A Serenade to the Symbiotic

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The Science of Healing, the Art of Compassion
Designing Sustainable and Healthy Architecture is an Organic Process

by Michael Hawker and Jennifer Desmond, Contributing Writers

Feature photographs by Jennifer Desmond

Additional photography by Michael Hawker
Copyright 2012, Symbiotic Sense, All Rights Reserved. 


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SOUTH JORDAN, UTAH - At first glance, any news of the upcoming American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Convention to be held mid-May in Washington, D.C. would naturally not garner much notice from the broader community of students, faculty, or staff of Salt Lake Community College. This year, however, might be good reason for pause and note the connection. Tagged with a slogan "design connects" and anticipated to draw 17,000 architects, designers, and building industry-related professionals along with 800 exhibitors, this year's AIA event will focus much of its general and education sessions on sustainable design and themes of healing our world through the built environment.

Featured will be tours of several LEED-certified buildings, the green building certification system of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and foremost among green rating systems worldwide. To date, over 44,000 projects participate in the LEED rating system in all 50 states and 120 countries, and additionally more than 67,000 residences have been registered under the LEED for Homes program.

The Health Sciences Center, Jordan Campus, earned LEED Silver certification in 2009. Click image to enlarge.

Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) claims a trio of LEED-certified buildings, among which is one focused on the "science of healing and the art of compassion," the Health Science Center at the Jordan Campus. It opened in 2007 and was awarded the College's first LEED Certification in 2009. The other LEED-participating SLCC buildings are the Center for New Media Annex (LEED Certified Silver) at the South City Campus -- currently under construction -- and the new Instructional Administration Building (pursuing LEED Silver rating) which will replace an existing energy-devouring building at the same site on the Taylorsville-Redwood Campus. Both are expected to open doors to students and faculty January, 2013.

 

Courtesy USGBC from
"List of Top Ten States for LEED Green Buildings"

LEED certification is relatively new to Utah, unlike in Washington, D.C. where the largest percentage of LEED certified buildings per square foot of building space and per capita have been awarded. Utah's increasing participation is largely due to the Federal mandates for LEED. Since June 1, 2009, the State Building Energy Efficiency Program has required all new campus structures to be designed to meet LEED Silver designation. SLCC's buildings are owned by The Division of Facilities Construction and Management (DFCM), which is committed to meeting the capital development building requirement.

"The State's own high performance criteria at the time the Health Sciences Center was being designed -- before 2007 -- was very comparable to LEED," stated Kenneth Adlam, AIA, a LEED-accredited professional and Principal with GSBS Architects. Adlam was the Project Architect responsible for the Health Science Center design. After the architects articulated the advantages of LEED to the College, educating them on the various nuances, the College opted to commit to even higher standards and meet the basic LEED Certification requirements.

"DFCM then recognized that not much of a stretch was needed to reach for LEED," said Adlam. It  was "about $75,000 difference" to get the building a base level LEED Certification, recalled Adlam, and those funds were not provided by DFCM, but were all raised by the College. This step has proved invaluable for the College and the State for pursuing a more aggressive approach to green building.

"DFCM is now very committed to fully commissioning its buildings being sustainable and energy efficient," says Curtis Clark, PE and LEED-accredited professional, who worked as a project manager for DFCM at the time when the Health Sciences Center project began. Clark now is the Director of Sustainability Services for GSBS Architects.

The Health Sciences Center
The Health Sciences Center (HSC), designed by GSBS Architects, is 150,000 feet of space providing classrooms for nearly 1,200 students in several health-care-related disciplines, including nursing, biotechnology, medical assisting and laboratories, occupational therapy, pharmacy studies, physical therapy, radiologic technology, surgical and health administration, and mortuary science. Amid the 16 classrooms are multiple examination and assessment rooms, more than 30 computer, medical and cadaver laboratories, a 500-seat auditorium, two clinics, a physical therapy pool and student wellness center, a library center, and four computer testing centers. All this surrounds a grand three-story keynote atrium space adjacent to an outdoor garden patio along the building's west side. The atrium admits significant daylight from a combination of an expansive insulated glass curtain wall and several clerestory windows high along the stepped roof's underside.

