Episode 8 Air Handling & Social Systems - The Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family

Today we welcome Ernesto Fonseca to the program. He is an architect and energy consultant with the The Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family, a project initiated by Arizona State University which seeks to promote housing that is affordable, dignified and environmentally and culturally responsive. Ernesto has been integral in the design, build and monitoring of the two homes created by the Stardust Center, the Nageezi House and the Guadalupe House. Both of these homes demonstrate the importance of a whole systems approach to the design of conscientious housing. Today, we are going to look at two systems that are especially important in these homes -- the air handling system and the social system. Air handling is how clean, healthy air moves through the home, providing ventilation, heating and cooling. The social system considers how a home allows for social interaction both within it and outside of it as it connects to the surrounding community. Both air and social interaction are essential, both are life-giving and when they are part of the design of the home, they allow for the inhabitants to be healthier, happier and more connected.


To learn more about The Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family and the Nageezi and Guadalupe homes, check out the following links.

http://www.asu.edu/stardust/
http://www.gallupindependent.com/2005/august/080905home.html
http://researchmag.asu.edu/2007/04/building_dreams.html

The two songs used in today's program are both about air -- our connection to the air we breathe and our connection to the people around us who share the same air. These songs were created by independent artists willing to share their music online for free. The artists can be found on garageband.com, a website promoting new and emerging independent musicians. Here are links to the artists:

Air Bubbles by Rewake
http://www.garageband.com/song?|pe1|S8LTM0LdsaSgZlW_YA

Air by Gertrude
http://www.garageband.com/song?|pe1|S8LTM0LdsaSgaFSzZg

Join us next week for another episode of World House Radio: Stories of Home.

Episode 7 Waste System - The Ethics of Waste

Today we are discussing the waste system of the home. Sustainability is such a buzz word these days particularly as the idea of green design becomes more desirable and more profitable, whether its for the right or wrong reasons. There are many definitions of what it means to be sustainable; many involve our consumption and the waste we create, at the beginning, middle and end of a product's or service's life cycle. Our close, and often problematic relationship with the waste we produce is not a new one. However it has grown to be a bigger issue as the amount of waste we produce has grown exponentially. Our modus operandi to date has been to look to technology to try to solve our waste problems. And while technology has offered some help, it has served as a band-aid solution for a much larger, more complex issue. At the root of it is our deep connection to things, to the objects we buy and keep around us and then tire of and throw out for the newer, better versions that come along. Today I have the pleasure to speak with Gay Hawkins, the author of a book entitled, The Ethics of Waste: How We Relate to Rubbish, which looks at our fascinating and complex relationship to the waste we produce. Gay Hawkins teaches in the School of Media and Communications at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Her unique perspective offers us an opportunity to better understand our consumption and accumulation and opens the door for smarter, more conscientious, long term solutions.

To learn more about Gay Hawkins and her book The Ethics of Waste: How We Relate to rubbish and her other work, check out the following links:

empa.arts.unsw.edu.au/staff/staff.php?first=Gay&last=Hawkins
www.api-network.com/cgi-bin/reviews/jrbview.cgi?n=0868409391
www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/AHR/archive/Issue-April-2004/hawkins.html
www.amazon.com/Culture-Waste-Gay-Hawkins/dp/0742519821

The two songs used in today's program both have the word waste in their titles. These songs were created by independent artists willing to share their music online for free. The artists can be found on garageband.com a website promoting new and emerging independent musicians. Here are links to the artists:

Waste by Doc Davidson is Twain
www.garageband.com/artist/therealtwain

Beautiful Waste of Time by Colours Run
www.garageband.com/song?|pe1|S8LTM0LdsaSlYlWyZGE

Join us next week for another episode of World House Radio: Stories of Home.

*Special thanks to Gary Maloney, fellow IwB teammate, who assisted with the preparation for this interview. Gary spent much of the spring learning about the waste system of the home as part of the World House Project. He recommended Gay Hawkin's book, The Ethics of Waste as the ideal subject for a World House Radio podcast dedicated to the waste system.

Episode 6 Food & Identity Systems - South Central Farmers

This week we are exploring the intersection of two powerful systems at work both within and outside of the home. Food and identity are intricately linked. The saying, "You are what you eat.", reverberates now more than ever as the food we eat is produced and transported from farther away and made from ingredients that are synthesized and almost impossible to pronounce.

