Greater protection for the Inyo, Sequoia and Sierra National Forests’ http://goo.gl/2iFZQu
These mountain ranges in our National Forests are an amazing place to backpack and hike. I have camped/car camped and been in the wilderness back country, just as recently as last year. I have been writing letters to the government on their master plans for the National Park Service going back to the 1980’s. I also wrote letters and commented on the 10 cycle of master plan modifications. I used to get a stack of books for each park area about 1 foot high. I could then read the sections I was personally interested in and put in my 2 cents. The resources are varied with differential needs from humans to wildlife, protected resources, fire control, and global warming. The master plans address all these issues and many more. We cannot hope for others to do all the work.
Green Design Jim
Trust: The belief that someone or something has integrity, is reliable, good, honest and effective.
This is a big deal when it comes to choosing an Architect. We here at JHAI want you to know we have your best interests in mind when designing your project.
Years ago I was brought into a construction claim mediation hearing (first and only time) as a witness for both sides of the claim. This revolved around a condominium Home Owners Association who hired a Property Management Company and a General Contractor. The claim was between the General Contractor (GC) and the Property Management Company (PM). All 3 parties trusted me to hold their negotiating strategies private. The court appointed judge gave me my instructions and then also trusted that I could help in resolving the issues. I met with each side privately and together. I had no idea what the conflict was going into this witness/mediator position as the Architect for the job. Their dispute had nothing to do with the construction. It was a personal issue.
Take a look at this map. Do you see a trend? See which countries are getting the message and which ones are lagging behind. Who are the educated? So, why is it then that the United States is so behind in affecting climate change? The West Coast gets it! Do you?
We all talk about it: Sustainability and Transparency in the workplace. This is how an Architect’s Office stays open in this ever-changing business climate. Next year JHAI will have sustained 30 years of continued assistance to our clients.
All companies are accountable for their own and their office's efficiencies, in business and in their services. Creating an integrated building design that includes sustainable designs needs the same amount of care. When you are on the job, the time card and what you did are used to invoice projects. If it is not well documented then the client will want further descriptions of the services performed. If you do it right the first time, then everyone on the team saves time and everyone on the design team will get paid faster. The same is true for a building's utility performance.
This article just keeps reminding me about why one group of people or their investors make financial bets, like investing in business activities while those same activities work against others. As an example, this is true in the energy production and its use. These specific activities are changing the way our natural earth cycles work. This makes all past planning for future needs change. Our air, water, soils, and oceans are all changing. Science shows this every day. Some of the worst scenarios from a few years ago of ice sheets melting have already become a reality. Low lying lands are flooding more frequently and the oceans are rising. Countries are already planning and implementing new protections and new structural designs to prepare for the new realities.
Who is paying for all of this? In some cases the large corporations get sued and have to come up with the cash. In other cases smaller companies just go out of business. In all cases most of the money is coming out of our tax dollars. So most of the time you’re paying for the ability for many of the largest companies to support a profit margin so the CEO's can make big bucks and the stock holders get the returns on their investments. Most stocks investments are from the wealthy. So who is paying the cost of this unsustainable method of living on the planet? Who gets most of the government tax incentives? With a level playing field on true costs, renewable and sustainable energy is competitive in today's market place. But with all the government subsidies and no accounting in the current energy policy the other real cost to society is it makes the balance of energy goals slower in coming. Do we have time to wait?