Second Level plan: library in lower left corner.
Please click image to enlarge.

First Level plan: atrium surrounded by
auditorium (upper right) and classrooms.
Please click image to enlarge.

On one level, the programs contained within the building work towards a healthier environment by promoting healthier students within its walls. "It's not so much because of the LEED aspect, but because of all the clinics we have here," said student staff member Steven Marble, who is a Health Science major. "That is how it encourages my health -- the teaching and all the labs." On another level, the architecture and environmental conditions of design promote health along another angle. "In the LEED sense, it is the huge bank of windows here [in the Atrium] that has a lot to do with health because it lets in so much light," said Marble.

The architecture of the HSC exudes a sterile aesthetic with a simple material palette and chiefly small windows lined with horizontal concrete sill bands that emulate many hospital designs of years past. Perhaps this was intentional, as a training center for the medical and health science disciplines. The building fits into the context of the other Jordan Campus buildings, primarily through material and color. The entire campus is draped in a palette that was meant to keep the campus harmonious to its residential neighbors, along with lower and sloped roof lines. The sloping roof of the HSC -- which balances the flat roof portions of the building -- is sheltering, purposeful in providing shade to the exterior walls, but also becomes the primary visible feature on the exterior as it mimics the slopes of the mountains. This is simultaneously bold and reserved, some design flair peeking through the overall restraint. A more daring and bold avant-garde look would not have been welcome here on the Jordan campus, as it would compete with the residential character present in the surrounding sight lines. The public seemingly agreed in a poll when it voted to award the design a People's Choice Award in 2008, co-sponsored by the AIA-Utah Chapter and The Salt Lake Tribune. In 2009, the building was awarded its LEED Certification.

The site placement is along the centralizing "main street" that runs through the campus heart, and borders it along the east edge to face the plaza. From the high vantage point, practically the highest point on the campus site, views to the southeast of the Wasatch mountains are maximized from the corner library. Daylight washes the library and provides a serene space for study.

From the Jordan Campus central plaza, a partially shaded walkway leads to the Health Sciences Center. Please click image to enlarge.

 

The Health Sciences Center atrium admits natural light from clerestory windows. Please click image to enlarge.

"I like the general design of the building. I enjoy the big windows and natural light. The atrium is very nice," remarked Kim Kincher, the Circulations Specialist for the library the past 8 months.  

[author's note: time spent first-hand using the space for study several hours on two separate dates gleaned the peaceful and pleasant aspects of the library, its expansive views of the mountains and southern half of Jordan Campus site; the space does face east and so window blinds are required to filter the bright morning sun]

Inside, the near monotone color cleanliness is similarly set to a medical facility tone. With wide corridors and a reception station enveloped in glass, the nursing classroom wing layout emulates a hospital floor, while the atrium space might rival the most public of circulation spaces in a large medical center. Yet this building does have its own identity, and it takes that shape from its stepped roof line meant to relate to the nearby mountain ranges, as well the high-tech metal columns on the exterior supporting the roof in areas where it extends broadly past the building perimeter walls. The columns on the inside supporting the exposed metal roof and joist structure are concrete.

The atrium, undoubtedly, is the marquis space for the building serving as circulation central. In time, however, it has become something more to the students. "Because of the atrium, it's a study area for all the students," said LuAnne Holt, the Assistant to the Dean of Health Sciences, whose office faces the atrium on the lower level and who has worked in the building since it opened. "Our nursing students especially, Monday through Friday you'll see large study groups of ten to fifteen and then they line up to have their test, and somebody else comes and fills it up. It's wonderful to see them out here, taking part here, instead of in a corner hidden. They can be comfortable while studying."  

[author's note: interviewing students of this aspect was almost unnecessary, as observation alone over a few hours witnessed a number of students using the space comfortably. Some studied. Others had gathered to talk. Some were at tables with laptop computers. Despite the large area volume, the place was quiet, serene, and filled with natural light filtering from above through the open roof joist structure. It was a testament to the space to actually observe how it was used.]

