awesomeness #3

Shigeru Ban, one of my favorite architects, is pretty awesome. Just the way he thinks about using standardized, banal materials like paper tubes and shipping containers in poetic ways is very inspiring. Materials to build with are everywhere, and are usually free or cheap. Its the imagination to re-use them that is a rare find. Check out this Nomadic Museum he designed a few years ago. Its moved around from city to city for changing exhibtions.

awesomeness #2 - Architecture 5 cents

The skills most architects posess are invaluable concerning problem solving, space planning, beautifying, greening, etc etc...we make bad spaces good, and good spaces amazing, when you can afford us!.....which doenst happen for 98% of people in the US alone, much less the world. The world of architecture is inaccessible to most normal people. We're kind of a mystery of a profession, a dinosaur some say (Im one of them who says that).

When architect John Morefield got laid off, he decided to share his skills for free, well almost.....for 5 cents at a booth he started called Architecture 5 cents. I love this idea. People come up to him at the farmers market and they just ask him questions about design. I love how accessible it is. Some become his clients, but for the most part, its just about sharing the wealth of knowledge he's got, instead of keeping all that wisdom bottled up. Getting what you know out of your head and onto the street for 5 cents? Thats awesome.

awesomeness 1 - OS House

I want to begin posting some things I would generally refer to as "awesomeness". I have a fodler where I keep these things and ideas, and I want to share them. Here is number 1:

I came across this organization today, called OS-House. I am really into how architecture and building can be tools for peacemaking at home and across the globe. Theyre often the opposite, but there is SO much potential for good its hard to get down about it. The OS House (short for Open Source House) is sponsoring a design competition for sustainable, affordable housing in Ghana, West Africa targeting low and middle income earners. Lots of buzzwords there to salivate over, but it seems like a lot of local knowledge, listening, and front end partnership were put into this. Lots of times these ideas have a real "saviour complex" attached to them, and you end up with 1920's international style modernism in the middle of the bush. Im hoping for something else here. We'll see what they come up with.

sky water

Im super pumped to be part of the Urban Farm Team at Circle of Hope, and I was asked to share what I know about rainwater harvesting for a talk a few of us will be giving in June. The more I think about it Im realizing I have a lot to share, from why we should consider it to 4 or 5 practical applications / simple systems we can build, ranging from the basic rain barrel to water your garden, to a pressurized cistern in your basement, to a small agricultural (urban farm) setup. My friend Stephan Way is really getting into the mix as well, and just got a rain barrel free from the city, and he is already watering his impressive vegetable garden, as well diverting the plentiful amounts of free water to wash his clothes. And there is a great article in our local Grid magazine from April as well.

A few reasons to care about catching and reusing sky water:

1. The next world war will be fought over water. Resuing rainwater, and learning not to waste potable water, builds an awareness of the water-wealth we live in, and helps us stand in solidarity with those who aren't so fortunate.

2. Reuing rainwater helps to lessen the load on our already ridiculously overtaxed "combined sewer systems." Basically, put that water to use in a garden instead of sending it to the river with the pollutants its going to pick up.

3. Refill those aquifers. Since the 1950's (+/-) our underground fresh water reserves have been dropping. Its like a big pot of water, and we're essentially interrupting the natural cycle and sending polluted fresh water to the rivers and eventually the ocean. its messed up.

4. Pay less for water, and go easy on mother earth already. Yes, water is cheap, you probably dont even think about it. The hidden costs of what it takes to "make" potable water, and clean it when we are through, are astounding.

5. Learn something cool to be able to teach all your friends and neigbors around you. Being resourceful is useful thing to build community.

Stay tuned for more....here are some pics and videos to get you thinking:

Basic diagram of a simple rainbarrel.....

3-barrel system in Ithaca, NY......

whoa that is a lot of water!

Our friend Andrea Ferich in Camden, with muzak from Psalters:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4tw8mOqsPw&NR=1

and this guy calms me down:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvWginV0el4

Solar hot air collector, again

Im getting excited about this solar hot air collector idea, again. I found this book at our office: Sun, Wind and Light, Architectural Design Strategies. Its got over a hundred strategies for designing or retrofitting buildings with all kinds of passive green strategies that use the sun, wind, and light of your specific area. I like the mantra, "Passive buildings, active occupants," which encourages people to use buildings to temper their spaces, and not be so dependent upon "active" mechanical components, like fossil-fuel fired heating and cooling systems, or even super expensive photovoltaic solar panels. The simplest way to think about this would be to open the windows on a nice day rather than use the air conditioner. Or, turn off the electric lights and open the shades to allow daylight in, especially on the south face in the winter. Anyway, Im thinking about installing a rooftop unit like this one on our house instead of smaller window units in the previous post:

The basic premise of the panel is there is a glass / plexiglass face, with a thin air space, and a corrugated steel backing, painted black. In the winter, cold air enters the lower intake, is super heated in the sealed air chamber by the sun, and exits at the top, pulled by an inexpensive fan, through ductwork (or not) into the house. Because heat rises, you need to get that free hot air down to the first floor, so I would hook ours into our existing ductwork system, then it would rise throughout the house naturally. You can even hook these up to thermostats, so they turn on and off. All told, I'm told you can build them for between $100 and $500......free heat for about 25 years after that.