A recent article in The New York Times highlights our increasing disconnection to our food system explaining that what you eat has everything to do with how much money you have, particularly when it's cheaper to buy a package of Twinkies than a bunch of carrots. This article also looks at the power of U.S. government subsidies to determine what we and our children are eating - from our choices at the supermarket to those in the school cafeteria.

Those who decide to grow their own food are taking back the ability to make the right decisions for themselves - what fruits and vegetables to plant and how to organically grow them. For almost 14 years, the South Central Farmers were doing just that. This 14 acre farm located in South Central Los Angeles provided 350 families with the ability to grow their own produce allowing them to significantly subsidize their family food budget and offering them a meaningful connection to the land that is often impossible to have in an inner city environment. This urban oasis stood out -- satellite views of LA showed two large rectangles of green surrounding by isolated industrial warehouses and dense urban poverty. It was a hub of community involvement spurring several other initiatives around health, the environment and economic justice issues.


Unfortunately, the farm now lies fallow. This month marks the one year anniversary of the farmers final eviction from the land. After years of protests, fund raising efforts and the involvement of several high profile celebrities and activists, including Joan Baez, Darryl Hannah and Leonardo Dicaprio, the land was given back to the developer who had left it derelict years before the City of L.A. had made it available to the farmers. Police force and bulldozers were used to rid the land of both the farmers and their creations. Protestors were arrested and the 14 biologically diverse acres of trees and plants were razed.

Here to talk more the South Central Farmers and their continuing struggle to make urban farming an option for the people of South Central L.A. is Tezozomoc. He is the elected leader of the original South Central Farmers and the manager of one of the ongoing cooperatives that emerged from the farm's activities.


To learn more about the South Central Farmers, check out the link below. There are also links to a short documentary about the South Central Farmers directed by Ross Guidici, a YouTube video covering the destruction of the farm and photographs taken by Jonathan McIntosh who has made them available to download using the Wikimedia Commons.

www.southcentralfarmers.com
www.ifilm.com/video/2718434
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNsWF7uD8HE&mode=related&search=
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/South_Central_Farm

Also check out the link below to read The New York Times article, "You Are What You Grow", written by Michael Pollan, in order to better understand the impact of the U.S. Farm Bill and its role in what we eat.

www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/magazine/22wwlnlede.t.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5070&en=61f85db44ee8c4ea&ex=1182312000

The two songs used in today's program are from the Save the Farm 2005 CD. They were recorded during a concert in held November of 2005 organized by the South Central Farmers. Here is a link to listen to the entire CD.

www.southcentralfarmers.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=41

Join us next week for another episode of World House Radio: Stories of Home.

Episode 5 Spatial System - Dr. Avi Friedman

Today we are discussing the spatial system of the home.

We welcome a guest who is an internationally recognized advocate of flexible housing. Dr. Avi Friedman has written extensively on the connections we have to the space in our homes and how to make this space more efficient, more functional and ultimately more enjoyable. He is a professor at the McGill School of Architecture in Montreal where he co-founded the Affordable Homes Program. He has authored several books including, THE ADAPTABLE HOUSE and Room for Thought: Rethinking Home and Community Design. Dr. Friedman's work has been published in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Popular Science and has been featured on the ABC, BBC, CNN and HGTV networks. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Manning Innovation Award and the United Nations World Habitat Award. In the year 2000, he was selected by Wallpaper magazine as one of 10 people from around the world “most likely to change the way we live.”


For more information about Dr. Avi Friedman and his work on flexible home design, check out the following links:

www.mcgill.ca/architecture/faculty/friedman
homes.mcgill.ca

The two songs used in today's program are both about space. These songs were created by independent artists willing to share their music online for free. The artists can be found on garageband.com a website promoting new and emerging independent musicians. Here are links to the artists:

Celebrating Spaceday by mary lee
www.garageband.com/song?|pe1|S8LTM0LdsaSkY1e_Zms

Anthem of Space and Time by Talking with Tonz
www.garageband.com/song?|pe1|S8LTM0LdsaSnYVewYm8

Join us next week for another episode of World House Radio: Stories of Home.

Episode 4 Energy System - NREL

This week we focus on the energy system of the home.

Even though humans have relied on the power of the sun as a source of heat and light for thousands of years, it is only recently that solar energy has become a regular topic of conversation when discussing our dependence on fossil fuel burning power. The idea of placing solar panels on the roof once seemed out of reach for most homeowners but advancements in this technology are making it more efficient, more affordable and an increasingly attractive option for offsetting energy costs and selling homegrown power back to the grid. From rooftop panels, to sunlight absorbing house paint to flexible panels that can be worn on clothing and backpacks, tremendous resources are being spent to develop efficient means of harnessing the sun’s rays. Leaving us to wonder: Can solar power be the answer to our energy needs?

