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 by kevin, on April 13th, 2010
Is there a word to describe that phenomenon where something is invisible to you until someone points it out, then you become hyper aware of it? You know what I mean. Your best friend buys a car you’ve never heard of or seen before, and suddenly you see that car everywhere. That’s how I’m starting to feel about water issues. I can’t tell whether I’m now more aware, or if I’m seeing increased discussion of the topic because it represents a potentially dire crisis needing attention. As an example, when entering a bookstore over the weekend I was met with a whole magazine rack filled with the latest National Geographic; a special issue about water. I see water everywhere now.
Less than a year ago I hadn’t yet delivered a presentation exclusively about water. Water was part of a larger slide show I’ve been giving around the country, but I didn’t have enough material for a dedicated lecture. Then I met Joseph Treves and Sherri Akers who were organizing the Mar Vista Wise Water Use Expo (I posted about it here). Mar Vista is a very progressive bedroom community in Los Angeles aggressively pursuing knowledge and looking at how to transform their neighborhoods into more sustainable communities. They asked me to develop a short, but powerful, show just about water. The three of us crafted a compelling message concerning excessive water usage in southern California, how changing climate conditions are impacting supply potential, and the very serious need for conservation. When delivered it was one of the briefest shows I’ve ever done; a mere twelve minutes. But based on reaction it was one with significant and lasting effect. From it, I’ve met more fascinating people than all of my previous shows combined.
Janie Thompson was in attendance that evening. She’s told me several times how my show convinced her to rip up her lawn and stop eating meat. Although that kind of reaction was not my intention, it’s nice to hear. Too often I think audiences forget what’s been said the minute they leave the venue. But Janie was so moved by the entire event that she decided someone had to start generating awareness in her own community of Encino. That person turned out to be her.
Read more 2010 Valley Water Expo 
by Kevin, on April 4th, 2010 
What’s that totally overused expression – hindsight is 20/20? I guess it’s used so often because there’s a certain amount of truth in it. And in looking back over the past three months that have been the UCLA Extension program winter quarter, I may have learned far more than my students did. I have to admit that I began the course following a pattern that’s become my routine. I will often get a commitment for something new, like a lecture, or in this case a teaching gig, and only partially pre-prepare. I intentionally try not to figure it all out. I like generating opportunities for serendipity. When it works well, I’m able to create an atmosphere of compression that forces things to happen. With just enough planning, it forces a higher level of performance.
For those who work with me there are moments of stress. And with this course, I’m certain my students experienced many moments of anxiety. To further complicate matters, this was the first time the course had been offered, so I was testing much of the content on these students. So what worked and what didn’t?
Let me start with what went well. I believe the students were beginning to comprehend the complexity of closed loop systems by the end. I know that half way through, many were scratching their heads wondering where we were headed. After six classes we hadn’t covered enough material to start connecting meaningful dots and linking concepts. Cradle to cradle, or closed loop systems thinking is more than just a matter of rethinking waste. Transitioning from the linear path of current industrial systems to cyclical ones requires a broader understanding of contributing factors. Elsewhere on this site you can read about our own transition template where we’re attempting to establish a framework of strategies and decision making. In it we identify twelve issues to consider – resource preservation, waste reduction, closed loop, energy conservation, embodied energy, alternative supply, toxin elimination, community engagement, nurturing environments, net zero cost, life cycle cost, and ecosystem cost. The course was too short to cover all twelve, but we did cover eight in varying depth.
Read more UCLAx – wrap up
by kevin, on March 28th, 2010  Image courtesy of Wiki Commons Our twelfth class was also the last of the quarter. The past three months have passed so quickly. I have to admit, I had a crisis of conscience just past the mid point. I was concerned that we had not yet covered enough of the material outlined in the syllabus, still had many concepts and ideas to present, and it seemed likely that we would run out of time. I did make some adjustments, and we did manage to discuss all the topics I had intended. Looking back now, I’m pretty amazed at how much we were able to accomplish in twelve evenings.
Since it was our final class, we spent the bulk of the time discussing the quarter long Disassembly Project. With it, their task was to select an every-day object seen or used regularly, disassemble it, catalog all the component parts, analyze the materials those parts are made of, trace the origins of those materials, research any organizations or agencies that regulate manufacturing standards or regulations, and make suggestions for how the object and its production could be improved to diminish environmental impact. Students were also responsible for three other research projects, discussed in earlier posts, which investigated materials/resources, companies/people, and certificates/labels. In assigning those three in conjunction with the Disassembly Project I hoped students would begin to see the complexity of products we take for granted.
Cradle to cradle, or closed loop, systems are more than just converting waste to useful raw material. To consider changing even the smallest elements of any production framework requires some understanding of materials and resources, the total impact and sources of waste, how much energy is consumed, how much water is embodied, what unintended toxins are present, how far materials travel, and much more. To contemplate a transition from current linear industrial production to sustainable alternatives demands investigating more than rerouting or repurposing waste material.
Read more UCLAx – class 12
by kevin, on March 23rd, 2010
For our eleventh class, we spent the first half discussing the third Profile Project focused on certifications and labels. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the students did three profile projects – one about materials and/or resources, one about companies and/or people, and one about certifications and/or labels. Survey the green [...]
by kevin, on March 10th, 2010
For our ninth class we return to our normal class room, but at an alternate time and date. This week was a make-up class required due to a scheduling conflict. We continued discussion of an earlier topic – waste reduction – and transitioned to resource preservation.
In previous classes where waste [...]
by kevin, on February 25th, 2010
Without question, Adam Werbach has noteworthy credentials. In 1996 he became the youngest-ever national president of the Sierra Club at just 23 years old. What were you doing at that age? Me, I was just out of college with little notion of what to do next. A year later he wrote a series of [...]
by kevin, on February 22nd, 2010
The majority of our work is for national chains. It’s rare that we design a project in our home town of Los Angeles. That can be pretty exciting, but it can also keep you separated from your local community. That became glaringly obvious to me when I recently discovered a retail venue in my [...]
by kevin, on January 28th, 2010
For our third class, we did something a little different. To begin with, we changed locations. Rather than our normal Westwood classroom, we met in the historic Royce Hall in the center of the original UCLA campus. Funny things happen when you move to historic old buildings. I think the room we had made [...]
by kevin, on November 18th, 2009 Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/christopherseid/189795935/
Schools and institutions around the country are beginning to develop sustainability programs in response to rapidly increasing interest in how environmental issues will effect various industries. Generally speaking, most programs are partial programs meant to either supplement other majors or stand alone as additional credentials, professional development, or continuing education [...]
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