing or slowing the flow of traffic have been installed." this definition, however, seems to follow a lot of CONSERVATIONIST TALK, that is to say, its about what you CAN'T do, rather than what you now CAN do. has anyone been to GOLDEN GATE PARK on a SUNDAY???

(yes, this is a roller skate dance party)


(a good idea of the street life with no cars)

anyways, the point is, there is SO MUCH LIFE there on a sunday, solely because there are NO CARS ALLOWED.
now, completely banning automobile traffic is not the ideal goal, but in fact, it's sad that people are not so active in the park every day. .. i imagine it has to do with their fear of being RUN OVER. lets look at a more literal translation of WOONERF:

WOONERF: a street for living, a living yard.

this is more like it. woonerf isn't about restricting anyone, its about INVITING EVERYONE to enjoy the public space equally.
don't get me wrong, drivers have rights, as well as bikers, skaters, strollers, walkers, dancers, prancers, and low-budget fancy-pantsers. but imagine a city that had thoroughfares for driving, but in between these high-speed throughways, there were streets designed for a VARIETY of ACTIVITIES!!!

(a dutch woonerf sign. i like how they STRUT)
it might make driving a little more difficult. but heck, why not put a bunch of easy to access underground parking lots at the outskirts of a congested area, and the put a bunch of EL TRAINS, MONORAILS, even TROLLIES to truck people in a bit further? in this scenario, you could still drive in if you absolutely needed to, you would just have to drive SLOWLY. and that might not be the end of the world its really not that outlandish at all. in fact, its a common concept in many places in europe. i know we created the complicated road system to embody american freedom, but what's freedom if you can't roller-skate-dance?!?! (yes, that is a RHETORICAL QUESTION) hey, speaking of the end of the world:
The End of the World
watch this. its HILARIOUS!!!
if you want some more info on WOONERF, start here.

thats all about woonerf for now. i am le tired.