Ms. Darby

What is a life without purpose but a series of passionless, robotic actions, leading one only to an uninspired destination?

Today, I aspire to honor our limitless human capacity for greatness. In my attempt to stretch myself towards living well and reaching for greater heights, I have found the driving force which is behind Project Green Spot. Fueled by my long-standing environmental ideals and inextricable connectdness to the earth that provides us all life, I see a need for more responsible living.

On my path towards greening my immediate surroundings (with tons of room for my own improvement in this area, too), I have found it to be very difficult to research and locate various “green” products. Most consumers will turn to traditional products if the market does not make it easier for us to get information on and purchase green as an alternative. So I continue to search and discover, and as I do, I intend for this site to act as a reference for sustainable goods and services.

My background is in interiors, so I will likely focus on the inside of buildings. I also strive to research the products that I find in hopes of learning more about the companies who produce them and their real commitment in walking the green walk. With the recent barrage of green marketing, it is hard to decipher the truth from the hype. The true cream will rise to the top, but in the meantime, some background checks will only help in the process.

And finally, I am in the midst of becoming a LEED Accredited Professional. I wish to provide as much information and guidance to everyone wishing to become a LEED AP, as it is a bit overwhelming and sometimes ambiguous. Hopefully, my experiences along the way may help you along your path.

This journey will lead to many destinations. Let’s go forth and GREEN.

***UPDATE***
I sat for the LEED AP test in August, and passed my first try! Whoo-hoo!

Filed by admin at 2:04 pm under Building Programs
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The landscape architects and environmental planners at ah’bé in Culver City, CA, are creating trees out of shredded paper. The firm has taken six weeks of their paper waste and sculpted it into giant paper trees.

The term “sustainability” has entered the mainstream with such force that it teeters on the verge of becoming meaningless. This second installation in a 3-part series seeks to challenge the viewer’s understanding of these materials as “consumptive” or “wasteful”, and asks them to consider a more significant and vital meaning and intent of this term.

Although so many things about it scream high art, it seems a lot like Cali’s answer to modern Folk Art to me. The installation opened Tuesday and runs through May 18th at the MODAA gallery in Culver City.

Filed by darby at 8:24 am under Arts
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In this Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, the cover story deals with the “Greening of Geopolitics.” Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and seasoned Times columnist Thomas Friedman says that our next President will need to employ workable solutions to our global environmental crisis. And that by doing so, America can regain its international stature.

Right off the bat, he speaks to the terminology behind the “green movement.”

In the world of ideas, to name something is to own it. If you can name the issue, you can own the issue. One thing that always struck me about the term “green” was the degree to which, for so many years, it was defined by its opponents – by the people who wanted to disparage it. And they defined it as “liberal,” “tree-hugging,” “sissy,” “girlie-man”, “unpatriotic”, “vaguely French.”

Well, I want to rename “green.” I want to rename it geostrategic, geoeconomic, capitalistic, and patriotic.

I couldn’t agree more. It seems that the term “green” evokes such a knee-jerk response from certain individuals that may not see themselves as environmentalists, another term that is aligned with the left. It’s time for Americans to realize that the Earth’s health and ours, as a result, is not a Republican nor Democratic issue. It is neither a neo-con, liberal, leftist, nor radical idea. It is, in fact, a human crisis, but one that we can collectively solve.

One of the big ideas I see coming forth from inside the geostrategic movement is this: we must determine the cost of putting CO2 into our atmosphere, and then, charge companies the real cost of putting that CO2 into our atmosphere (presently, no model exists where the cost of pollution is built into the end product). By doing so, the companies producing goods sustainably will be rewarded, while the ones who are putting the most CO2 into our atmosphere, in both the production of their goods, as well as the end product, will be given incentive to reconfigure their process.

Under this system of production green goods will eventually become LESS EXPENSIVE than non-green goods. What a concept. This is the same idea that came forth when I heard Robert Kennedy, Jr. speak in Savannah.

I do believe we can act on this idea of real environmental costs. As always, it will need the support of the people. Us. You AND me. We must.

Filed by darby at 9:27 am under Politics
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The parents of Darby of Dogs waited a LONG time to tell me their dogs name was, uh, Darby. In fact, I learned it in the paper, as Darby’s mom is a recently retired columnist for our venerable Bluffton Today newspaper. And, I suppose if they ever thought they would ask me to watch their sweet bundle of dogness, they would need to come clean.

David and I are enjoying every minute of our dogsitting duties. I couldn’t ask for a better canine namesake.

Some things about Darby, the Dog:

• Darby, the dog, is male
• He REALLY likes cheese
• And walks
• And chasing squirrels
• And pretending to be able to kick the ass of any passerby, but when met with said person, he uncontrollably wags his tail in sheer delight
• He is funny
• And cute
• He likes people, too. Reminding me that his human counterpart plays that same game, sometimes. The “barking and then wagging of behind” when meeting people because, well, we actually like them.

Filed by darby at 10:13 am under General
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