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HNN Podcast: The Geography of Nowhere (Kunstler interview) (MP3, podcast)
Duncan Crary, Humanist Network News (HNN)
Duncan Crary interviews James Howard Kunstler, author of The Geography of Nowhere and The Long Emergency, about “the human habitat.” Kunstler is one of the loudest critics of suburban sprawl and the damage that poorly designed communities are doing to the human spirit, the American economy and the planet. Kunstler predicts the end of the cheap oil fiasco is near and that humans — especially Americans — will need to re-think how and where they live. This interview was recorded in Kunstler’s home near Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
(28 November 2007)
If you download the full HNN Podcast, the segment with Kunstler begins at about 25 minutes into the program.
Direct link to MP3 file: cdn.libsyn.com/ihs/025-HNN_11_28_2007.mp3
Kunstler’s main site has just had a makeover. His weekly columns appear by themselves here. -BA
People-Centered Developments for Reduced-Energy Living (Video)
Janaia Donaldson, Peak Moment
Developer Steven Ribeiro is re-creating traditional towns, that put “waste” resources to good use. A mixed-use three-story building augments power from its solar panels (which provide shade and collect rainwater) with a tugboat engine (running on local biodiesel), using engine heat to warm the building. Cars are secondary in a 68-acre village, whose dwellings of all sizes are walkable to retail, offices, schools, entertainment, and open space. Episode 82.
Janaia Donaldson hosts Peak Moment, a television series emphasizing positive responses to energy decline and climate change through local community action.
(28 November 2007)
Building Equity Into Green Homes
Patrick Rollens, WorldChanging
Residential home ownership is in a state of extreme flux right now. The mortgage industry is in shambles, and the fallout is reverberating through the U.S. financial markets. In the ensuing chaos, people are starting to question the age-old idea of home ownership as the ultimate goal for a family. It’s a fair question-after all, the disparity between the very rich and the very poor is widening every day. Fewer and fewer people actually qualify as “middle class” here in America. With mortgage lenders girding themselves for more losses, the actual cost to buy a home has increased accordingly.
Now consider green building. The entire industry is built around energy efficiency-literally getting more bang for your buck. Green building is marketed to businesses and developers who want to offer tangible results and a healthy dose of street cred to large corporations. Residential green building, however, caters to a much more diverse and populous clientele. Homeowners are taking significant risk to purchase a home, and they want assurances that sustainable design and construction can help them improve that all-important aspect of home ownership: the equity.
Some people aren’t even waiting for their ideal home to be built. A burgeoning industry has sprung up around sustainable home renovations…
(27 November 2007)
