[Greenbuilding] Gaviotas

Sat Feb 19 07:23:20 CST 2011

Probably because earth is familiar and mars is a stranger

Gennaro
347 244 3016
 On Feb 19, 2011 1:29 AM, "Tim Vireo Keating" <
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
>>www.EcoBrooklyn.com
>>22 2nd St; Brooklyn, NY 11231
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>On Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 11:04 AM, JOHN SALMEN <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
>>> terrain at shaw.ca
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: 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
>>> www.EcoBrooklyn.com
>>> 22 2nd St; Brooklyn, NY 11231
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Thu, Feb 10, 2011 at 8:20 PM, Racheli Gai
>>> <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" <corwyn at midcoast.com>
>>>>> To: "Green Building" <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/
>>>>>> topher at greenfret.com
>>>>>> (207) 882-7652
>>>>>>
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>>>
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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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