Labels: green, office plants, rooftop garden, work

Labels: commute, commuting, green, workplace recycling

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

Going green seems simple enough: You just set your mind to helping the environment and follow the three-step process of reduce, reuse, recycle, right? But this Los Angeles Times story underscores how difficult it can be to do the right thing, even when you mean well. The 87-year-old billionaire behind online-college behemoth University of Phoenix is pushing an alternative-energy ballot initiative in California that is opposed by seeming comrades-in-arms such as the Environmental Defense Fund and the American Wind Energy Association. Opponents say the act will be counterproductive to long-term progress in developing alternative energies; proponents claim there’s huge public support for it. California has a reputation as being one of the greenest states, so there may be a lot riding on how this plays out. Who’s right? Let us know, Californians and other interested parties.

Labels: alternative, California, green, legislation, Los Angeles

I imagine some of you are saying, “not another blog about the environment.” Well, yes, technically this is another blog about the environment, but hopefully it’ll be delivering something a bit different. There will be the standard stuff –environmental news and tips – tailored so the big-city worker can easily apply it to his/her life. But Green Among Gray’s main function is to move you to appreciate nature again, to be awed by it like you were as a kid. Why bother, you ask? First, the world appears to be heading for trouble, natural-resource-wise, and one way to stem that is to keep nature top-of-mind; second, we could all use a boost of energy, and a lot of restorative power can come from reconnecting with nature; and, finally, a more shallow reason: ‘Green’ is chic – you’ll have something to add the next time the dinner conversation turns to conservation.

Labels: city, environment, gray, green, nature