Urban Sustainable Design Studio 2009

Our week began with a tired looking group of USDS ‘09ers stumbling into the studio to put together our final presentations.  After refreshing ourselves on the Hot House projects (that seemed to have occurred so long ago), we assigned roles and set out our agenda– incorporating the infamous “divide and conquer” strategy that Peter and Andrew have taught us so well.  The day was spent writing and re-writing cue cards and culminated in a dry run and critique of our Green Drinks production.

Tuesday: nearing the end and nervous excitement is building.  Today is the day!  We met early and made final tweaks and after a hearty round of high fives, we headed down to Jefferson Tap to do sound checks and another quick run through.

Tuesday night we gave our final presentation on all of the projects we worked on this summer: the Vacant Lot Project, the Green Market project, the Prairie Crossing Institute Project, the Crossing Communities project, and the Plastic Bag Reduction Project.  We had a great audience and managed to get a few laughs with the help of our trivia hosts, Andrea and Sandeep.

We would like to formally thank everyone who made this summer so spectacular and one we will cherish forever.  Thank you to all those who took time out of their busy schedules to meet with us and answer our questions, give us tours and generally provide positive energy in a field where that is often so difficult to find.

Last day of the program! Our Wednesday felt more like a Friday as we spent the day tidying up or summer space, filling out evaluations, and finalizing our reports for our projects. After finishing up our work, we went over to Peter’s for a fun BBQ!  Thank you so much to Peter for being a gracious host and to Andrew for showing his skills on the grill!

Now we would like to take a moment to thank our USDS colleagues for their knowledge, laughter and support throughout the 8 weeks… (spoken in Anna’s middle English voice)

Esteemed fellow participants of the 2009 Urban Sustainable Design Studio, I hereby proclaim you graduates and as you go forward henceforth may you take with you the knowledge and skills taught by our revered leaders to sow thy seed in the field of sustainability. Without a doubt, your enthusiasm and dedication will grant you success in whatever endeavors you pursue.

This final blog post was a collaborative effort of Andrea and Dimitri!

What might these things have to do with urban sustainability? Well, fair readers, the answer is nothing. They have, however, had much to do with keeping the USDS 2009 participants sane and on track (and perhaps a little entertained, too) during our last full week. With Green Drinks quickly approaching, we had a busy week. Here are some highlights:

Suzanne Malec McKenna

On Wednesday we met with Suzanne Malec McKenna, Chicago’s Commissioner of the Department of the Environment. Suzanne spoke with us about the work of the DoE to promote and enable energy efficiency in buildings as well as the manufacturing sector, and about the complexities of waste management in Chicago. We were impressed with the Department’s development of community based networks and communication models to spread the word about climate change in Chicago’s varied neighborhoods. Thanks Suzanne!

Prairie Crossing

The Prairie Crossing project was concluded this week with a bang-up presentation by Dimitri, Sandeep, and Sonja. They delivered our proposals for community building and public outreach activities to Ben Ranney. Ben seemed quite receptive to our ideas for capitalizing on the many existing assets at Prairie Crossing.

Plastic Bags

For the Plastic Bags group, week 8 culminated in a meeting with Alderman Schulter on Friday afternoon. The team presented various plastic bag reduction plans which focus on voluntary retailer participation, and the Alderman was very supportive. The next steps will include coordinating people in the city to work on this issue and commencing discussions with various local retailers.

Crossing Communities

The Crossing Communities group spent the week compiling the fruits of their research into a logical framework. The team was able to distill the many lessons learned through evaluating projects and programs into four main principles for working in communities outside one’s own. These principles are the basis for a design protocol that now needs to be tested on an actual project.

Michael Berkshire

On Friday afternoon we met with Michael Berkshire, Green Projects Administrator for the City of Chicago.  He spoke about the Environmental Action Plan and the wide role of urban planning in the city of Chicago.    Thanks, Michael!

As we hunker down for these last few days, it’s hard to believe our summer at USDS is almost complete!  We hope to see you at Green Drinks!

This might not be a cartoon, but I assure you, we’ve got quite a few characters in USDS 2009.  We’re all feeling the crunch as this is the last week to finalize our projects and put together presentations for a dynamo August Green Drinks.  Besides using our arsenal of mental gadgets to get the projects done, this week’s highlights included…

Greg Peterson of Planet Access

On Monday we met with Greg from Planet Access, a social venture enterprise that trains and employs persons with disabilities to process shipping orders for a range of companies including Horny Toad Activewear and PACT, the world’s first sustainable underwear company!  Greg spoke with us about the value of social venture enterprises and how business can lead the way to creating long-term social change.  The idea is that each venture picks a neglected demographic of the population to serve with training and employment opportunities fitting them into some part of the company’s operations.   Greg was a wonderful spokesman for socially conscious business because he was realistic about the barriers that stand in the way but, more importantly, optimistic about the possibilities to create change.  Thanks Greg! 