Sisters of Mercy

One of my jobs where i work is to help building owners, architects, and developers get their buildings LEED-Certified. LEED is a national benchmark and rating system for green building standards. Its got tons of flaws, but overall its a pretty good system to get a huge conversation going. I get to work on some pretty cool projects, like the newly renovated Mercy Family Center in the Tioga section of north Philly. The Sisters of Mercy run this amazing place, doing all kinds of amazing things for the people who make up Tioga. They take serving the 'least of these' seriously, as their life's vocation. They took up the mantle of green, healthy building when they planned a major renovation of an abandoned warehouse at 20th and Venango Sts a few years back. Its so exciting to see folks who dont compartmentalize between social and environmental justice. These great ladies see the direct connection between healthy daylit spaces that use much less energy and resources, treat the earth as the Created thing it is, and use their space to help positively shape the lives of the residents of Tioga. Check out this video...... might want to grab a box of Kleenex beforehand.

fast unto death

My friends Will and Lauren are spending 6 months in India doing some amazing work. Lauren is sharing her amazing gifts working with kids with special needs at the Latika Roy Foundation, and Will's work as I understand it is connected to water issues with this environmental organization called PSI, the People's Science Institute.

I checked out the PSI site, and was inspired by the approach of its founder, Dr. G.D. Agrawal, of halting a massive hydro-power project that would have caused massive environmental damages to the region surrounding the Bhagirathi river. The doctor, twice, implemented a 'fast-unto-death' to get the attention of the Prime Minister to halt this damaging project. Amazingly, his work succeeded in its goal, as the project is off the boards. This got me considering my fast this Lent, and other friends' fasts I know of. Instead of letting it de-motivate me because mine isnt as "good", i'm choosing to be inspired. This man was willing to give up his life for something he believed in beyond himself. In cell the next 3 weeks for cell we are delving into the Temptations of Jesus in the Wilderness, and how we can respond here and now. I cant help but see a connection to Jesus' 40 day fast / vision quest in the desert.

BEHOLD THE CAIRNAGE!!!

Mens Retreat this weekend. 75 dudes trying NOT to burn the forest down, and Im not helping. Eric Midgett and I built this wonky wooden cairn we're going to light on fire Saturday night, working around the themes of wayfinding, a spiritual point of reference, gravemarking, burial, death, and general pyrotechnics. Most ancient ones were built of stone to "keep the dead from rising." Ours was made in one evening from scavenged pallets to awake the dead from their sleep. Pray for rain.

fossil fuel fast

In my attempts to get off the fossil fuel addiction, Im working on 2 strategies:

1. less or no automobile use

2. heat the house with "alternative means"

The first one is coming out of my Lenten discipline of sleeping by 10, awake by 6. Im ramping it up to include a walk to the train (at Temple U) in the morning, which gives me even more time to get present and listen before the workday begins. Plus I get to see interact with parts of my neighborhood that Im apt to drive through than walk. Even today I had a brief but sweet interaction with a guy sticking his head out the door remarking on the cold weather. We agreed to disagree, kindly. Not driving my truck around keeps me from being addicted to going wherever I want whenever I want as fast as I want.....depending on my two feet, and SEPTA keeps me disciplined to a schedule, and keeps me in touch with the heartbeat of the city. plus its so much cheaper.

The second phase of the fossil fuel phase out plan is two fold:

2a. Install an EPA certified wood-burning stove. My pal John just put in a stove and he cooks his place out. Its going to be some bones to get it rolling, but nothing compared to my gas bills every winter, and we keep that thermo at 60 degrees! PGW is going to have a lot to answer for one day, to a lot of people. The great thing about wood is that with the right stove, most of the environmentally harmful exhaust gases can be reburned to add more heat, and keep the smoke out of the atmosphere. Plus wood is a renewable resource, and ill be getting all of my wood from salvaged sources (pallets, construction scraps, wood flooring contractors, fairmount park commission, etc) Hmmmmm, Ill need my truck for this...compromise.

