Ms. Darby

“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail”
- Abraham Maslow

Ed McMahon provides an oracle pleasure fest, riddled with personal anecdotes, philosophical quotes and rhetorical questions. This Ed McMahon is not your late-night sidekick version, but rather, the Charles Fraser Senior Resident Fellow of the Urban Land Institute, having written 25 books and over 150 articles on sustainable planning and development, preservation and conservation. Mr. McMahon’s best feature is his ability to tell a story that connects his audience, as he reinforces the idea that our solutions to building and maintaining “place” lay in our ability to come together. In Beaufort County, SC, this point is well taken.

In the world of Planning, it seems that Jane Jacobs, a self-taught pioneer of planning and development, is still alive. As the fundamentals of her planning philosophies drive the modern movements of new urbanism and sustainable development, present day planning heroes like Ed Mcmahon, thankfully, haven’t missed her message. Jacobs’ main themes included creating a city center that is walkable (as opposed to an auto-centric model), providing many different avenues from place to place to help foster connectivity (as opposed to the suburban cul-de-sac debacles), and building with regards to place. For instance, while building in New England, a saltbox style structure may be better appreciated than an adobe style structure, which would be more suited to a place like New Mexico.

These philosophies require the public to be involved, as well as the city planners to reach out to the public prior to zoning and development. Just as LEED encourages the use of commisioners throughout every stage of the design process, the mid-century ideas of Jacobs demands early planning and collaboration. This collaborative effort ensures that the general public, together with the future business owners and developers, work towards a plan to encourage success for all within the community. Hence, a win-win situation for everyone; the business owners have increased (foot) traffic and spending, and the community has attractive public spaces to congregate, come together, and ultimately, support the local economy. This creates a better quality of life for everyone involved, which in turn, increases a sense of place which is more likely to be preserved and protected for future generations.

Once again, I must commend the Beaufort County Planning Department, most notably Tony Criscitiello, for embracing these philosophies and bringing some of the most well respected authorities on the subject to Bluffton to share their knowledge with us last Wednesday night. Hopefully, we as a community are able to implement these lessons to benefit our future, both financially and spiritually, as stewards of this gorgeous landscape.

Filed by admin at 4:06 pm under Community, Planning
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I have been making a bunch of mixed cd’s lately, which reminds me how much I love the process of mixing songs and being a DJ. As a natural (over) analyzer, I put a ton of thought into my mixes. Too, overthinking is destructive, because the audience must feel the mix, above all else. Finding the balance between the two, a dance where both intellect and emotion lead at different points, is key. Just as John Cusack’s character in High Fidelity (a great soundtrack, BTW), ruminates on the art of the mix, I see myself with my good friends, passionately debating the ingredients of an outstanding compilation.

Personally, I think it is fairly simple:

• Start off strong, literally. Almost always, the first track should be upbeat (in tempo) and incredibly strong in its demand of the listeners attention.
• Tell a story. Picking a theme helps stay true to the plot. (Note: Genre and mood can equal theme).
• Ensure cohesive mood changes and song order. The order of the songs seems to be almost as important as the songs themselves.
• Finish emotionally. This leaves the listener wanting more.

Back in the day, I used to make a mixed tape for a specific person, and would never give that same mix to a different person. Now, I have been using themes, rather than making a mix for a specific person, breaking my own rules of yesteryear of never duplicating a mix. New times require new rules.

The hours it took, though, in making a mixed tape, remember? To cue up the chosen song (rewind, stop, fast forward, stop, fast forward more, stop, rewind, almost there…), see if it flowed well into the next, repeat the process until the exact song was found for the exact slot, and on and on, was painstakingly laborious. It was all we knew, though, and making a mixed tape was an act of love. And getting one…well, that created a special bond. It allowed us to speak through music without passing a note in study hall. Now, someone makes a mixed CD and it’s a nice gesture, but doesn’t seem to hold the same weight as the mixed tape. Ahhh, the good ole days.

Which brings me to the point of this thought process; How cool would it be to get paid to make mixes? People do, ya know. This is now officially my dream job. I daydream of working with directors like Sophia Coppola and Wes Anderson in the pursuit of the stellar soundtrack. I always like to shoot for the top, ya know?

Filed by darby at 1:55 pm under Arts
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Thanks to Beaufort County planning director Tony Criscitiello, who wants to incorporate green development requirements into the Beaufort County Comprehensive Plan, the topic of the future of sustainable building practices in Beaufort County is on the table. I suspect that the pro-developer contingent, a stable fixture in our beautiful county, has something to say about the introduction of such forward-thinking initiatives. To be applauded is Mr. Criscitiello’s ability to begin this needed community dialogue, which will be (and always is) the first step towards positive change.