LEED Strategy is Not Absolute Perfection
HSC was awarded its LEED Certification based on a positive point system -- a point credit earned for every element addressed and included in the design according to various categories aligned with sustainable practices. It included many specific features a casual passerby may not even detect. 

LEED Certification levels and point-earning categories. Please click image to enlarge.

For instance, water efficiency measures are automatic irrigation shut-off devices and flow sensors for the drought-tolerant native plant landscaping specified with low-albedo surfaces for heat and glare reduction. For additional irrigation source, surface water is captured and utilized. The potable water use for the building was designed for 20% reductions through specifying waterless urinals in men's public restrooms, and water conserving fixtures such as sensor-activated aerators that use 1.5 gallons per minute of water at sinks, and toilet flush valves that use 1.6 gallons water per flush.

All artificial lighting in the building is controlled by some level of automatic means, including occupancy sensors, daylighting controls and networked relay controls that work toward assuring that the lighting is never energized when unneeded. The flood of atrium daylighting, for instance, is detected by photocells so that lights in those areas are off when daylight is sufficient. The controls are linked to a building management system so that campus maintenance may monitor and control the lighting remotely.

"There are many times when you come into the building and a lot of the lights in the Atrium won't even be on because we are having a good day outside and [maintenance] can leave those lights off because of the bank of windows allowing daylight," concurred Marble. The architectural design and the building systems clearly are needed to work together for meeting particular goals.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is monitored with a carbon dioxide detection system, a part of the IAQ management plan that was established well before building occupancy during construction. Materials and interior finishes were specified for their low-volatile organic compound emissions characteristics, often associated with creating sick building syndrome, a combination of health ailments caused by flaws and/or contaminants in the building. Though many of the staff members may not know the architectural, technical, or recognition details of the building, they do sense the impact of the naturally-lit atrium and the awareness of attention to good green design.

"I am impressed with the value that was placed on aesthetics. This is a very pleasing building. The atrium is bright, airy, and welcoming," said the Nursing Division Chair, Judy Scott, MSN, RN, and who has worked in the building for over a year. "I love coming to work here. My office has a huge window to look outside. I also love all the greenery, since all the plants you see inside are live plants. Nothing artificial. It's a low-stress level place to work."

The Health Sciences Center Atrium. Photo by Hawker.

 Ms. Scott was also candid about certain features that were not successful in the building, in that most of the faculty offices do not have windows to the outside whereas classrooms do. "I wished it were reversed," said Scott. The HSC also has trouble keeping the atrium's temperature within a comfortable range, particularly during the summer months and late afternoons. Thus, a continuous improvement program for the facilities becomes important, not only for upgrades to existing structures but for better planning new ones.

 Important to understand is that even newer buildings, such as the Health Science Center, require regular energy reviews to identify continuous quality improvements. In five years since its construction, technological advances in lighting could warrant replacing particular luminaires in the Health Science Center, perhaps to embrace the recent LED advancements in lighting. LED lighting is proving to be the technological revolution in lighting for its energy saving and cost benefits. Energy audits also identify areas where minor adjustments may be made to the energy management monitoring systems that establish temperature set points for hvac systems in order to achieve optimal performance. With real occupancy and utility data, adjustments made can be suited to the particular habits of the building.

Illuminating the Way

Bono Vox of U2 in concert singing "Ultraviolet - Light My Way" during 360 Tour

The vast amount – and seemingly endless increase – of sustainability-focused topics in the news, on blogs and websites, within brand advertising and “green” marketing strategies, and the surge in people’s interest (usually in the form of consumers) to choose “green” over the alternatives and to understand a company’s ecological impact indicate a real revolution in global thinking. Corporate communications that address sustainability are not an opt-out option any longer. In fact, it has become critical to staying afloat in business – the New Earth Economy if you will. Earth cried out, “Don’t Tread On Me” and the revolutionary forces have responded “Join or Die.”

Remarkable is that it has taken my entire lifetime for our race to raise such force. Nine days after my birth on Earth, Apollo 8 Astronaut Bill Anders snapped the famous December 24, 1968 Earth-rise photograph from space, a Christmas gift to the 1 billion viewers on television who watched that historic event unfold. This may have been the first time such a mass population realized the true precious nature of Earth, a unified heartbeat on the ecological drum to signal a call to arms. How long will it be until every major action undertaken respects and cherishes this aspect?

