Green is our future
Marcus Fairs’s Green Design: Creative Sustainable Designs for the Twenty-First Century is all about intelligent planning and technology coming together to create a more sustainable world. It features enticing images and covers a variety of subject areas including architecture, transportation, lighting and housewares. What I particularly like about this book is that it doesn’t feel like someone is bearing down on you to be an environmental junkie. It educates you about some of the more creative green concepts out there. Some designs are more practical than others, but what good would it be without at least a few funky ideas? Here are two of my favorites:
1. Teahouse on Stilts – An unusual piece of architecture by a Japanese architect that looks like a human equivalent of a bird’s nest in the trees. I’m thinking it would make for an excellent break from our wired worlds.
2. Urban Bicycle Sharing – The idea has fallen prey to crime in the past, but with online pre-registration and RFID tags now commonplace, shared bicycles are a great convenience for tourists and locals to navigate congested cities.
If this is hitting you on all the right spots, we’ve arranged for 3 giveaway copies with the publisher. Just tell us why green design excites you in the comments or on Twitter using #greenfuture. We’ll select our favorite responses as winners.
advertising
creative
do-tell
events
funny
gift guide
giveaway
literature
mixtapes
music
products
sports
travel
tv & film
web
February 3rd, 2010 at 3:48 pm
I get pumped whenever I see design like this coming out. Maybe it was just something instilled within me since childhood, or perhaps this feeling that all things come together in how we love-our home, each other, and future generations. I love the urban bicycle idea. Affordable, good for my body, and doesn’t foul up the air. Perfect for city living. I’m happy to see ideas like this becoming more accepted and popular! As for the tea-house, I’d be interested to learn more about the benefits of it’s architecture. I agree, it looks like a quiet escape from the wired world. Thank you for sharing!
February 3rd, 2010 at 4:16 pm
Change excites me, especially when it is paired with positive energy. This whole “green” trend is a design revolution in disguise . Its difficult for some to feel the excitement, because they do not get the immediate result they are anticipating. I myself get EXCITED just from the design stand point…..Nature has the work cut out for us designers. Global warming, energy loss, water loss…made us think of the environment and re-create/improve our daily habits. Thus, creating new, fresh and innovative designs! A white canvas for all.
I love the urban bike idea. I recently submitted my design concept in a Rebuild competition (GreenWay).. and it didn’t win…. Maybe if the entire community was involved in local non-profit organizations they will start seeing immediate changes right outside their front doors. ( read, vote, and be involved ) !
February 3rd, 2010 at 4:17 pm
Green design excites me because it usually looks damn cool, encourages me to distinguish between my wants and my needs and highlights the importance and advantages of community living. Plus, I’m a law school student aspiring to practice green construction law.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:35 pm
Love the responses so far! Just wanted to pop in letting people know we’ll be announcing the winners on our weekly radio show, Keep It Like A Secret next Wed (Feb 10th 11am PST) on http://www.legitradio.com Once we announce the winners, I’ll post them in the comment section as well. Thanks! -db
February 4th, 2010 at 8:57 am
I get a bit angered (that’s an excited state too) with the terms ‘green’ and ’sustainable’. Not for the way of life they represent, but for the fact that they exist.
Its like that conversation between two friends meeting after several years and one of them asks, “Whats the matter with you, whats with the beard?” And the other says “I’m simply being the way I was meant to be. You’re the one who actually does something weird and shaves it off everyday.”
Its the same with green design. That’s the way we’re meant to be. What we ARE now is the mistake. The ‘change’ took place a long time ago and onwards. Now its just time to get back to being what we’re meant to be, designing what we ought to be and living the way we really should have all this while.
February 4th, 2010 at 11:23 am
Wow… love this stuff. I hope that the bicycle sharing can pick up!
February 9th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
Green design is exciting because its usually just a good idea!
Its a smile in the mind, makes us feel “why did we not think of that before?”
And the best thing is that being a simple good idea, it can come from anyone and yet be indigenous and brilliant.
It usually is appropriate, not necessarily the best, or the best looking.
The tea house here makes one feel that its just how its meant to be!
And the bi-cycles would bring about such convenience and absolutely no harm!
With thoughts like these, the world would change a little slowly and nature would love us a little more.
February 10th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
Congrats to Jimmy (@jimmymisencik), Courtney and Harpreet on winning copies of Green Design in our contest. Please email your full name and address to info [at] holidaymatinee [dot] com.
February 14th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
Thanks a lot and I’ll subscribe to the blog so I can keep reading.