Up with Green Roofs! It is time, St. Louis.

I had the pleasure of attending a Green Roof Design and Installation workshop last week in Nashville, Tennessee.  This course is for those interested in the green roof industry and Green Roof Professional accreditation.  It was a real treat to have Steven Peck, Founder and President of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, as our instructor. 

Hitched to Nature, Hitched to the Universe

“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” ~John Muir One of my favorite quotes…it not only inspires my continued appreciation for the natural world, but it also clarifies my thoughts on Sustainability. *I took this photo at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit,

Green Career Fairs in the Midwest?

Are you a college student or a recent graduate?  Have you followed the educational path to a shiny new sustainability or environmental degree?  (If so, bless you and your commitment!)  But are you ready to look for work in this field?? Are you looking to network?  As a part of your search, I bet you’re

Forest March in February

The truck rumbled and rattled and crackled along the gravel road back to the park office;  I was sitting in the bed, relaxing in the open air.  The cool air  and the speed of the truck felt brisk, though it was fortunately offset by the pleasant warmth and radiance of the sunny day.  The truck

Hello Mr. Steward

To be straight forward, I am exploring my career paths right now, so this is more like an open cover letter than a blog post.  This is in light of the 3 million ‘green’ jobs that were available last year.  I’ll have one of those, please.  But what makes a job green?  What qualifies someone

Place of Peace, Power, and Gratitude

For certain, I find inspiration in the illustrative, passion-filled words of John Muir, the master naturalist, the whispering-to-the-wee plants botanist, the glaciologist, the avid and skilled hiker, the potent political activist, the great appreciater of His Creation.  His words moved Presidents and led to the creation of National Parks, ‘America’s Best Idea.’  But even Mr.

Obsolescence of Edison

Let there be Light.   And there is light, just not inefficient light anymore.  In the United States, incandescent bulbs ranging from 100 Watts to 40 W are being phased out in the name of energy efficiency.  100 W incandescent bulbs were phased out late last year and the manufacture of 75-Watt lamps halted yesterday.  This

2012 in Review

Not bad for 2012!  Thanks for reading and commenting everyone! The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: 600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 4,600 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed

What is Living Architecture?

Someone on Twitter recently asked me about living architecture. So, what is Living Architecture? Well, what is architecture?  Google tells me that it is the ‘art or practice of designing and constructing buildings.’  By extension, then, living architecture could be defined as the practice of integrating vegetation into the design and construction of the built

Recommended Reads on Nature and Sustainability

These are just a handful of the books that have helped shape my understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of sustainability, my deep appreciation for nature, and my hope for an ever-improving future.  Add some of these to your book wish list! John Muir was the founder of our national park system, an ardent and expert