2b. This is the new cool part im pretty excited about. Build and install a solar "heat grabber", which is nothing more than an airtight box, with a plexiglass top, black painted aluminum backing, some insulation, caulk, some scrap 2x4s, and a cheap fan and thermostat. check out these links. you can build one for about $100, and it provides free solar hot air throughout the winter, even on some cloudy days.

love the narrator's voice, so calming.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8SEwJkEwoc

and a scrap material panel from the UK:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=173owKST-w4&feature=related

Croatan debut

Our debut show opening up for Papertrigger this past Saturday night at Johnny Brenda's was a good one. One of the other opening bands had to cancel, and we got to up our playtime to about a half hour, and add a song. All told we played kou kou (psalters only), tiriba, and yankadi-makru (with jole singing). It was so much fun, half the crowd got really into it, and the other half didnt seem to know what to think of us....not ironic enough I guess. Check out the videos here:

http://www.youtube.com/thejayinjc

There are 3 parts.....marvel at the blindfolded Joshua Grace and his hands of danger!

Ashes time

Today marks the beginning of Lent, Ash Wednesday. Its a time to identify with the death of Jesus so that we can truly identify with the resurrection and life.....to let go so we can truly live. Being quarantined away for 40 days begins to make room, begins to carve out / stake out some space where God can come and in clean house. Sculpturally speaking it could be thought of as a subtractive process, making a negative, creating a void. We live in such an additive society so this is foreign thought to me. Im going with it by carving out some space at night so I can have the time in the morning to be still and silent for an hour before I eat breakfast and get ready for work, a small attempt at some regular spiritual discipline: listening. Going to sleep by 10pm so that I can wake by 6am may not seem profound, but its those 2 hours at night (10-12) and the ones fighting to awake have really robbed me of awareness over the years, I think. I could be wrong (and dramatic) but Im going to give it a shot for 40 days. Today was the start.

Phase 5 complete

Phase Five of our House Reclamation Project was recently completed, thanks to an army of friends from every area of our lives from the past 10 years. Jenna and I are eternally grateful for the help we received from all of you who showed up this past weekend to help with the punchlist and cleaning up. We've had a strange sense that we are living in someone else's home, where light switches work, walls are painted, and the air quality is relatively healthy....its a strange experience tying up loose ends like that. Here are some pics:

Living / dining room:


janky front and back....

2nd floor bath.....

up the stair of seascapes to the 3rd floor

Croatan Drummers

Im playing now with this drum troupe called Croatan Drummers.....

which has been coming out of the West African Drum Classes and Jay Beck's ongoing vision for a multicultural arts and education studio connected with Psalters, Circle of Hope, and all kinds of other cool things. We've been practicing three songs for our first performance:

Tiriba

Yankadi-Makru

And we're also going to sing this piece at the end of Makru called Jole. All in all its going to be pretty epic. Come by, we'll be playing in between sets:

PAPER TRIGGER ALBUM RELEASE SHOW

feb 21st9pm. johnny brenda's

with CROATAN DRUMMERS
PATTERN IS MOVEMENTand WHALES AND COPS

Hope to see you there.

spirit animal

I was beginning to think that my spirit animal was a jellyfish, because Ive long identified with them as my nemesis. I saw this picture of a giant 'lions mane' and began to consider it even more:





Then I read this piece about "Jellyfish wisdom" (wisdom?)


Jellyfish's Wisdom Includes:
Sensitivity to water energy—emotions
Understanding of the value of floating, rather than swimming, through trying emotional times
Proper use of softness (not being rigid)
Ability to become untangled from the webs of peril in life

Im reconsidering that I may be a Bear after all.

nextness

Ive been away from regular stuff that keeps me centered, and boy it makes a difference, but it can be really difficult for me to give in to daily prayer and contemplation when I feel so limited in my ability to get done what needs to get done with all thats happening right now. Not a complaint, but i am becoming so aware of my need to go and be with Jesus every day, in silent prayer, listening.
Right now we are rounding out 6 straight weeks of overseeing mulitple people working on our house so we can be prepared for an appraiser to tell us how much our house is worth so the bank can refinance our mortgage and "give us" some more monwy to finish it up. I cant tell you how difficult this process is for me. I do not like to reliquish control and oversee other people working on our home. I dont know why, I want to WANT to have it be easy, but it is not. On top of that its one of my closest friends, so that gets messy too. Letting go is really important for me though, and self care as well. Seeing things through, finishing ideas we had when I was 26 is also a good idea. Getting on to the next version of me seems Herculean. Finishing anything does for me. But its so good to untie one more knot in that Gideon cluster that is the interworkings of my brain at times.
We signed the papers for the refi, and the bean-counter is on his way to tell us how much our house is worth. This game, is such a game. It feels so inauthentic. I dont like games. I dont particularly like capitalism either, and I feel so stuck there sometimes, so compromised. having to dress up the house so it looks worth it is so hard for me. But it dovetails with actually finishing bits and pieces Ive been neglecting for years now. And it is looking SO SWEET!