Since moving to Bluffton in 2005, I was surprised to learn about the lack of practicing sustainable guidelines in Beaufort County. Mostly disturbing was the lack of public interest in the topic, especially within the building industry itself. Having worked for a production builder here from 2005 until recently, I was forlorn to discover that not one of my co-workers was familar with “green” building, arguably the fastest growing sector in the building industry. Coming from Chicago, where Mayor Richard M. Daley spearheaded the requirements that all public buildings must meet a certain level of LEED standards, I was disappointed. Beaufort County offered no such vision, until now.

Much debate still exists over LEED implementation and cost effectiveness. Troubling is the knee-jerk reaction that building “green” costs more, while many independent studies suggest otherwise. Southface, a national leader in the world of sustainability based in Atlanta, refers to a Davis Langdon Adamson study which found that the buildings going for LEED certification were actually CHEAPER to build than their non-LEED counterparts. The findings were based on up-front costs, not even including the future savings of maintaining and operating a more energy efficient building, nor the time and money saved from decreased warranty issues, not to mention the added benefits of improved employee health, productivity, and overall increased happiness. Having healthy, productive and happier employees is hard to put a price tag on, as it is invaluable.

This is but one of many studies refuting extra-added costs of green building. Too, we must begin to incorporate the idea of the environmental costs we pass on to our children and their children when we choose to build with the traditional and sometimes archaic methods we now use in Beaufort County which are in need of a collaborative revision. Thanks to Tony Criscitiello, we can all be involved in helping that vision see its implementation in order to find workable solutions for all involved.

The 4-part seminar, “Building on What We Treasure the Most,” needs your support. Please see the schedule below:

Tuesday, May 22nd – Technical College of The Lowcountry Beaufort Auditorium – 7PM

Wednesday, May 23rd – Bluffton Town Hall Auditorium – 7:30PM

USCB DESIGN SYMPOSIUM: Intelligent Design for Sustainable Living II: Thursday, May 24th – USCB, South Campus, Hargray Bldg Rm. 156. Beaufort Campus. 12:30-5:30 PM

Please contact the Beaufort County Planning Department for further details. 843-470-2724.

Filed by admin at 1:25 pm under Community
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My olfactory sense is highly attuned and sensitive, and I actually like to clean. I like the instant gratification it gives me. I see great results quickly, which plays well to my impatient and perfectionist sides. Ever since my 19-year old self worked for Toxic Action of Ohio, (and even before), I have been serious about using bio-degradable cleaning products. What can I say. I like water and think it would be nice to keep it potable so that we can, uh, live.

Which brings me to Method products, which I have been using and digging for about a year and a half now. They work well and smell better. The copy on their website and their design are both good, too, and with an ad-man writer as my partner, it is hard for me to ignore these things. Plus, Method is easy to come by. It seems that Target carries all of their stuff, and even Lowe’s has some of their products. As opposed to Shaklee, or some more obscure brands that are hard to get, Method’s convenience factor is crucial.

P.S. Okay. So I actually posted about cleaning products. Call me anal, but at least I am sustainably anal.

Filed by darby at 9:52 pm under Products
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My olfactory sense is highly attuned and sensitive, and I actually like to clean. I like the instant gratification it gives me. I see great results quickly, which plays well to my impatient and perfectionist sides. Ever since my 19-year old self worked for Toxic Action of Ohio, (and even before), I have been serious about using bio-degradable cleaning products. What can I say. I like water and think it would be nice to keep it potable so that we can, uh, live.

Which brings me to Method products, which I have been using and digging for about a year and a half now. They work well and smell better. The copy on their website and their design are both good, too, and with an ad-man writer as my partner, it is hard for me to ignore these things. Plus, Method is easy to come by. It seems that Target carries all of their stuff, and even Lowe’s has some of their products. As opposed to Shaklee, or some more obscure brands that are hard to get, Method’s convenience factor is crucial.

P.S. Okay. So I actually posted about cleaning products. Call me anal, but at least I am sustainably anal.

Filed by admin at 2:04 pm under Products
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I have definitely morphed from an almost fully wild single creature to a tame and domisticated partner. This is evidenced most obviously by the sheer joy coursing through my veins right now due, soley, to the completion of our kitchen with the installation of our stone countertops. Make that – near completion. We still need a couple of finishing touches, like a cooktop hood, glass-tiled backsplash, pendant lights, and a cabinet finish or two, but you get the idea.

