The engineering consultant’s office had that weird combination of stale coffee and new carpet smell that somehow made everything feel more depressing. I’m sitting there watching this guy flip through…
Walking through that converted Woolworth’s building in downtown Tucson last month got me thinking about waste – not the kind we toss in garbage cans, but the massive waste we…
You know what drives me crazy about working with architects in Tucson? Everyone claims they do “sustainable design” but half of them couldn’t explain why their building won’t turn into…
Last Tuesday, I found myself in a conference room in downtown Phoenix, surrounded by architects who were debating the merits of LEED certification versus Living Building Challenge standards. The conversation…
Last week my wife came home from Nordstrom looking defeated, clutching a $2,800 Gabriela Hearst bag she’d just returned. “The sales associate swore it was completely sustainable,” she said, “but…
I was standing in my colleague Maria’s kitchen last week, watching her flip through utility bills with this huge grin on her face. “Sarah, look at this!” she said, practically…
Man, I gotta tell you something that’s been eating at me lately. Every week I get calls from folks who’ve hired some fancy architecture firm promising “sustainable design,” and then…
I remember sitting in a coffee shop in Tempe last spring, watching a heated conversation unfold at the table next to me. Two interior designers were arguing about whether using…
You know how sometimes you have to get a little dramatic to make a point? I mean, I’ve been trying to teach sustainable design principles for years, and I kept…
I've been thinking a lot lately about why some buildings just feel right while others make you want to flee immediately. You know what I mean – you walk into…