Here to provide more insight about the future of solar energy is Cecile Warner.

Cecile Warner is a Project Manager at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). She is recognized for her outstanding and sustained work towards the advancement of solar photovoltaic technology. She received the Women in Solar Energy Award from the American Solar Energy Society for her contributions, particularly her public outreach efforts.

Cecile has led the Laboratory in developing and managing the highly acclaimed U.S. Solar Decathlon. This a competition where teams of college and university students compete to design the most attractive, effective, and efficient solar powered house. She was also project director of Sunrayce 93, a university competition of solar cars. She holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in mechanical engineering.


For more information about the National Renewable Energy Lab, the U.S. Solar Decathlon and the subject of solar photovoltaic technology, check out the following links:

www.nrel.gov
www.solardecathlon.org

The two songs used in today's program are both about the sun. These songs were created by independent artists willing to share their music online for free. The artists can be found on garageband.com a website promoting new and emerging independent musicians. Here are links to the artists:

Bye, Bye Sunshine by Sleepy Green
www.garageband.com/song?|pe1|S8LTM0LdsaSkYla3a20

Sun by Mike Masse
www.garageband.com/song?|pe1|S8LTM0LdsaSnY1a3ZG0

Join us next week for another episode of World House Radio: Stories of Home.

Episode 3 Mobility System - SMART

The theme of this week's show is the mobility system of the home. With the most recent hike in gas prices, daily talk of global warming and climate change, and news about the latest hybrid vehicles, there are many questions about the future of mobility.

Today we welcome a guest who is working to understand these issues and plan for the future. Susan Zielinski is the Managing Director of the SMART project, which stands for Sustainable Mobility and Accessibility Research and Transformation. The SMART project is part of The Center for Advancing Research and Solutions for Society (CARSS) at the University of Michigan. She brings over twenty years of experience working on issues around transportation and sustainability. She spent a year as a Harvard Fellow focusing on New Mobility innovation and leadership. As a transportation planner with the City of Toronto, Susan worked on several successful initiatives and has served on a number of local, national and international committees focusing on new mobility. Susan earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto and her Masters in Environmental Studies from York University. She is a Registered Professional Planner and member of the Canadian Institute of Planners.

For more information on Susan Zielinski and the SMART project, check out the following links:

www.isr.umich.edu/carss/about/susanz.html
www.isr.umich.edu/carss/projects/smart-enews/070317.html

The two songs used in today's program are both about different modes of transportation. These songs were created by independent artists willing to share their music online for free. The artists can be found on garageband.com a website promoting new and emerging independent musicians. Here are links to the artists:

1000000 Planes by The Ticket That Exploded
www.garageband.com/song?|pe1|S8LTM0LdsaSlY1m0ZWA

Country Train by Phil Coley band
www.garageband.com/song?|pe1|S8LTM0LdsaSnZ1Cyaw

Join us next week for another episode of World House Radio: Stories of Home.

Episode 2 Water System - AguaClara

Today we are focusing on the water system of the home. For most of us in North America, accessing water is as easy as turning on the tap. We think little of how the water gets to us and seldom worry about not having the water we need for drinking, cooking, bathing and our other daily activities. It often feels as if we have an endless supply, but in many parts of the world the reality is very different. Accessing clean potable water is a daily concern.

Today I welcome two guests to World House Radio who are addressing this issue.

Monroe Weber-Shirk who is a senior lecturer in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University. And Melissa Wrolstad a masters engineering student at Cornell. They are both involved in AguaClara, a project of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Cornell that strives to improve water quality through innovative research, knowledge transfer, open source engineering and design of sustainable water treatment systems.

For more information on the AguaClara project, visit:
http://eswserver.cee.cornell.edu/aguaclara/

The two songs used in today's program both have 'water' in their titles. These songs were created by independent artists willing to share their music online for free. The artists can be found on garageband.com a website promoting new and emerging independent musicians. Visit these links to the artists:

ide (water music) by Marius Mellebye
www.garageband.com/song?|pe1|S8LTM0LdsaSlZFKyZg

God is in the Water by rapeBABY
www.garageband.com/song?|pe1|S8LTM0LdsaSkYlmxZ24

Join us next week for another episode of World House Radio: Stories of Home.