GreenDigs Blog

Plain Green 10 was a kick. Now we’re sifting through all the bytes of information needing organization and wrap-up, and the headless snowman napkin sketch I woefully described during the “good morning welcome” has emerged. Had we been able to bring this simple diagram up on the screen, it would have illustrated our intent and mission for the day.

It was a quick illustration by Brian Dunbar from the Opening Party the night before. Brian was explaining three very different places in the way we design our world.

Degenerate. The bottom of the illustration is where most of us reside, and usually design if that is our profession, and if we’re being honest.

Sustain. The middle is really a misnomer, but worthy target.

Regenerate. At the top is what the future holds for those who truly dream, stretch and look long into the future when designing and making our world.

The ‘belly button,’ by the way, is where Brian sees green building these days.

I’m sitting at my kitchen counter.  It’s 4 a.m. and there are whirling details and to-dos riding around in my head. It happens every year at this time, why should this year be any different? We have some incredible speakers coming to Sioux Falls from 8 states, both coasts and varied disciplines. I was recently telling my son who is an art major at USD about Dr. J (Dr. Mitchell Joachim) who has been artfully and architecturally dreaming about future possibilities for our cities, how and where we live, and what we drive – envision fluffy lamb cars that bump into you instead of squash you. I told him about Dr. J’s education spanning from Columbia to Harvard to MIT and that he’s coining words like carborexic, but I didn’t really get his attention until I mentioned that Dr. J has dreadlocks down to his a**… err, a passle of dreads. Now he is looking for a ride from Vermillion to the Washington Pavilion on Thursday April 29. I’m his mother afterall, and what do I know that might interest young creative types?

Gee whiz.

A colleague of mine sent me this clip regarding setting the ‘thinktone’ for incoming architecture students for the new School of Architecture at SDSU next fall.  It is about 15 minutes of an outside-of-box view of the progression of technology and how we use it.   Technology’s Epic Story  Bernard Tschumi said, “We have to teach both the technology of construction and the construction of technology.”

Btw, TED is the organization of the not-so-famous but very cool TED Prize, of which one and possibly 2 of the Plain Green 10 speakers has won.  Check out Cameron Sinclair April 29 at the Washington Pavilion, registration is http://plaingreen.org/ .

It’s not too early to mark your calendar and make plans to attend Plain Green 2010 at the Sioux Falls Convention Center on April 28 and 29, 2010. Check out the website at www.plaingreen.org to sign up for updates about speakers, workshops, tours, and registration.

The Chartreuse website is up and running!

Chartreuse is a new research institute that was introduced at the April Plain Green Conference at the Washington Pavilion. The organization is dedicated to identifying and developing sustainable building materials using the resources available on the northern plains. Brightgreenresearch.org provides users with…

- An easy-to-use database for browsing regionally available green products, natural building methods, and new sustainable material concepts by type and criteria.  Material information is constantly being added so check back often for updates.

- A weekly blog about current research topics, upcoming events, new green initiatives, regional and local projects, new case studies, and featured materials.  The blog will be available July 1, 2009!

- A frequently updated regional case studies section demonstrating the use of green products and materials in residential, commercial, mixed use, and civic applications.

- Monthly updates on pilot projects.

Check back often as Brightgreenresearch.org grows!  Also, see what Chartreuse is up to daily on Twitter at twitter.com/ChartreuseGreen.  A link will also be available on the website.

View photos from Plain Green 09 on Flickr at http://bit.ly/AMLcb. There is also a group set up for Plain Green at http://www.flickr.com/groups/plaingreen/.

Mark your calendars for Plain Green ’10 on April 15-16, 2010 and check back at www.plaingreen.org for updates!

Plain Green 09 is just around the corner – April 17. But we’re holding several pre-conference workshops on April 16, one of which is titled ‘Seeking Green Revolutionaries: A Community Space for Green Dialogue and Action’.

Joe Bartmann, Executive Director of the Sioux Falls Green Project will guide the dialogue for anyone interested in exploring something green you care deeply about. A powerful community forum that starts the moment you register — where you decide the agenda on the spot. Participants will identify all the issues most important to them, voice passions and concerns, and learn from each other to design projects and actions in this time of swirling change. 

Visit www.plaingreen.org for more information or to register!

Looking to catch up on some reading this weekend? 

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released statistics of green building numbers and facts, called Green Buildings by the Numbers.  This short 3 page summary is chock full of information regarding green buildings, handy for any sort of presentation or casual conversation about green buildings.

If something more in-depth is what you’re looking for, try the White Paper:  Climate Change and Green Buildings by Building Design+Construction magazine.  Sixty four pages in this yearly report focus on topics ranging from how the climate is changing to how architects and engineers can address building emissions.  It’s free to register and view or download for later.

Hurry and sign up to attend Plain Green on September 25 and 26 at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls…only 5 days left to get the early bird rate! Register now to reserve your spot. Visit www.plaingreen.org.

P.S. Did you know we’re also offering a pre-conference workshop on September 24? Join us for the LEED New Construction Technical Workshop at the Museum of Visual Materials.

The plaingreen08 website is up and running including registration for the conference September 25 and 26. The cost is $50 until August 24, then $75 (students $25 all the way) but we only have room for 300 so don’t delay. 

At the time of our first writing, we were trying to entice Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin to speak, but she has important DC business during those dates (imagine), so SDSU president Dr. David Chicoine is considering.

The September 24 pre-conference LEED NC Technical Workshop registration is not yet available, but stay tuned.