Project Work: Plastic Bags and Crossing Communities

The Plastic Bags group and the Crossing Communities group had three full days this week to work on their projects.  Though some of the time was spent on “house-keeping,” all in all it was a productive week for both groups.    

The Crossing Communities group narrowed down the list of projects to look at and interviewed a number of folks who have personally crossed communities and lived to tell about it.  The group is refining their framework for which to evaluate existing projects or programs that “cross communities.”  By the end of a harrowing week, everyone was sent home with their fair share of homework so that we can begin compiling information on Monday.  Are you resilient enough to work with a community that’s not your own?  This group certainly is!

The Plastic Bags group had a productive week of mapping out the process for convening retail groups to work together to reduce plastic bag use.  The group also scheduled a meeting with the Alderman to go over this process and hear his feedback.  It’s a tricky process of negotiating multiple interests, but the group is walking that fine line like nobody’s business!

Prairie Crossing

Developing recommendations for the Institute at Prairie Crossing, a conservation community in Grayslake, is the one summer project in which all ten participants are working together.  It’s a bit cumbersome to coordinate such a talented bunch, but this week the group managed to synthesize the various aspects of the project.  Rather than all ten of us hashing it out, we broke up into three groups and analyzed the conservation community based on existing assets, opportunities, and prospective audience.  We came up with a series of proposals that move outward in terms of scope, starting with community building moving towards broader public outreach.  It’s a fresh perspective for a vanguard conservation community!

Process Visualization Activity

We ended the week with an activity where we paired up and drew out our process for tackling this summer’s most exciting projects.  We were warned not to draw the logistical steps we took to arrive at our end goal, but rather to focus on the overall process for approaching the problem.  Not an easy task, but thankfully, Peter gave us a second chance.  What does your process look like?

Well we actually didn’t get to have a Jello wrestling contest, but now that I have your attention here are some possibly more exciting and more cerebral things that USDS got to do this week…

A nice combination of field trips, discussions, and project work time…

Prairie Crossing

On Monday, the group traveled up to Grayslake taking an early-morning 8:35am train.  At Prairie Crossing we toured the conservation community with one of the developers and saw firsthand the values and principles behind the development of a conservation community.

We had a delicious homemade and almost entirely locally-produced lunch, which included many vegetables right from gardens within the community!  During our lunch we discussed with other prominent community members the history of Prairie Crossing and the Prairie Crossing Institute, which currently organizing meetings, conferences, workshops and lectures that promote environmental education.  The Institute is now looking to reorganize its function and sought after USDS for an evaluation of the Institute’s goals and direction.

Interface

On Tuesday afternoon, the group met with Lindsay James, the Director of Strategic Sustainability at Interface.  We asked several questions about Lindsay’s history with Interface and how the company has become one of the most prominent leaders within the sustainability community.

Stickney Water Reclamation Plant

Stickney is the world’s largest water reclamation plant.  It is run by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), the people who clean our wastewater.  The group visited this plant Thursday (which is no short feat these days with all of the security issues, so a big thank you to Peter and Andrew for setting this opportunity up!) and saw how some of the process works.

Plastic Bag Reduction

Half of USDS is working on reducing the consumption of plastic grocery bags in Chicago this year.  On Tuesday, they had their first meeting with Alderman Schulter, and representatives from the Department of Environment and the Department of Streets and Sanitation.  At the meeting the group came to agree that there is a plastic bag problem in Chicago and plastic bag usage has symbolic value that could leverage behavior on other environmental issues.  Also, although there is talk from Chicago about implementing a policy to reduce plastic bags, we need to keep in mind who will be affected by such a policy and give them the opportunity to develop their own reduction measures before a policy is considered.  The group will be meeting again with the Alderman to discuss possible opportunities with retail stores and social institutions.  In the meantime, they are developing strategies for working with retail outlets and social institutions to disincentivize using plastic bags to bring groceries home.

Crossing Communities

The other half of USDS is working on developing a methodology for designers working in communities that differ from their own in terms of culture, norms, politics etc.  They have continued their research and are making progress.

Nudge

On Wednesday, Jessa and Sarina presented their research on the book Nudge, which delves into the methodologies of changing human behavior with small incentives rather than big pushes.  Did you know that the big curve on Lake Shore Drive used to be a deadly turn for speeders until the lines on the road were painted incrementally closer together to give the appearance that you were moving faster?  A little nudge to slow down Chicagoan speeders.

Another packed week!  The tempo of the summer is quickening somewhat relentlessly.  Yay!  But the USDS squad is a resilient bunch and up to the challenge.

