Hi Folks:  It’s Thursday as I write this week’s ‘Being Green‘ post, even though you won’t get to read it until tomorrow.  It’s just that tomorrow also happens to be the birthday of someone very special to me, and, well, we have other plans.

Today is also Thanksgiving for our friends south of the border, a day where everyone takes time to reflect on that which is important to them.  By some strange twist of fate tomorrow is ‘Black Friday’ in the US, which I understand is like Thanksgiving Day for retailers and credit card companies.  Here in Canada we celebrated Thanksgiving last month, a topic that Marcia and I covered in our weekly ‘He Says, She Says…‘ post, but one can never have too many things to be thankful for!

To that end, here are some new ones I’ve uncovered:

Topping the list is a green school in Bali (TED video) developed by John Hardy and his wife.  It’s not only an off-grid school, it’s completely made of bamboo, in a flowing design, and they’ve transformed the traditional ‘administration building’ into the ‘heart of the school’.  They sourced as much as possible locally, built the buildings using traditional techniques, raise livestock and grow gardens right up to the edge of the classrooms.  They use innovative teaching techniques, engage the students, and have a minimum 10% enrollment of local Balinese kids.  There are children there from 26 countries all learning how to grow up with each other, and instructors (many of them volunteers) from around the world.  There’s a lot more…  You can find them online at ‘Green School‘, and they’d be more than happy to help you develop one in your neighbourhood.

Next on the list is a man in Texas named Dan Phillips (TED video), who has build about a dozen homes in Texas using 70-80% recycled/ reclaimed materials.  Part building contractor and part philosopher, Dan riffs on everything from waste in building construction today to the differences between Appolonian and Dionysian design aesthetics.  It’s an engaging talk to be sure!

In the news recently, two friends in Toronto, ON, one a designer and one a developer have collaborated to create ‘luxury’ model housing without the luxury price.  They’ve founded a company called ‘MEKA‘ (an acronym for modular, environmental, kinetic, assembly) that uses steel shipping containers as a basis for their homes.  They currently have four models, ranging from 320-1280 square feet.  Although theirs are larger (and more expensive), the overall look of the MEKA homes remind me of the homes offered by MK Designs of Waltham, MA.  The MKD Breezhouse for example is 1632 – 2244 square feet but there is a similar feel to both designs.

And finally, for now, I pass along this wish from Terry Patten… Thanksgiving: All of Us Have Reasons to Be Grateful.  Give yourself an opporunity to appreciate yours! Oh, and since this is a ‘Being Green’ post, “Tips for healthier indoor air on Thanksgiving Day (and any other time!)” from GREENGUARD.

Okay, the links for this week include:

• Campbell’s: Healthy employees are Mm Mm Good
• Is Solar Power Worth It?
  • Scrubbing Micro-Bubbles Clean Polluted Lake
  • Waterboxx Called Innovation of the Year
  • Adaptive Lighting Could Slash Electricity Bills
• The Greenbuild Blog 2010
• EPA Seeks Public Comments on Draft Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades
  • Johnson Controls Launches Contest to Support Green Campus Initiatives
  • USGBC Announces ‘LEED Automation’ to Streamline LEED Green Building Projects
  • Roots: Green façade walls are proving to be both sustainable and cost-effective.
• ‘I Pledge’ Campaign Launched to Strengthen IAQ Requirements in LEED
• The increasingly green designs of Jeff Casper, Part 1
  • Sony Open Planet Ideas: Interview with Takuya Kawagoi, Director of Sony Design Centre Europe
• Job Hunting in CSR: What’s Sustainability Got to do with Molecular Biology?
• A Look at Green Chemistry’s Efforts to Reinvent How We Make Products
• Costa Rica Biomimicry and Design Workshop March 13-20, 2011 / March 24-31, 2011
• Omega Center for Sustainable Living (certified ‘Living Building’ and LEED Platinum)
• Biomimicry in Action: Using Nature-Based Principals to Promote Sustainable Solutions (webinar, Nov. 30, 2010)
• GREENGUARD Environmental Institute Launches Campaign to Strengthen IAQ Requirements in LEED, Protect Human Health
  • GREENGUARD: Tips for Healthier Air in Your Home
• USGBC: 2011 Board of Directors: Election (vote until Dec. 3)
• Growing a Forest, and Harvesting Jobs
• The UN Global Compact celebrates 10 years of what?
• Are you following these great CSR / Sustainability blogs?
• CSR and Cathay Pacific
• African buildings up against world’s best in race for architecture award
• Avatar Home Tree Initiative: Adopt Your Tree
• Serpent Science – helping future airplane design?
• Take a Pledge for Healthy LEED Buildings
• CaGBC November eNews
• Sustainable Travel International: Introducing STI’s New Partner Program
  • STI: Tourism Certification and Sustainable Travel’s New Partner Program (archived webinar – .wmv download file)
• ed+c eNews
• Sustainable Facility eNews
• Cutting the Cost of Clean Energy 1.0
• BuildingGreen / Healthy Building Network Announce Strategic Partnership
• Small Planet Institute | Living democracy, feeding hope
• BuildingGreen Bulletin
• Greenroofs.com Projects – Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision
  • Greenroofs.com “This Week in Review” video
• Social Venture Networker
  • Social Venture Network: 2011 ‘Unreasonable Institute’ (apply by Dec. 15, 2010)
• Planet Green
• Happy Thanksgiving from Science Progress!
• inhabitat weekly news
• Living Future 2011 UnConference April 27-29, 2011, Vancouver, BC
• LEEDuser News
• Green Building Advisor eLetter

Okay, that’s it for now. Have a great week!

Hugs,
Mike.

P.S. Art, or science? How about ‘Science for Art, Art for Science‘? (YouTube video)