December 24, 1968: the image of Earth from Moon, a precious and enlightening moment

The onslaught of “green” communication, however positive a measure for the promise of a changin’ times, or positive it may be for keeping the bottom-line profit in the green (or is it the “black”?), raises other ethical concerns that are imperative to consider. Authenticity. Integrity. Transparency.

It is not always apparent such sustainability sizzle in an advertisement (for example) or corporate policy statement is actually a form of strategic smoke and mirror, unreflective of the true inner nature of that organization. Call it “green washing,” it’s truly a form of manipulation.  Keep a watchful eye and an open ear to these tunes. Listen carefully for the tones of true integration of sustainable communications to a company’s overall communication across all forms. Do the actions match the words? Does every action support the message? Listen also for a company to truly dialogue and support an active engagement with its customers, or foster a level of connection to them. Call it relationship, or relating, it is a true marker of commitment level. How many successful marriages do you know where communication was absent, relating non-existent, and the love exchanged a mere transaction?

No text message, Facebook “like”, Twitter Tweet, or whatever else hot these days can replace two eyes meeting, smiles exchanged, voices chattering, or a touch extended. No technology, however innovative and transforming it may be, can ever replace the feel of dirt, the texture of grass, the song of a bird, or the embrace of a tree. Nature is irreplaceable.

Admittedly, my views were a part of me prior to any formal study of Environmental Communications – perhaps evolved from jaded perceptions, skeptical critical thought from years of seeing through the smoky winds to unveil unscrupulous behavior. Perhaps it is from years of education and experience rooted in critical thought analysis where every stone is turned over to reveal what is underneath. I cannot watch television shows, see a movie, listen to music, or view art without this inquisitive inner nature of mine at work. It has become second nature to analyze, in part, because of what people pay thousands of dollars to me to do for them – for instance, designing a house for a family involves immense detail analysis, when considering that home not only must address its inhabitants, but also the site, neighborhood, available materials, codes, monetary influences, and so forth, let alone beauty and repose. Perhaps I seek an idyllic utopia for a seamless natural and built world, showing my age and wisdom is belied by my ever-youthful zeal and spirit in the pursuit of an Ideal, the imprint of stellar influence. Perhaps it is sage-like wisdom based on a realist approach that everything in existence has a balancing factor, a bad for every good. This was learned along the way through absorption and study of multiple cultures, philosophies, beliefs and convictions.

Perhaps it is all the above. They are all now a part of my blueprint.

I understand that it only takes one candle to light a dark room and what I am hoping is that we have many candleholders lighting the way, and many more to follow. My life experiences have been phenomenal in forty years, and unimaginable if I consider the next forty. What occurs in a matter of three or four months likely isn’t as important as the assemblage that is slowly constructed over time, each layer building upon the previous. Color this with a personal bent that “settling” is never the answer, that brutal honesty is more constructive than easy lies, and you begin to see why I push, prod, and poke. Simply, I seek something REAL.

This is the platform environmental communications and any support of sustainability requires for success; being REAL. Being authentic has more value than being 100% conformist, or achieving absolute perfection. Anyone who may have studied Ikebana, Japanese floral arrangement (if not, it’s worth a look), knows there is a certain imperfect element present. In Chinese gardening, the imperfect – the natural, the organic – is always present. Is there any human who has mastered all perfect behavior? It would not be humanity – and certainly less interesting – if all behaviors were tamed. This lesson of balance is a way to celebrate the intrinsic nature of our world. In communications, this may take the form of humor, or wit, added to the narrative. There are other forms; I encourage exploration of them with principle in mind.

Stay real.

Ikebana in practice

Evaporating Options

From my second floor home office, I can overlook my apartment's private patio space, a favorite feature of my modest place. Today, I noticed a robin trying to sip a drink from residue at the bottom of an otherwise dry birdbath. Unsatisfied with what was available there, it then hopped onto the patio floor and attempted a sip from the bottom of a planter dish. It reminded me -- first that spring has sprung and setting up the patio space is awaiting my attention -- of the precious nature of water supply, particularly here in the Utahn arid climate. It reminded me just how much life depends on that resource.