In the Bubble

On Monday, we discussed the book In the Bubble, by John Thackara.  Technology and production are accelerating at a phenomenal pace, and here Thackara examines the virtues and dangers of living in an age defined by information and constant growth, most notably that we are too often placing more value on products than on people.

Field Trips Galore

This week we met several individuals who are making unique and profound contributions to Chicago’s sustainability efforts.  On Tuesday, we talked to Nancy Fishman, executive director of the Grand Victoria Foundation, a philanthropic organization that is taking a progressive approach to funding projects in the areas of education, economic development and the environment.   The foundation forms partnerships and creates networks of organizations to produce smarter, collaborative solutions.

Wendesday we met Gary Arnold, who is the Public Relations Coordinator at Access Living.  Access Living is a cross-disability organization governed and staffed by a majority of people with disabilities.  Its mission is to foster the dignity, pride, and self-esteem of people with disabilities and to enhance the options available to them.

Finally, on Thursday we met Marilyn Jones, who owns and runs Consolidated Printing, a unique and extremely rare model of green printing.  At Consolidated, sustainability goes “well beyond recycled paper and soy ink” – They have completely eliminated toxic chemicals from every phase of the printing process.  They show great leadership and ingenuity in the field, and it was inspiring to hear how the company grew from a basement operation to a hugely successful model of sustainable business practices.

Projects

This week was the culmination of the Green Market’s group hard work!  Presented with the problem of increasing fresh food access to residents of the 47th Ward, the Green Market group researched existing food access in the ward, demographics of the ward, existing public markets from Seattle to Milwaukee, and developed several proposals for Alderman Gene Schulter to consider for a public market in Ward 47.  All of the members of the group were a bit anxious prior to the meeting, but everyone in Gene Schulter’s office was incredibly friendly and welcoming.  The meeting was conducted informally with Alderman Schulter, 6 members from neighborhood Chambers of Commerce, the Alderman’s assistant, Peter, and the Green Market group all assembled around a table.  Several interns from the Alderman’s office looked on admiringly.  The Green Market group, which consisted of Amanda, Andrea, Anna, Sandeep, and Sonja, gave a compelling and concise presentation of their findings.  Everyone was poised and confident in their speaking parts, and the discussion that followed built upon our presentation and helped the Alderman identifiy places to start in order to bring a public market to fruition.  Go Green Market-ers!

The groups have also begun to dig into the work of the two longer term projects:  Plastic Bag Reduction and Crossing Communities Protocol.  We are all deep in research, reading, and the production of brilliant ideas, and there will be more to report on these soon.

At the Chicago Center for Green Technology.  Too nice a photo-op to pass up!

Hello everyone! Week 4 was a busy, productive, and exciting week filled with Anna’s birthday and some unintended sniffles. We are all back and healthy now, and looking forward to the 2nd half of USDS. Here are the highlights:  

WEEKEND :                                                                                                                            

USDS saw FOOD Inc. over the weekend. Critiques, reviews, and opinions aside, the film universally begs the question(s), “Where does my food come from, and how does it get to my table?”

HOT HOUSE :

 The Vacant Lot group wrapped up their presentation with much success, presenting on Wednesday to lot owner Gloria Boyer. She was much enthused by their proposals, and action will hopefully be taken soon to transform the space into a usable, beneficial part of the neighborhood. 

 The FOOd FIGHTERS, as they call themselves, spent the week polishing up their presentation, and are well on their way to pitching their hard work to the Alderman. If nothing else, the group is glad to have had the opportunity to tackle issues of food distribution in urban arenas. “The complexities of sustainability + food systems are mind boggling,” reports one FOOd FIGHTER. “From economics, to transit, it’s clear that the steps from farm to table are more than two, or four, or forty-two. I enjoy understanding the issue, as what better, more fundamental topic to grasp than food?”

CAREERS WORKSHOP :

Monday night was Foresight Design Initiative’s Careers Workshop, focusing on issues of jobs + sustainability. At the workshop, we made our Mary Poppins List, which set the tone for the week: Umbrellas & hard working. Takeaway message of the Careers Workshop: “To thine own self be true.” Know your wants, know your needs, get informed, and go from there. The perfect fit of Sustainability + Career will follow…. If only it were that simple.

FIELD TRIPS :

This week got off to a roaring start with meetings with Barry Matchett and Sarah Wochos of ELPC, The Environmental Law & Policy Center, “the Midwest’s leading public interest environmental legal advocacy and eco-business innovation organization” (http://elpc.org/), and introduction and tour of MEEA, the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance. Each multidisciplinary collaborative interestingly crosses state, governmental, economic, and political lines to promote environmental preservation while bolstering economic development. Friday was spent on a tour of Christy Webber Landscape, decorated firm responsible for landscaping of Millenium Park and O’Hare and Midway airports, and poking around in the rain at CCGT, Chicago Center for Green Technology (the award-winning, platinum LEED rating green building owned by the Chicago Department of Environment).

