I share a vision with the US Green Building Council, which is to create emerald buildings and communities that will generate and sustain the health and vitality of all life within a generation.
To this end, I encourage you to commit to the following manifesto for change. If you decide to sign on, add a comment with your name and email address. Please encourage others to sign up!
- I WILL CREATE A SENSE OF URGENCY…revolutions only occur if people think something is important.
- I WILL WALK THE TALK…good behavior is contagious. I will lead by example or get out of the way. Sometimes actions remove obstacles when reason cannot.
- I WILL CHARM A SKEPTIC…they may be your next ally, and you might even learn something.
- I WILL STOP BUILDING CRAP…Most buildings are the worst allowed by code. (with a nod to Allan Chochinov’s 1000 word Manifesto for Sustainability in Design that includes the statement Stop Making Crap)
- I WILL FEARLESSLY QUESTION CONVENTIONS AND RULES…or, as the adage goes, I will learn them well so I will know how to break them properly. Remember: there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers. I will cultivate a fascination with the unknown.
- I WILL CHAMPION BOLD, QUIRKY IDEAS…sometimes they are what we need to inspire change and show that reinvention is possible.
- I WILL TAKE ACTION IN THE FACE OF UNCERTAINTY…sometimes we just know what to do and we don’t have to prove it. Some analysis is a good thing so we’re not flying blind. However, do we really need another study to prove that our climate is becoming disrupted? I will be empowered to act when balancing science with common sense.
- I WILL MAKE FRIENDS WITH CHAOS…it’s the most fertile ground for change. Venturing from familiar territory can help find new answers to old problems.
- I WILL DANCE AT THE REVOLUTION…..it adds humanity to the technical solutions, and balances all the hard work with fun. (With thanks to Emma Goldman, who said “If there’s not dancing at the revolution, I’m not coming.” )
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I enjoyed your presentation at Greenbiuld 2009 in Phoenix. I feel empowered and am excited to climb aboard this train to journey with my fellow non-conformists. I will commit to stop settling for and building crap and in line with #5 learn the rules well so that I can break them and change them for the next generation of buildings.
I think this approach is a wonderful way to get cities and developers to start talking about the types of communities they actually WANT in their neighborhoods.
Many of these are things I try to do daily, others are new for me and a welcome addition to my efforts.