Pittsburgh, baby
Oct. 24th, 2004 08:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
likethebeerOk, so I spent Wed-Fri at the annual conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ). They were based at Carnegie Mellon for the conference, w/trips to rehabilitated mines, slag heaps, mountain tops that have been completely destroyed, etc., and sessions on a whole host of issues. In addition to talking about reporting them, they hear from members of the EPA and employees of the energy producing industries. They're actually quite balanced in their questions to these people, b/c they're journalists and may want to use anything these people say for a story. I was there b/c 1 of their trips went to Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob (another FLLW building about 20 minutes away from FH20). I was asked to talk about FLLW on the drive there. So it was a little bizarre when I found out I was going all that way just to talk for 15 minutes, but I acted the tour guide for the rest of the day, anyway. I can't just not be a guide when I see a bunch of people on a group tour.
Aside from me, there was this woman named Jennifer who came from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) talking about biophilia. It's an approach to the built environment while taking evolutionary biology into account. Here are some of the basics for what they think makes a building most productive for a human being:
the use of dynamic and diffuse daylight,
the ability to have frequent, spontaneous and repeated contact with nature throughout and between buildings,
the use of local, natural materials,
a connection between interior and exterior surfaces,
natural ventilation,
a direct physical connection to nature from interior spaces, and
direct visual access to nature from interior spaces.
She also talked about spaces w/varied textures and colors, a sense of surprise and delight, playfulness, and "ye olde" prospect/refuge (the idea that you need to have freedom to see, but also a sense of portection). I was blown away by what she said. The description she gave is more detailed than above, and it so dscribes FLLW's approach to building design. It's unbelievable. Anyway, RMI has done tests and studies on people. People in hospitals have quicker recovery times and use less analgesics when exposed to some of these principles; adults & kids perform better on tests, in a statistically signifcant way (like 10-30% depending).
Everyone I met was really nice and intelligent. I met freelance writers and writers from newspapers all over the country. There were also people from CNN and Newsday, etc., but I don't think I ever met them. Just like a tour always is, they knew me afterwards, but I didn't have a clue as to who they were.
The woman who put me up, J.O. (who edited this book) was really cool and allowed me to stick around her b/c I, of course, didn't know a damned soul.
The first night was a swank reception/registration where I got a tote bag (oooh) given to everyone from Carnegie Mellon University (which sponsored the conference), and there was a panel discussion on the effect of celebrity on shedding light on environmental issues--good or bad? Ted Danson was there. He's actually on the board of directors for Oceana, a group he helped to found. He was upstaged, however, by Theresa Heinz Kerry, who made a surprise visit. I forgot that she's lived in or near Pittsburgh for years. She was cool--made a nice, short speech appealing to the reporting on environmental issues, and holding up Pittsburgh as a place that can really make a change. Here's a fact I learned: Pittsburgh has the largest percentage of buildings built w/"green" building techniques/materials, than any other city in the US.
The 2nd night, after our trip to FH20, there was a reception at the Carnegie Mellon Museum of Natural History, in their architectural hall, which was filled w/copies of statues and architecture pieces (I ahve to say that I was quite disappointed in CM b/c they didn't state that these were copies; only if you knew which ones were still in situ would you be certain, like the Venus De Milo; shit this is just what the House on the Rock does). Then we went to a speech by Robert Kennedy, Jr. On the way there, we passed through rooms w/dinasaur bones, rocks and crystals, and those scenes of stuffed pumas taking down stuffed gazelles, or whatever. RFK, Jr works as a lawyer concentrating on environmental issues. A bio explaining what he does is here, but as an example, he's a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. He gave an intense 45 minute speech that needed a bit of editing at points, then took questions. And his answers also needed editing. The 1st question he answered, he went on for about 5-6 minutes.
He was certainly passionate, I'll tell you that.
After his talk, we went up for another recption, and I got to talk to more people who'd taken my tour. My busmate, Orna, is a freelance writer, and she thought about getting me to help on an article. I'm hoping that's what this will produce: 40 jounralists w/my card, calling me if they want info on FLLW and keeping me as a resource. It's really the reason I went.