For the robin, the water was from some condensation residual from the cool morning, and perhaps the remnants of a light snowfall earlier in the week -- Nature's gift for those creatures. When the patio is set up, water is practically limitless, dependent only on my attention to keep the birdbath topped. For myself, I have the luxury of walking to the kitchen at any time and pouring as much as I desire from the tap. My dependence is essentially whether the monthly bill is paid.  Unlike the bird, who may require only ounces for its daily sustenance, my need measures in gallons after figuring the flushing toilets, showering and laundry needs, cooking uses, all this aside from any outdoor plant watering or birdbath filling. Now imagine that need multiplied in millions just to sustain the human race in Utah.

Probably like the majority, I seldom think where my water comes from or how it reached me; it is simply always available when needed. The situation is vastly different in many parts of the world where water is directly harvested from rainfall, collected in barrels or cisterns, and gravity fed through simple filtering systems before reaching the spigot. This supply is limited to what Mother Nature offers. Admittedly, I take my supply for granted, as it is not Nature's gift directly. Just like any other energy resource, such as natural gas or electricity, water is supplied and purchased through a complex network of collection, production and distribution channels -- all of which remains virtually hidden to me, unless I happen to pass along a reservoir or gander at the sides of the snow-packed Wasatch Range. The picture is far bigger than my microscopic view.

The water supply cycle, simplified, still shows a number of process steps.

Last week's blog entry (April 2, "Running on Empty") was a photojournalist's powerful look at the Colorado River, a major western source for water. Clear from that film is the extent that resource is tapped from multiple straws sucking it dry. Magnify this to an international scale and the complexity deepens, as film "Blue Gold: World Water Wars" presents. Water is a controlled commodity, shipped globally in varying forms to where the simple evaporation-precipitation cycle is no longer so clear.

For Utah, water is a first order priority concern statewide and will be for many years. The management of the state's water resources has a long history of development, and continues to be shaped today. The concern for Utah is the projected 67% growth in population, or an additional 1.4 million people for the Wasatch Front over the next two decades that is certain to bankrupt the current annual supply of water, unless some significant reorientation in our usage occurs. Maybe the problem is really just overpopulation -- too much sex.

Well, on second thought, maybe too much procreational sex (because is there really ever enough recreational sex?).

Simple economic curve: as supply decreases, the demand (by moving up the curve to the left) increases, and price follows with an increase.

Humor aside, just a simple economic curve of too low a water supply against a too high a water demand is enough to model unsustainability. This projected population load impacts water resources for sure, but also consider energy use, housing requirements, transportation infrastructures, and food chains -- all of which depend upon water resources for manufacture, development, expansion and sustenance. Though it may alleviate some of the energy production need, the nuclear power plant proposed along the Green River in northeast Utah -- a major tributary for the Colorado River -- would tap up to 3% (in "dry" times) of the available water resource in exchange for electrifying hundreds of thousands of homes. I suggest find another way to electrify homes and leave the finite resource alone. It seems many others agree.  Some argue that the continuous increasing of supply -- whether electricity, or water, or gasoline -- to meet demand is not sustainable; that reductions in population is the only real answer to reducing the need upon a resource.

Diverting water also has impacts. It accelerates desertification in the source area [this is another reference on this]. The diverted water then (in theory) is returned to the water table in another region, thereby leaving the original source region in a negative cycle of replenishment. 

Alternative ideas are more feasible. Conservation is the key. Learning to live with less and still maintain an overall balanced quality of life is the smart model to follow. Though one day it may be unavoidable for society to resort to a "survivalist camping" lifestyle, there are a number of methods available now that significantly reduce water use.

Some of them include:

1. Assure that plumbing fixtures are low water users - low flow urinals, low flow toilets, faucet aerators, low-flow shower heads or conserving volume controls.