I cant wait to get some of this cash and apply it to things like a wood buring stove, super high efficiency boiler, new kitchen, and maybe even a double-tiered roof deck where we plan on growing a bunch of our food! A lot of ideas Jenna and I have had (God bless that patient woman...love you babe) for years are coming to fruition lately....its often more than my brain can handle at once. Ill post some pics soon.

Oh, the bit about self-care......
1. Went to the dentist for the 1st time in 5 years - brutal, but so good.
2. Went to an orthopedic specialist to finally get my knee seriously looked at.
3. considering therapy again to work some stuff out thats really been coming up again and again.

There is lots to be really excited about:

-I'm in the advanced class for West African Drumming.
-I finally got the lighting plans for Circle of Hope done...the first pass at least.
-I'm feeling good about my job / getting the hang of this LEED Consulting thing.
-I'm about 90% done my bathroom project, which began last May.
-Ive got two friends of mine working on my house (mostly the 1st floor) so we can polish it up for an appraisal and refinance our mortgage....its like an episode of Flip that House!
-Ive got a new person coming to my cell this week.
-I'm even beginning to admit how much of a control freak I am (all the stuff Im doing is bringing it up...in a good way), and I think I'm ready to start letting go.

40 years in the making

For our office holiday outing, we visited the Wharton Esherick house, the home-turned-museum of one of the country's most celebrated artist-painter-craftsmen. I would rank it a top-ten local visit (its in Paoli) by anyone who appreciates art, furniture design, or custom designed and built homes, hovels, and haunts. Its a beautifully crafted tiny little house / studio that took him 40 years to complete. He just added what he needed as he and his family needed it. They added a small bathroom after 21 years of trudging to the outhouse. They finally added a kitchen after a few decades of cooking over an open fireplace....things like that, made from what they could find around them, artfully crafted. Wharton referred to the house as an "autobiography executed in wood." We had the pleasure of taking the tour with his son in law, Bob (about 85) who knew him well and shared many personal stories. Bob was great. I got to site next to him on the now world famous cantilevered oak stair listening to him share about the life and times of this great craftsman and why he made some of the design decisions he did, slowly but surely, piece by piece.

Ive got to say it was really encouraging to me in regards to our own home renovation process, which sometimes seems never-ending, but has always gone at the pace we've set out. Im not interested in rushing things. Ideas come at me when they do......and I execute them when I do.

Here's the outside:

This is Bob, and his hat. It was 19 degrees and he was the only one not cold. What a storyteller he is.

And the famous double hand carved stair:

imagery-ness

Just some recent images ive either come across or been linked to. I can never get enough imagery in my life:

future home of Circle of Hope -Caspian Sea

this is the horse I ride after surfing the beachbreak in awesomeville

this is me and my boy J-Grizzly at last years West African Drum Class at Circle of Hope. Take it this time if you can get in.

This is how we can heat our houses for free.

these are the houses we'll live in if I rule the world

these are our animal friends who teach us things. They never forgot how Creation was designed to be.

and this? well, thats the end of every day on the left side of my brain.

Kramo Bone

On this election day I've got my mind on hypocrisy and deception. Coicidentally, my djembe is on the way from Ghana, just in time for Jay Beck's West African Drum Class which begins soon.

The Adinkra symbol - Kramo Bone- carved into the solid Mansonia wood is a warning against deception and hypocrisy. "The bad christain makes it difficult for the good one to be noticed. The fake and the genuine look alike because of hypocrisy."

outrageous modesty

With all the fervor about where our allegiances stand, who to vote for, whether to vote at all, I was reminded today by this simple postcard from MCC I have hanging at my desk not to be lured into the mess of it all, while Jesus is calling me to be in the middle of the mess of it all with him (He's not on the outside looking in you know). I try not to get wrapped up in all the hype, but I'm not apathetic either. I am happening, because Jesus is doing things, and I am next to him doing them too. I am flawed in so many ways. Im staying away (best as I can) from all the fervor and nationalist emotion that the 'little christs' get caught up in so easily. Im trying to go forward to the next things Jesus is calling me to, out of Egypt day by day. Proactively making peace for me lately has meant so much more than where "my" vote goes. It means making peace with me, with God, and then with friends around me, with family, with people i meet throughout the day....all the time, every day, day in and day out ('pray unceasingly'). Most of that means having some healthy conflict, bringing up the hard questions ans sitting with them and living into them for years at a time. Living in the midst of all of the compelling dialogue about what to do and how much we all matter can be so invigorating and tiresome at the same time. We are not pawns in this game, and we are more than the sum of our cleverness and gathered resources. We're the living stones, the body, the Church. Keep acting like it, lest we forget why we're even here. I dont want to miss out on that kind of life. Working it all out day by day, every day, day in and day out, is what makes us a peculiar little people, not making the right decisions every time and winning. God have mercy on the Christians this season.