To aid you in your visual quest, I give you the before and after’s. The pic’s are presented from left to right; the one on the left, the before, and the one on the right, the after, from the same vantage points. Can you believe the difference? How SWEET is the after?

This post is getting awfully spiritual, what with the allelujah’s, possessed spirits, and the sweetness of the here-after. Plus, all the working to become complete, ever knowing that it will never be complete. Hmmmm. Maybe new kitchens are representative of Buddha. All the peace and serenity and calm and enlightenment and stuff…

Filed by darby at 8:15 pm under Arts, raves
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This past weekend, my loved one helped me to create a new site, called Project Green Spot. I will be using this new site to shed light on all things green. Please read more about my intent for Project Green Spot here.

I will still be posting to msdarby, but will keep all of my “green” subject matter on the PGS site. I am hoping to also include some interviews and podcasts on Project Green Spot for some added insight to what is happening in the world of sustainable business.

Feel free to drop me a line with your feedback, as well as any “green” products you have tried or businesses you know of to be highlighted.

Love,

msdarby
darby at msdarby dot com

Filed by darby at 8:35 am under General, raves
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Last July, dB and I snagged our first home – an 80’s ranch in need of some TLC. Many decisions needed to be made, and we had but one week between closing and moving in. Within that week, we had to:

• put a new roof on the house (and new chimney while you’re up there)
• fix newly made hole in that roof that roofer created, then fell through
• paint entire inside of house and trim
• rip-up all the carpet in BR’s and put in new carpet
• replace all polybutyline pipes throughout
• replace ALL plumbing fixtures in baths and kitchen
• and by the way, while you’re at it, go ahead and…
• tear out the vanity in the master bath and,
• ok, the floor, too, and kindly put this tile down (on the diagonal) and PLEASE
• put in these new vanities that require vessel bowls that NO ONE in South Carolina has ever have seen in their lifetime, EVER and (where’s the wine?)
• replace the toilets. Oh, did you arrange for the movers yet? Of course not. Slacker.

I had of course been looking at paint colors obsessively in the month before our closing, and I found the best colors and most compelling story at Anna Sova, an environmentally conscious store in Dallas, TX. Environmentally friendly paints have lower Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s), therefore emitting less, and sometimes none, of the toxic fumes abundant in traditional paints.

I ordered samples, painted poster board and placed them ever-so strategically around the (old) house, noticed they were all way too dark, obsessed some more over slightly lighter colors, and then ordered the gallons upon gallons of paint I needed to get started. While ordering, I asked what the turn-around time was if (when) I needed more of these colors. All of the colors I had chosen would only require a two-day turn around. This fit into my plan perfectly. I would meet with our painters (we had FULL-time jobs, people. Let the professionals do what they do, while we professionals do what we do, ‘kay?) and determine how much more of each paint was needed, order it, and by the time the first coat was drying, the extra paint would be delivered.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the pollyana picture I painted in my mind turned out to unfold precisely the way I had envisioned? Well, the paint warehouse burned down. Between the time I ordered and received my first allotment of paint and my intended re-order, the Anna Sova warehouse burned down, taking with it all of the glorious pigments from the further reaches of the Earth. (Thankfully, nobody was harmed). No more paint was available for at least 3 more months. Humba?

Unfortunatley, that forced me to match my paint colors, all of which were already applied to my walls in their first coat, at the local Lowe’s. So instead of glorious, vanilla malt smelling, edible paints, HIGH VOC is what I got.

As for the attempt at the Anna Sova paint; I LOVED the smell, and the colors are quite true to their sample books (which one orders separately, but it is WELL worth it). Anna Sova customer service is unparalleled. Simply outstanding. They ACTUALLY call you back after they offer to investigate your questions well enough to find the answers. Truly a joy. However, I highly recommend following the instructions exactly as directed, which requires at least seven days drying time between coats and up to 30 days in certain instances.

Also, try to find a knowledgeable professional painter. This will help to alleviate the innane questions and sideways glances, for one, when you start eating your paint to show off its green value, but mostly because you will need a professional who is able to figure out the texture of this paint and finesse it, if you will. It is idiosyncratic, and really requires experience and patience.

Because Anna Sova only offers flat paint, I am presently on the search for low VOC paints that can be applied more reasonably, offer great colors like Anna Sova, and come in textures other than flat for wet areas, like bathrooms.

NOTE: DO NOT EVER, NEVER, NO MATTER WHAT, use flat paints in bathrooms. Just don’t.

Anna Sova paints cost about $60 per gallon. Use sparingly. If you are a designer and have a resale cert and business license number (I did!), it is half that price.

Filed by admin at 11:13 pm under Paints
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