2. Assure that all existing plumbing fixtures and fittings are tight and non-leaking.

3. Xeriscape landscaping and gardening - use native, low-water plantings; utilize mulch in planting beds; switch out grass for climate-appropriate features

4. Consider a greywater system - recycles water for reuse (such as water from bathroom sinks or laundry - not waste water from toilets, or what's known as "blackwater"; often greywater is recycled to water plants outside). If your community does not allow, or only provisionally allows, a greywater system, press your local government to adopt more allowance on these systems

5. Consider a rainwater harvesting system - collect water off roofs, or using downspout filters (which prevent fast runoffs) and store into cisterns for later use. Stored water can be filtered and treated for domestic use.

6. Analyze usage patterns and devise a method for reducing consumption.

"Blue Gold: World Water Wars"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSxaVcJ1sDA

Water in Utah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFH3Lvzgg50

Water Issues in Utah and Nuclear Energy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7v6APQ68gU
 

SLCC Energy Management Students Getting Noticed by Utah Government

EDITOR's NOTE:
This is an online version of a story that appeared in the web edition of The Globe newspaper and is available here. The article was also print published in The Globe, February 13, 2012, but attributed to another author in error.

SALT LAKE CITY, UT

Salt Lake Community College's (SLCC) "Green Academy" Energy Management (EM) students are drawing synergistic notice from Utah State's energy and economic development governing bodies. Two special meetings held recently between select Green Academy students and Utah Office of Energy Development (OED)  top officials is strengthening the school's position in Utah's energy economy. 

Resulting were several students participating as special volunteers in Governor Herbert's and OED's Energy Development Summit  held February 15 at the Salt Palace Convention Center  downtown Salt Lake. The Center boasts Utah's largest solar photovoltaic roof installation and largest nationally for a convention center.

The "sold out" event drew 1,000 attending from 28 states and special praise from Governor Herbert.

Running on Empty

Photo: copyright and courtesy Mike McBride

Yale Environment 360 online journal page

Among the leading stories published in Yale Environment 360's online journal this week particularly caught my attention. It showed an aerial photo image looking down at a tightly meandering 's-curve' of the Colorado River. When thinking of the Colorado, that image is perhaps as much a likeness as any -- similar to a Jerry Schurr serigraph that shows a river cutting through the southwest landscape as it carves between the red-oxides rock plateaus lining either side.

"Shadow Lake" by Jerry Schurr, courtesy of http://www.artoftheprint.com/artistpages/schurr_jerry_shadow_lake.htm

Yet it was the detail in the aerial photo that showed its relevancy to the story's title, Colorado River: Running Near Empty, where the current miniscule water level is juxtaposed against the colored layers of rock alongside that clearly demarcate water levels of the past. It was a shock.

This particular "cover" photograph, however, was more than just a singular capture of the river's condition. It linked to a video news report by Colorado-based photojournalist Pete McBride that traced a journey of him following the river from its Rockies headwater in central Colorado all the way south to the delta at the Sea of Cortez, exploring to discovery where that water ends up. Not one shot, but many captures. The photography was stunning, and, undoubtedly, a centerpiece to the report.  This was a "think outside the box" example that illustrates the connection of image to narrative, but a risk worthwhile.

In Utah, the Colorado River is a continuously fresh topic of environmental concern. Water rights, water usage, diminishing levels, proposed nuclear power plants, desertification, and matters of pollution name just a few concerns.  This story has local relevance. Pete McBride, as a photojournalist of reputation and talent, understands the importance of telling the story in a visual frame. His also demonstrated his understanding and talent in twelve minutes of 30 frames per second.  This video piece used still photography throughout, intermingled with video footage, often shot at dramatic times of day where the sun cast stronger hues of color in the landscapes when showing beauty, or in high-sun times when showing scenes of the stark and barren desert. The opening scene, shot with a somewhat desolate cast, was narrated in a cadence remindful to me of the opening scene to Never Cry Wolf, a movie with a completely different topic and climate region but with similarity in the notion of Man belittled by the forces of Mother Nature. 

Author's Note: Never Cry Wolf is highly recommended viewing for cinematographics, story, emotion, humor, plot, message...all outstanding. Though you may follow the link above and watch in segments, it is far better and well worth finding a rental or purchasing outright through your favorite online source. This was Disney's entry film into non-animated full features and stars among others Charles Martin Smith and Brian Dennehy, and a few four-legged friends.

