As a follow up to a participating role on the master planning team for the redevelopment of Patriots Point on Charleston Harbor, I’ve put together a YouTube series with some personal thoughts and ideas. Just completed #7 in the series. This one is about marinas and canals. It\'s Time We Got Off Our Assets
Filed under: I'On Group on December 16th, 2010 | No Comments »
A friend sent me this amazing story of human achievement today. 200 Years, Four Minutes
In the video, Professor Rosling states: “I see a clear trend into the future with aid, trade, green technology, and peace.”
The period highlighted by Professor Rosling coincides with industrialization. Industrialized countries owe much of their success to free markets, political stability, long supply chains, and cheap energy. All four of these seem increasingly vulnerable.
69 years ago today, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. This attack grew out of a trade embargo lead by the U.S., which cut oil, iron, and steel exports to Japan. This embargo was intended to punish Japan for aggression into China, the East Indies (now Indonesia) and Pacific Islands. Japan’s aggression had been aimed at securing energy resources for its rapidly industrializing economy.
Great Lewis Mumford said: “The trend is not destiny.” Key to future success will be the ability to adapt and improvise. Clinging onto the status quo is not a good business strategy.
Also, be wary of blind spots. Otherwise, this could happen:
What happens when you forget about blind spots
Filed under: I'On Group on December 7th, 2010 | No Comments »
Check out a great video sounding out real New Yorkers about the new Times Square from Animal, one New York’s culture magazines.
Opinions On A Car-Free Times Square from ANIMALnewyork.com on Vimeo.
Filed under: I'On Group, Urban Sustainability, Videos & Photos on June 22nd, 2009 | 3 Comments »
Paris, one of the most iconic cities in the world, is currently undergoing enormous scrutiny from prominent architects the world wide, who were charged one year ago by French president Nicolas Sarkozy to come up with a new blueprint for Paris. The results, detailed in an excellent article in the New York Times Magazine, are in and they range from the modest and practical (adding parks and new train stations) to the boldly visionary (moving the Presidential palace to the outskirts of the city).
Sarkozy deserves some credit here; while one never knows whether grand plans like these will ever be realized, it’s rare for the leader of a nation to go even this far in completely re-imagining a city. His stated goal is for Paris to be the first city to conform to the Kyoto Protocol’s environmental goals.
Now don’t worry: it seems unlikely that Paris’ Haussman-era architecture and old beauty will be torn down to make room for 21st century green buildings. I mean, these are the French, some of the world’s most steadfast guardians of aesthetics and history. What will be removed, however, are the dismal housing projects that have grown up steadily around the city’s outskirts. Many of the ten architecture teams focus on the projects specifically, with schemes such as adding more greenspace, or connecting these neighborhoods to the center of the city with new, efficient public transportation.
Paris, along with Bogota and, very recently, New York, is stepping forward to address the question “What does it mean to be a city in the 21st century?” An especially important question given that within the next year, more people will live in cities than in rural areas for the first time in human history. It’s great to hear that Paris, the city of cities, is leading the way.
Hungry for more? Here’s another NYT article, and one from ABC.
Filed under: I'On Group, Mixson, Morris Square, Urban Sustainability on June 22nd, 2009 | No Comments »
The Sustainability Institute’s Atlantic Green Conference starts TOMORROW, June 19, and while tickets to the conference are sold out, you can still get in on some of their tours – including the Green Residential Tour, featuring Mixson, Hunley Waters, and Oak Terrace Preserve. The tour runs on Saturday, June 20 from 12-2 and tickets for the general public are $15.
The Atlantic Green Conference brings together experts from a multitude of green building backgrounds: solar energy, jobsite deconstruction, LEED documentation, greening historic buildings, green roofs, and countless others. The conference is being held, appropriately, at 10 Storehouse Row, in the Navy Yard in North Charleston. The Navy Yard is a high-density, mixed-use center in the heart of Noisette, North Charleston’s master-planned sustainable city-within-a-city.
North Charleston is well on its way to becoming one of the nation’s most sustainable cities, as projects like Noisette and Mixson testify. And what better place to host this year’s Atlantic Green Conference?
