Living off the Grid

Friends:

As we explore the world of off-grid living at the ecocenter, I would like to share with you an interesting overview produced by HowStuffWorks and captures many of the themes we discuss at the building.

"Around the same time each month, millions of Americans go to their mailboxes seeking the comforts of a handwritten letter or their favorite magazine only to be greeted by white envelopes with miniature cellophane windows. We're all familiar with these mailers -- power, water, gas and telephone bills, all conspiring to take your hard-earned money. For most people, paying utility bills is a tiresome and frustrating task. What if there was a way to get out from under the thumb of public utilities and produce your own sustainable energy? Well, there is. Going "off-grid" is becoming an increasingly popular choice for people looking to reduce their carbon footprint, assert their independence and avoid reliance on fossil fuels."

Check it out,

Laurie

Sustainable Industries Features Ecocenter

Our friends at Sustainable Industries featur the Ecocenter in August's issue. Thank you SI for sticking with our project and supporting us!

Beautiful Shots of the ecocenter

Hi Friends:

Pardon my absence--its been a busy few weeks to say the least! I wanted to share some really nice shots we have of the Ecocenter. We'll be taking these to Pasadena Next week for California Design Biennial: Action/Reaction which is featuring the Ecocenter!!!.

Laurie

Ecocenter Voted Best Trip Back to the Future in SF WEEKLY!

Friends--this is very cool and unexpected news:
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The Jetsons didn't foretell the future; the Flintstones did. At least, that seems to be the lesson implicit in San Francisco's first 100 percent "off-grid" building, a self-contained ecology classroom at Heron's Head Park. The facility won't use city sewage or electricity services, but instead relies on wetland cells and ultraviolet sterilization lamps for wastewater treatment, and solar panels and a wind turbine for electricity. The center boasts a living roof, and is surrounded by low-maintenance native plants. Run by the nonprofit Literacy for Environmental Justice, the EcoCenter teaches schoolchildren the ins and outs of clean air and water, healthful food, and open space restoration. It will also explain how dirty industries and facilities sometimes get put in poor neighborhoods. Interns will be trained as resident naturalists and docents.

Come See a Just and Sustainable Way to Twist, Turn on, and Flush

Come See a Just and Sustainable Way to Twist, Turn on, and Flush

Alternatives to BP Oil

Friends:

Today the world announced the Oil Crisis in the Gulf has eclipsed even Valdez as the worst Oil Spill in US History. This is absolutely devastating for the habitat of the Gulf and the local human comunities that live near and depend on the Gulf for their livelihoods. In a matter of minutes the entire ecosystem of the Gulf has been changed--perhaps forever and in the wake of this crisis, rises a huge swatch of environmental injustice brought on by this accident. It makes me feel really proud of what we have accomplished in BVHP to build a place that will showcase sustainable alternatives to petroleum by featuring a stand alone solar array with no interconnection to Petroleum based energy inputs which we are using to teach our community about solar power and alternatives to petrol.

On this memorial day the Ecocenter team pays respect to the citizens of this world that are trying to stop the flow of oil from this accident and save the Gulf.

We were voted the "Best Trip Back to the Primitive Future - 2010" this week in the SF Weekly, which is a nice irony considering what we are dealing with in the Gulf.

Stay tuned!
Laurie

Ecocenter selected to be a Sustainable Site!

Freinds:
We were selected out of a competitive pool of national applicants to be a "sustainable sites" pilot project. The Sustainable Sites Initiative is an interdisciplinary effort
by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin and the United States Botanic Garden to create voluntary national guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable land design, construction and maintenance practices. I stated in our application that we represent a model for an urban sustainable site if only because we are sited in the middle of a distressed environmental zone in San Francisco. I think this pilot project will afford us the opportunity to have positive impact on the USGBC as well as other communities interested in greening up their communities.

Stay tuned.
Laurie