Movie Poster for "Never Cry Wolf"

With today's increased pressure to attract an audience in the media, the photograph is an important strategic tool for a news editor, or storyteller. Clearly it can capture an audience. Much is gained when used thoughtfully. Much is lost if not used at all, or randomly. If used appropriately, a photograph can be vital to the embellishment of the narrative, a connective mental construct frozen in the reader's mind all the while as a backdrop to the words. In a sense, the photograph is a guide marker -- a beacon -- to center the story and keep it centered. Using additional photographs equally can do the same. In Pete McBride's video report, the photographs become part of the story, as well offer the balance of still imagery to motion imagery. Perhaps in McBride's case, the video was an opportunity to showcase his talent in a single piece, or possibly it was far more. Irrespective of the intent, the production result in Colorado River: Running Near Empty was first-rate all the way.

You are most welcome to view here below, but my recommendation is to watch on an expanded view by following either this link or this one and set your display to view full screen.

  "Chasing Water" by Pete McBride

A Heavyweight Main Event: Environmental vs. Sustainability

The question is: "what is the difference between 'environmental communication' and 'sustainability communication'?" At the root level, it is only the semantics that separate them, built by business opportunists and capitalists -- or marketing specialists -- primarily the past two decades to create enough specialization for enterprise. Sounds almost counterintuitive to place capitalist enterprise and holistic ecological concerns in the same breath, but there is simply no other reason for segmenting an ideology into narrow slices -- though one might make an argument it is exactly what religion did to the universality of Love and God. What are we left with after all the slicing and dicing except a lapse in the very outcome we seek? In environmentalism vs. sustainability, did we forget the overall goal?

Ecological design, green building, sustainable development, environmental planning, deep ecology, eco-efficiency, among others are all examples of germinations of relatively new fields of intellectual inquiry relating to the naturalistic approach of ordering our built world. You can spin yourself around all these terms in internet searches on your own. Most academic subjects have now prefixed sub-disciplines using "environmental" or "eco-" in subjects such as planning, policy, law, politics, education, economics, architecture, engineering, and so forth, as though it were a new concept. Join the bandwagon, it's stylish and trendy. Watch as we wage war over natural "faiths" now, further distancing humans from healing the planet. As Richard Louv has pointed out to us in his books, the nature-deficit disorder is symptomatic of many reasons, one of which is the continual removal of ourselves from actually sitting by a tree or feeling the earth.

Though it is no mistake that these new hybrid fields share recognition of the fundamentally ethical nature of environmental problems and social solutions, and the need to question the underlying premises of traditional theories and methods, they have in great part overlooked the significance of designed objects, structures and settlement patterns in the creation of virtually all our environmental problems. Remaining is process-focused in lieu of outcomes-oriented impediments to true sustainability in our world. In short, the role of the built environment (cities, products, landscapes, public spaces) has been overlooked due to marginalizations in favor over preventative design.

The emergence of entire industries built around such "fashions" is practically sickening. Equally so is investing time in analyzing the semantics of words molded by marketing gurus to spin a trend for gain. In lieu of rhetoric, was it even considered the role of nature in man's existence over the course of human's historical existence? In fact, half the world -- our brothers and sisters representing the Eastern model (Asia) could impart evidence of a long-held inner belief that nature and man are inseparable. Unfortunately, particularly in the Western hemisphere, nature has increasingly been relegated to the province of environmentalists while cities and towns have been turned over to developers and planners.

Missing is the notion that pursuing "environmental" or "sustainable" is in fact separated from any action or endeavor we embark. Truth is: we (humans) have separated them over history through distancing ourselves in pursuit of conquest over nature. Suggestion: read a book such as "Earth's Insights" by J. Baird Callicott and glean a multicultural survey of ecological ethics around the globe. Embrace other perspectives. Consider the underlying deep cultural approach such as Vastu Vidya, or Taoist thinking to matters of design.