Filed under: Charleston SC Green Living, Events, I'On Group, Mixson, Urban Sustainability on June 18th, 2009 | No Comments »
Back in April, Oprah herself dedicated a part of her show to furniture that slides, twists, folds, and swivels – in other words, small space furniture. It’s not the best selection of small furniture – I’ve seen better on treehugger.com – but there are a few cool products:
a desk that turns into a bed from Off the Wall Beds
the Cyril Secretary from Ikea
the Jofran coffee table, a coffee table with two storage ottomans that slide snugly underneath
And this isn’t exactly “small spaces furniture,” but it’s cool just the same:
It’s the Hidden Television – a transparent mirror that you hang over your flat-screen TV. When the TV is off, all you see is a mirror; when you turn the TV on, the display shines right through.
Did all this whet your appetite? Try these great sites for more small space design and furniture:
Filed under: I'On Group, Mixson on June 9th, 2009 | No Comments »
Maid Pure, Mt. Pleasant’s organic, eco-friendly cleaning service, is now taking care of our Mixson home at 4400 Marblehead Lane! Maid Pure uses ONLY natural, eco-friendly cleaning products to leave your home clean, safe, and comfortable. You wouldn’t believe how toxic most of the chemicals in mainstream cleaning products are – for example, did you know that the main ingredient used in Lysol is a registered pesticide? Neither did I, until I saw it on the Maid Pure site. They have a great “Why Organic?” section that will convince you to throw out all those toxic products and call them right away, as well as a boutique where you can purchase the same eco-friendly cleaners that Maid Pure uses. They’re a one-stop shop for your clean, green home makeover!
Contact information is, of course, on their website, but if you just can’t wait to talk to them here’s their phone number and e-mail:
843-284-8272
Filed under: Charleston SC Green Living, I'On Group, Mixson on June 8th, 2009 | No Comments »
You and I know that Park Circle is a vibrant, engaging place to live, but Men’s Journal has picked up on it too! The most recent edition of the magazine cites Park Circle as an under-the-radar enclave whose recent development boom has mercifully “left its liberalism intact.” They also mention that Park Circle is full of “unique, character-driven, fun-loving” residents – they couldn’t be more right there!
Check out the Post and Courier’s article on the honor here. And to celebrate a little bit, here are a few pictures of the things that make Park Circle really special…
Filed under: Charleston SC Green Living, Events, I'On Group, Mixson, Morris Square, Urban Sustainability on June 2nd, 2009 | No Comments »
Evolution, Charleston’s most progressive, inclusive art show, is back for a second year and got off to an amazing start this weekend. Visual arts displays abounded in North Charleston and downtown, and the Talking Picture House on E. Montague Ave. showed two great indie films, The Graffitti Artist and The Lost Boys. Here’s what’s coming up this week:
Monday June 1st 6-9pm
North Charleston – The Meeting Space, “Where Art Thouu” Art inspired by the Coen Brothers Movies
1077 E. Montague Ave.
Artists – Meta, Christina Rodeno, Proton, Tim Showers, Phillip Hyman and more.
Wednesday June 3rd
North Charleston – The Meeting Space, “Live Art Night”
1077 E. Montague Ave.
Art – Copper sculpture by Clint, Digital Grafitti by Zach, Silk Screening by Chris Bowers ,Live Art by Nathan Dufree, Jewelry Demonstration by Jenni Chism , Collaborative Pollock style painting by Erin Eckman, Ben Sellars, Connie O’Donald and Phillip Hyman.
Music-Experimental guitar with Gregory Guay
Friday June 5th
North Charleston – The Meeting Space, “Kick Butt Female Vocalists Night”
1077 E. Montague Ave.
Music-Carrie Ann Hearst, Megan Jean, Tue Magic Ghost,
Saturday June 6th
North Charleston – The Meeting Space, “Punk and Rockabilly Night” (don’t miss this one!)
1077 E. Montague Ave.
Music- “Sons of Young”, coming from Columbia , SC , “Steve Hit Mike and “The Defilers”
Featuring The Roller Derby Girls playing Musical Chairs
Stay tuned for pictures!
Filed under: Events, I'On Group, Mixson on June 1st, 2009 | No Comments »
Incredible. People are sitting, hanging out, walking freely, and in general basking in the cultural spotlight that is Times Square, Manhattan. The space went car free around 12:30pm on May 24, and so far it seems to be a huge hit. Head on over to our friends at Streetsblog NY for a whole bunch of great articles reported from new and improved Broadway itself.
Photo from Streetsblog.org
Filed under: I'On Group, I'On Village, Mixson, Morris Square, Urban Sustainability on May 26th, 2009 | No Comments »
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