Solar Decathlon U of C info session

"The ISEEE Students' Association invites you to an information session about the 2009 Solar Decathlon. All are welcome to attend.
Date: March 29th
Time: 5:00pm
Location: ES 162"
see link for more information: http://www.eere.energy.gov/solar_decathlon/

Al Gore speaks in Calgary: April 23

U of C Media Release:
"Students offered ticket discounts to Al Gore speech

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce and the University of Calgary are bringing former United States vice-president Al Gore to Calgary to speak about the threat of and solutions to global warming.

Gore will speak on his work dispelling the myths and misconceptions surrounding the climate crisis with particular emphasis on his award-winning documentary film An Inconvenient Truth.

“As climate change is now recognised as one of the highest priority issues for Canadians, we (the Chamber of Commerce) are committed to providing a major forum for constructive dialogue surrounding this issue as it directly impacts Calgary’s economy,” says Heather Douglas, Chamber president and CEO.

In addition to providing support for this event, the University of Calgary is ensuring that tickets are available to students at a discounted rate. Some of the proceeds from the event will be used to establish a student award related to environmental sustainability and global climate change at the U of C.

Gore will speak at the Jack Singer Concert Hall, at the EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts, on Monday, April 23 at 7 p.m. Tickets can only be purchased through Ticketmaster."

Questions from OnCampus (U of C's campus paper) for William McDonough:

OC: What is the Cradle to Cradle philosophy and how will it improve environmental sustainability?

WMD: Cradle to Cradle is an approach to making things that is in counter-distinction to the ‘cradle to grave’ mindset. Current technology is based on the idea of take, make and waste. What we’re doing is eliminating the concept of waste. We see things we use as going back to the soil to regenerate it or back to industry to regenerate it, not simply watching materials be destroyed and put into landfills or incinerated once we’ve used them. These processes use renewable energy, produce clean water and engage in practices of social fairness.

How will the adoption of Cradle to Cradle affect consumers and economic growth?

Essentially, the negative impacts of consumption will be reduced, while the positive impacts increase. If we put the biologically-based materials back into the soil, it will get better. If the technical nutrients required to build a car or a computer or a pair of shoes will be returned to those systems for infinite re-use safely, then their ecological footprint is neutral or even positive.

You are known for, and have also been criticized for focusing on changing economic and manufacturing systems rather than improving environmental laws and policies. Why have you chosen to focus your efforts in this way?

We happen to focus on the commercial sector because regulatory regimes are informed by the commercial sector, and they often chase it. If we can design products that don’t need to be regulated, such as the textiles mill we designed in Switzerland where the water coming out of the mill is cleaner than when it goes into it, the regulator has new benchmarks. If it exists, that proves it’s possible.

What are the challenges to adopting Cradle to Cradle? Is it catching on?

We’re seeing it catch on in a big way because I think a tipping point has been reached. When you see companies the size of Wal-Mart starting to have dialogues around these issues, you know something is about to happen. As customers and consumers reinforce this behaviour with their pocketbooks, they are realizing that they can make a profit by adopting this point of view.

Does this represent hope for the future of up-and-coming architects, designers and planners?

I’m finding that younger people take this for granted. They often don’t realize that the whole system was producing toxic materials that were destroying the Earth. They don’t see that as part of their design assignments.

What advice do you have for aspiring designers?

Travel broadly, then go home and do it this way. A broad perspective and an open perspective around other cultures is going to be critical for global citizens. We have to respect the various approaches to the religious, social and economic needs of various cultures. We’re all on the same boat.

Cradle to Cradle author in Calgary

This happened last Friday - I was unable to attend but will try to find a review to let you know what happened: "He’s been proclaimed a “Hero for the Planet” by Time magazine and received numerous prestigious awards for sustainable development and industrial design. World-renowned ecological architect and designer William McDonough is helping multinational corporations including Ford, Nike and Gap green their operations and has made headlines around the world for calling for nothing less than a new industrial revolution that will improve the environment and revitalize the global economy.

"McDonough will be in Calgary on Thursday, March 15 for a special guest lecture for U of C students on his “Cradle to Cradle” philosophy from 2 pm to 4 pm, followed by a dinner speaking engagement at the Hyatt Regency Hotel downtown as the final event in the Faculty of Environmental Design’s keynote speaker series on sustainable environmental design. His visit is co-sponsored by the U of C’s Faculty of Environmental Design and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

McDonough’s connections to the Calgary area include the fact that his firm, William McDonough + Partners, were the lead designers of the environmentally-friendly Bison Courtyard commercial development in Banff and McDonough praised Calgary Transit’s wind-powered light rail transit program Ride the Wind in his 2004 essay Something Lived, Something Dreamed: Urban Design and the American West."

[U of C Media Release]