A faithful thinking might surmise that the cyclical nature of the universe will allow the pendulum to swing back the other direction -- that a synergistic and holistic honoring of nature will respect her in every action human hands touch. Certainly, the intensity of using buzzwords and rallying "green" concepts has either prompted, or responded to, a shift in the collective consciousness toward our view on nature. This can only propagate future evolution in the positive direction, a premise hold dear by this author.

Watch the Fracking PR

One of the most controversial and heated debates in the oil and gas energy industry today is hydraulic fracturing, known commonly as “fracking.” The term refers to pumping pressurized water or sand into existing open fissures underground in order to ease the flow of oil to the surface for extraction and use. A search of the term on the internet will lead to a plethora of online sources to peruse and lead you scratching your head to make tails of it.

 

How fracking works for natural gas extraction. The principle is similar for oil extraction.

 

Companies involved in and proponents of the technology clearly state that it is a proven and safe method for extracting an important resource. The distance from major population centers an advantage that poses very small threat to human populations. Opponents meanwhile, offer the alternate view that the process poses great risk to contaminating groundwater sources and possible disturbance of natural subsoil conditions that could aid in increased seismic activity. The groundwater contamination issue seems more valid a case considering that fracking includes pumping a variety of chemicals (most beyond the average person’s phonetic skill) that are known carcinogenic or otherwise toxic. Long-term affects to both vegetative and wildlife remain potent. Both sides of the debate are substantiated from credentialed experts – some in the respective fields for whole careers. Do they not know the truth? Where does one turn to find the information necessary for making a sound and informed viewpoint on the topic? You might try paying regular attention to one of many public relations watchdog websites available such as “PR Watch.”

 

The Center for Media and Democracy publishes, among other sites and publications, the online website entitled “PR Watch.” This site is a portal to a vast amount of news, links, and investigative reported articles that serve to illuminate, educate, and keep one generally informed. The purpose of the site is to expose “corporate spin and government propaganda” and the group qualifies itself by not accepting any funding from for-profit corporations or grants from government. Its writers and researchers compose a group of seemingly qualified individuals representing various topics and issues. The organization formed in 1993 in Madison, Wisconsin, by founder John Stauber who led the group until 2009.

 

Center of Media and Democracy's "PR Watch" home page.

 

For Utahns, a state rich in natural subsurface resources such as oil and gas – and for that matter, anyone in a state rich in oil and gas deposits – the topic of fracking is controversial and complex. For a state so wealthy in oil shale and natural gas, it is quite understandable how its governmental leading agencies and industry representatives are steered toward keeping a harmonic balance to assure a long economic health to its citizenry. No one singular energy resource is favored over another; the balanced wholistic approach is the regulatory mantra. Fossil fuel energy is inexpensive in Utah. Economic stability is rock steady as well, and for good reason. The two are inextricably linked. With respect to fracking, to abolish the practice entirely would cripple energy production. Can any of us honestly admit we could live without gasoline in our vehicle? How about living without the power that keeps your furnace or hot water heater working? And to expand your moral circle further, how about the many issues our world continually faces – such as basic water, food, medicine, and housing needs -- on virtually every continent?

 

Despite the good economic news in Utah and the seemingly improbable end of 100% fulfillment of basic needs globally, the fracking controversy is not lightening any time soon, even in Utah. A recent The Salt Lake Tribune article  illustrated some of the oft-forgotten aspects to the process. This entrenched debate is not unlike the topic of government-controlled lands being accessible for energy developers, a possibility that threatens large areas of great natural beauty reserved for tourism and nature lovers of all sects. No matter how one attempts to slice the issue into manageable segments, there is always a positive aspect to balance the negative, a yin for every yang.

 

Online image of March 3, 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune article on fracking.

 

Public relations spin watchdogs and their sites such as PR Watch, also have a yang to their yin. How is it possible to have completely neutral, unbiased, and non-opinioned people behind packaging a resource? My skeptical stance would conclude that groups such as this, despite all the openness in explaining their approach and values, will also carry an agenda that not everyone may agree with; but don’t misconstrue their value. I favor an indiviidual’s choice to procure and assess information, and I promote organizations that clearly define that as their mission through non-biased and informative presenting of facts, as well critical thought.

 

But just as the expression goes in shopping—in this case information shopping—“buyer beware.”