For any building enthusiast, the Christy Webber Landscape & CCGT buildings are great examples of using what you’ve got to make truly awesome and smart spaces. Both use balance, give and take, and realize that the environment is expressive—and that whether you intend it to or not, it will affect your building. So these work with it. Alex sums up this concept really well when he states: “My favorite activity this week was seeing CWL’s LEED building.  The technology seemed so old school (like from thousands of years ago), yet with a modern twist.  The architect really understood airflow.  I loved the canvas ductwork, the permeable flooring with movable vents, the passive solar heating, and how the building was even positioned to take advantage of nature’s offerings.” The passive systems Alex describes are really only passive in the sense that they don’t require active intervention to regulate building climates—rather they actively engage the dynamic, natural climates and temperature systems that pre-exist around them. A little bit of passive activism. Takeaway message of the CWL & CCGT building field trips: Don’t fight it, work with it [nature, that is].

PRIMARY QUESTION OF THE WEEK :

As we continue to interview, and segue into ‘Paper or Plastic’ and ‘Crossing Communities’, our more than HOT HOUSE projects, we continue to ask and to be asked: “How do you permeate and affect an outside audience? How do you convince your clients to follow your advice; how do you convince your clients to be sustainable?” The answer? We’re working on it. One can often start by convincing themselves to be sustainable—often the hardest sell—and working out from there, but the question of public outreach, education, collaboration, and crossing into communities that are not one’s own to tackle issues of sustainability is an important one to consider.  We look forward to providing some Foresight Insight on the matter when the program closes, and welcome your input until then.

Have a great week, and Thanks to all who gave us tours and hosted questions

Hello world!  I’m Anna–engineer by degree, design enthusiast, and novice gardener and seamstress.  I have a B.S.E. in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan and an M.S. in Manufacturing Operations from Kettering University.  After several years in the manufacturing world, I’ve recently begun taking classes in art and design in pursuit of a more creative career.  I live in Evanston with my husband Nick and our two cats, Stanley and Norman.  I’m interested in urban sustainability from the standpoint of developing processes and finding solutions that not only promote environmental and social well-being, but take into consideration the specific needs of the surrounding community.  I’m looking forward to my first blogging experience!

Hello everyone.  My name is Alex and I’m a graduate of The University of Chicago with a degree in Environmental Studies and focus on Public Policy, Law, and Economics.  Our species has a very biological and very primitive tie to the natural world, and it can be advantageous to our developed societies to explore those options in which we disassemble broken systems and rebuild them to produce effective and efficient solutions to the social and economic issues we face.  I’m currently a LEED Consultant and Environmental Policy Analyst.  I also love long walks on the beach and cost-benefit analyses.

Check out my LinkedIn Profile.

Although we had a short week due to the celebration of the birth of our nation, we had an action packed week. We spent most of our time working on our hot house projects. We started off the week with a little celebration of Peter’s birthday. He finally made it to 25!

The vacant lot group met with our client, the owner of the vacant lot. Our main objective was to exchange thoughts so as to gather more background for our potential ideas. All in all it went well although we weren’t perfect (even though we make think we are). Next week we are going to solidify our proposals.
Seeing as I am not in the other group, my associate, Amanda, has given us a report from the farmers’ market group-“We worked on researching and gathering information to present various possibilities and barriers for a public market in the 47th ward. We have been doing ground research about the neighborhood, identifying the assets of the community that might be favorable to the implementation of a green public market or something like it”.

In addition to project work time we had the pleasure of going to the Museum of Contemporary art and viewing the Buckminster Fuller exhibit, Starting with the Universe. I think I can go ahead and speak for all of us when I say, “Go check it out!”. Buckminster Fuller was truly revolutionary. He focused on equality and on sustainability long before it was a mainstream issue. Also, his architectural ideas will blow your mind. Well, they blew mine, at least. He tried to make housing affordable, simple, sustainable and lightweight. His innovation should inspire us all think outside the McMansion.

Before the program started we were divided into five groups and each given a book to read. This week two different groups presented on their respective books. On Tuesday we heard about a book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature written by Janine M. Benyus from Anna and Sandeep. Benyus tells us that we can rearrange how we create products, farm, etc by learning from natural processes. On Thursday, Sonja and Amanda presented on The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability by Paul Hawken. The Ecology of Commerce emphasizes the need for sustainable and ecological friendly economy. He proposes that the world needs restorative economy and the means in which to accomplish it.