[Greenbuilding] Gaviotas

Sat Feb 19 08:50:46 CST 2011

As instilled by my editor recently:
earth = soil
Earth = name of a planet

David

At 08:23 AM 2/19/2011, Gennaro Brooks-Church wrote:

>Probably because earth is familiar and mars is a stranger
>
>Gennaro
>347 244 3016
>On Feb 19, 2011 1:29 AM, "Tim Vireo Keating" 
><<mailto:t.keating at rainforestrelief.org>t.keating at rainforestrelief.org> wrote:
> > In this post, Gennaro, you refer to "earth" and "Mars". Curious.
> >
> > tim
> >
> >>This talk of space travel and green building makes me think of a book
> >>I just finished by Alan Weisman called Gaviotas. It is about a
> >>community in the barren and war torn area of Columbia called Los
> >>Llanos. Started in the sixties and alive today this community turned
> >>parched soil that only held a couple kinds of rough grasses into a
> >>lush jungle forest. They used alternative planting techniques and huge
> >>amounts of creativity. Their community generates its own power, its
> >>own water and pretty much everything else it needs. It is a real story
> >>of turning barren nothingness into a bountiful green utopia.
> >>
> >>But here is the kicker. The similarity to space conquest is huge.
> >>
> >>They go to a barren uninhabited wasteland and colonize it.
> >>
> >>They see this triumph of human spirit as success. And compared to the
> >>slums and wars of the rest of Columbia it is a huge success.
> >>
> >>But if you step back a bit and play devils advocate what is the
> >>difference between what they did and what settlers did to North
> >>America? The "barren grassland" they apparently turned into something
> >>useful is purely a human centered view. I'm sure the grassland felt
> >>plenty useful without us.
> >>
> >>On the other hand the story of Gaviotas shows that the inherent nature
> >>of humans is to expand and as long as there is space we will expand
> >>into it. I don't think humans will ever say, "I'm fine where I am, I
> >>don't need to know what is around that corner." Humans are hell bent
> >>on getting into space just like Martha Stewart is hell bent on
> >>becoming the leader of whatever there is to lead.
> >>
> >>Now that there is so little more space to expand into on earth it is
> >>natural we will expand into space. There was a time when Africa was as
> >>foreign to Europeans as Mars is to us now. It certainly wasn't
> >>"natural" for whites to live in Africa. And yet humans have lived in
> >>geological extremes for our whole existence.
> >>
> >>Saying space is not a natural place for humans is like an Eskimo
> >>saying they aren't naturally built to live in the deserts Nairobi.
> >>They would survive just fine after some adjustment.
> >>
> >>Gennaro Brooks-Church
> >>
> >>Cell: 1 347 244 3016 USA
> >><http://www.EcoBrooklyn.com>www.EcoBrooklyn.com
> >>22 2nd St; Brooklyn, NY 11231
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>On Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 11:04 AM, JOHN SALMEN 
> <<mailto:terrain at shaw.ca>terrain at shaw.ca> wrote:
> >>> I didn't catch Martha or space travel, sounds like everyone has 
> been having
> >>> fun this week.
> >>>
> >>> I don't find the greenbuilding/star travel combination that 
> farfetched. We
> >>> are the children of our culture and for Americans the starwars generation
> >>> rules. The was the reinvigoration of mythic archetypes for a 
> few generations
> >>> and greenbuilding with its concern for meaning and 
> transformation (as well
> >>> as post apocalyptic obsession) fits just as well as space travel.
> >>>
> >>> Old bricks have for at least 20 years been worth a 1/3 more 
> than new bricks
> >>> given peoples interest in having facades feel timeless (another
> >>> anthropological oddity) - but not idiotic.
> >>>
> >>> As for living walls... when I lived in ny I rented an old boarded up
> >>> storefront at the base of a tenement between A&B. The door to 
> the back had
> >>> been boarded up for decades. When I bust it open I found an 
> avenue of wild
> >>> uninhabited lush greenery that stretched for the whole street behind the
> >>> tenements. Of course I immediately gentrified it by cutting it down and
> >>> making a nice little patio and garden. Not sure the point of that but
> >>> something to do with greenspaces in ny and gentrification of 
> ghettos (a form
> >>> of space travel at the time).
> >>>
> >>> There is also a rule in permaculture - that if you can care (as in keep
> >>> alive over time)a potted plant on your doorstep you can then move off the
> >>> doorstep and enlarge your area of governance. Seems to me this 
> both applies
> >>> to living walls and space travel.
> >>>
