There are a lot of us out here now doing this environmental proselytizing thing. I’ll admit, there’s a bandwagon-y feel to it all (a lot of us green at being green, so to speak). That’s why when you see someone that’s been at it a long time, you must give respect. And today’s Green Among Gray respect goes to The American Institute of Architects, which has been recognizing sound environmental design and building since 1997 with its AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects list.

The AIA recently named its 2008 honorees, and a few big cities are represented: Seattle, Boston, Kansas City. The buildings are judged on measures that include energy conservation, water use, and bioclimatic design (how well the structure is suited to its surroundings). These buildings make use of such things as rainwater collection (for irrigation) and dual-flush toilets to reduce water consumption; natural ventilation instead of AC; daylighting to reduce electricity draw; recycled materials, such as tires, instead of virgin building materials; and, of course, lots of solar panels.

The AIA/COTE list is simply another illustration of how progressive our society can be, how doable all this STUFF that we hear about but don’t really have a context for is. It’s a big-scale thing, for which the responsibility lies not on “average Joe worker” (you and me) but on our employers, on our corporations, on our conglomerates. And the more us little worker bees see of it, the more likely we are to do our small-scale things to pitch in. And, in turn, the more of us who pitch in with little stuff, the more likely the bigwigs will be to enact the big-scale stuff. It can become a self-sustaining process. A green-energy synergy. Let’s keep it rolling.

Labels: AIA, American, Architects, buildings, green, Institute, synergy

Where do you go when you feel like you absolutely have to get out of the city? Sometimes it’s better to look within: the park. They’re there, the big, green oases in every corner of American urbanity. But if we’ve worked for a long time in one city, it’s easy to ignore the park, to become jaded, to sniff at the simple pleasure of a stroll through its grounds as a touristy activity that’s below us (true metro denizens that we are). But next time you hit overload, don’t go making big plans for an escape to the 'burbs or beyond. Simply grab a book, walk down the street, and rediscover the charm of relaxing under the spread of an elm that is itself in the shadow of skyscrapers, the charm of escaping by staying right where you are.

If you’re in a Captivate Network market, you’re probably near one of what the CEO of the American Society of Landscape Architects tells USA Today are the best parks in the nation.

Labels: Architects, escape, Landscape, park