Well, there's more, but this was very long and my shoulders are tired from being hunched over the keyboard. Ciao.
Edit: I almost forgot! After seeing all of these famous, or semi-famous, people, I was not surprised on Friday when I was being taken to the airport in a shuttle to see a semi-famous person on the sidewalk. We were waiting to turn into a road, and I saw Rev. Al Sharpton! I think I was the only person on the shuttle who noticed it. I quickly looked around at the driver and the 1 other person on the shuttle, and they didn't seem surprised. So weird and kind of funny.
Aside from me, there was this woman named Jennifer who came from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) talking about biophilia. It's an approach to the built environment while taking evolutionary biology into account. Here are some of the basics for what they think makes a building most productive for a human being:
She also talked about spaces w/varied textures and colors, a sense of surprise and delight, playfulness, and "ye olde" prospect/refuge (the idea that you need to have freedom to see, but also a sense of portection). I was blown away by what she said. The description she gave is more detailed than above, and it so dscribes FLLW's approach to building design. It's unbelievable. Anyway, RMI has done tests and studies on people. People in hospitals have quicker recovery times and use less analgesics when exposed to some of these principles; adults & kids perform better on tests, in a statistically signifcant way (like 10-30% depending).
Everyone I met was really nice and intelligent. I met freelance writers and writers from newspapers all over the country. There were also people from CNN and Newsday, etc., but I don't think I ever met them. Just like a tour always is, they knew me afterwards, but I didn't have a clue as to who they were.
The woman who put me up, J.O. (who edited this book) was really cool and allowed me to stick around her b/c I, of course, didn't know a damned soul.
The first night was a swank reception/registration where I got a tote bag (oooh) given to everyone from Carnegie Mellon University (which sponsored the conference), and there was a panel discussion on the effect of celebrity on shedding light on environmental issues--good or bad? Ted Danson was there. He's actually on the board of directors for Oceana, a group he helped to found. He was upstaged, however, by Theresa Heinz Kerry, who made a surprise visit. I forgot that she's lived in or near Pittsburgh for years. She was cool--made a nice, short speech appealing to the reporting on environmental issues, and holding up Pittsburgh as a place that can really make a change. Here's a fact I learned: Pittsburgh has the largest percentage of buildings built w/"green" building techniques/materials, than any other city in the US.
The 2nd night, after our trip to FH20, there was a reception at the Carnegie Mellon Museum of Natural History, in their architectural hall, which was filled w/copies of statues and architecture pieces (I ahve to say that I was quite disappointed in CM b/c they didn't state that these were copies; only if you knew which ones were still in situ would you be certain, like the Venus De Milo; shit this is just what the House on the Rock does). Then we went to a speech by Robert Kennedy, Jr. On the way there, we passed through rooms w/dinasaur bones, rocks and crystals, and those scenes of stuffed pumas taking down stuffed gazelles, or whatever. RFK, Jr works as a lawyer concentrating on environmental issues. A bio explaining what he does is here, but as an example, he's a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. He gave an intense 45 minute speech that needed a bit of editing at points, then took questions. And his answers also needed editing. The 1st question he answered, he went on for about 5-6 minutes.
He was certainly passionate, I'll tell you that.
After his talk, we went up for another recption, and I got to talk to more people who'd taken my tour. My busmate, Orna, is a freelance writer, and she thought about getting me to help on an article. I'm hoping that's what this will produce: 40 jounralists w/my card, calling me if they want info on FLLW and keeping me as a resource. It's really the reason I went.
Well, there's more, but this was very long and my shoulders are tired from being hunched over the keyboard. Ciao.
Edit: I almost forgot! After seeing all of these famous, or semi-famous, people, I was not surprised on Friday when I was being taken to the airport in a shuttle to see a semi-famous person on the sidewalk. We were waiting to turn into a road, and I saw Rev. Al Sharpton! I think I was the only person on the shuttle who noticed it. I quickly looked around at the driver and the 1 other person on the shuttle, and they didn't seem surprised. So weird and kind of funny.