> >>> What is the thing with Martha - thought she was in jail?
> >>>
> >>> JOHN SALMEN ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
> >>> 4465 UPHILL RD,. DUNCAN, B.C. CANADA, V9L 6M7
> >> > PH 250 748 7672 FAX 250 748 7612 CELL 250 246 8541
> >>> <mailto:terrain at shaw.ca>terrain at shaw.ca
> >>>
> >>> -----Original Message-----
> >>> From: 
> <mailto:greenbuilding-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org>greenbuilding-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org
> >>> [mailto:greenbuilding-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On 
> Behalf Of Gennaro
> >>> Brooks-Church
> >>> Sent: February 10, 2011 6:45 PM
> >>> To: Green Building
> >>> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Martha Stewart
> >>>
> >>> I've had living walls and space travel labeled a joke this week on
> >>> this list. I remember being told green roofs were a joke. I got called
> >>> an idiot just three years ago for salvaging bricks from a dumpster.
> >>> Laugh on.
> >>>
> >>> Gennaro Brooks-Church
> >>>
> >>> Cell: 1 347 244 3016 USA
> >>> <http://www.EcoBrooklyn.com>www.EcoBrooklyn.com
> >>> 22 2nd St; Brooklyn, NY 11231
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On Thu, Feb 10, 2011 at 8:20 PM, Racheli Gai
> >>> <<mailto:racheli at sonoracohousing.com>racheli at sonoracohousing.com> wrote:
> >>>> It's a joke, but a sinister one. It keeps many people's gaze on places
> >>> far
> >>>> away, rather than caring
> >>>> for the ground under their feet. It also means that lots of money is
> >>> spent
> >>>> chasing BS dreams, while
> >>>> we have homeless people; untold numbers with not enough to 
> eat, etc. etc.
> >>>>
> >>>> Racheli.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> On Feb 10, 2011, at 5:48 PM, Ron Cascio wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>>> Any kind of escape to another planet is simply a joke. Nothing more.
> >>> Let's
> >>>>> move on to something accomplishable.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Ron
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Corwyn" 
> <<mailto:corwyn at midcoast.com>corwyn at midcoast.com>
> >>>>> To: "Green Building" 
> <<mailto:greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org>greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org>
> >>>>> Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2011 6:25 PM
> >>>>> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Martha Stewart
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> On 2/10/2011 1:47 PM, Gennaro Brooks-Church wrote:
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> Corwyn my opinion is that we are not at the point where we can
> >>>>>>> calculate numbers or make any conclusion about whether we can or can
> >>>>>>> not colonize other planets. The technology is not there. But if the
> >>>>>>> last century is any indication we could be at a very different
> >>>>>>> technological point in another 100 years (whether we are space
> >>>>>>> travelling or living in caves is another question).
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> Also, I never said anything about saving the people on 
> earth. I simply
> >>>>>>> said the survival of the human race.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Perhaps I just think that the idea of murdering 6 Billion 
> people so that
> >>>>>> a few elitist humans can escape their self-made Armageddon 
> to go live in
> >>>>>> a hell-hole of another planet, isn't worth hoping for.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Any technology insufficient to help this planet, won't allow anyone to
> >>>>>> live on another one.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Thank You Kindly,
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Corwyn
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> --
> >>>>>> Topher Belknap
> >>>>>> Green Fret Consulting
> >>>>>> Kermit didn't know the half of it...
> >>>>>> <http://www.greenfret.com/>http://www.greenfret.com/
> >>>>>> <mailto:topher at greenfret.com>topher at greenfret.com
> >>>>>> (207) 882-7652
> >>>>>>
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> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>> 
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> >
> >
> > --
> >
> >
> > "The Earth and myself are of one mind. The measure of the land and the
> > measure of our bodies are the same..."
> > - Hinmaton Yalatkit, Nez Perce chief
> > ____________________________________________
> >
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David Bergman  RA   LEED AP
DAVID BERGMAN ARCHITECT / FIRE & WATER LIGHTING + FURNITURE
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