“Understanding Whole Systems means looking both larger and smaller than where our daily habits live and seeing clear through our cycles. The result is responsibility, but the process is filled with the constant delight of surprise. Neither the Earth nor our lives are flat. What happened in the 20th century? The idea of self — the thing to be kept alive — expended from the individual human to the whole Earth.” — Stewart Brand
The Essential Whole Earth Catalog – 1987 ed.
The above quote is a great example of green building philosophy. It also connects to Build It Forward philosophy where you understand your connection with past, present and future builders and their buildings.
Here in Brooklyn it is easy for a green builder to see the connection of smaller and larger systems around our daily job site. Where the materials come from, where the garbage goes, who the neighbors are, where the sewage goes, where the water comes from.
These are all larger and smaller connections to the job site.
The rhythms are also a wonderful thing to explore. What time does the neighbor wake up? That can make all the difference between getting the job shut down and having a happy neighbor. A normal builder might stick to the legal work times. A green builder sticks to the legal work times AND considers the neighbor’s schedules. You don’t have to be bound by them, simply consider them.
Who gets more referrals? Who makes a happier neighborhood?
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Steward Brand wrote “How buildings learn” and while I have not looked at it in some time, it changed the way I look at buildings. I just signed up to receive your posts and I like it particularly that you are reviewing magazines and keeping up on current events as green businesses grow.