Bozeman, MT

Jan. 2007-
A new community, a new adventure with two enthusiastic life loving women who have influenced my own life in many ways. I have been exploring new work opportunities at Refuge Sustainable Building Center (www.refugebuilding.com) An indepth exploration of materials, "new", but recycled or rapidly renewable, or natural based. Gets me questioning the "green material" industry further. . . .is transporting bamboo from Asia better than using wood from a forest 50 miles away? How do you begin to incorporate a reused, salvaged operation for reducing the WASTE created by such endeavors as the building projects happening in the Yellowstone Club. . .$128 Million dollar house going up in an exclusive community with their own ski area. Is that life? how do people live by disregarding their surroundings and community that is supporting and enabling their life the way it is. A life so full of waste and disregard for all the supporting factors. How do we begin to show a life of less, is a life of more happiness, less attachment to material objects and more attachment to love and life. More focus on the food we eat, the air we breath,

Work with a "green" (still hate using that word, but no better term can be conclusive at the present moment) architect is also teaching me the intricacies of service based on design for a specific client. A place by place changing opportunity to include passive solar and appropriate design features for the way we LIVE in the built environment. But bit by bit, one house at a time. One vacation home at a time. . .how does this translate into the tract homes, the subdivisions eating our farm fields, the monstrosities?


I want to get my hands involved in site based, place based, earth based building. Mud, straw, sun and wind. This too will have limitations and small influences, but I'm craving the opportunity to instill my values of local, local economies, local resources, local people. A labor of love, not intended for everyone, how do we become involved on a larger level? Expand out from one community, grow, engulf, include, develop, and move along, roll, change, bend, alter, learn, teach, and plant seeds of enthusiasm and love.

Can formal education create these attributes? One must be open to the opportunities surrounding them, and be willing to listen to the wind, stop and breath, and move along again. I want to listen, I want to learn, and thus ride the rhythm of the music encompassing life. Life is precious.

The Company We Keep: Reinventing Small Business for People, Community, and Place
-John Abrams

"We grow to achieve specific goals, but we are aware that when we choose to increase in size, we may disrupt and endanger treasured qualities. Such concerns do not imply that we must limit development. Economist Herman Daly makes the distinction by explaining that to grow means to increase in size by the assimilation or accretion of materials, while to develop means to expand or realize the potentialities of; to bring to a fuller, greater, or better state. Our planet, he explains, develops over time without growing, while our economy, a subsystem of the finite and nongrowing earth, must eventually adapt to a similar pattern"

"Some say that to argue about growth in commerce is spurious. Of course you have to grow, they say: " Nature demands growth just as business does." I say, " that's debateable." Wall Street demands growth, business does not. Neither does nature. Nature seeks optimized growth and imposes limits. In the book Upsizing, author Gunter Pauli points out that if an oak tree grows to 150 feet, it is strong enough to resist wind, wear, and tear. But it doesn't grow to 1,500 feet, even when nature provides sufficient nutrients. Instead, it provides room for ten other trees. If it grew to 1,500 feet, it would become too fragile and lose its resilience and stability.

March 18, 2006
Tim's Memorial Service, Grand Junction, CO

I was lucky to have known "the recent Tim" and got to share these memories with his friends and family in Grand Junction where his recent endeavors down in Telluride were unknown to many.



I am lucky to have been touched by his life, albeit for a small fracture in time. We all have to remember the moments we shared with him, each spark of light he brought to the endeavors he tackled. Anna Quindlen stated “Life is made up of little moments, small pieces of glittering mica in a long stretch of gray cement.” Tim was one big, shiny, good looking, chunk of mica!

I met Tim on my second day in Telluride, a mere three months ago. Although our friendship was short, I was calmed by his presence and loved to explore with him our similar interests, everything from waste grease for biodiesel to tele skiing.

We coached at the Telluride Ski Club, where I would consistently see 5 little girls dressed in pink clinging to each arm, as he sat calmly with that smile on his face. He was always patient, always smiling, and always ready to go on any narly trail the kids wanted to go down, then he would calmly help them up from the resulting crash.

Early in the season I skied with him and some friends from Boulder. Misty Maiden and Chair 4, although repetitive, were fun, with jokes and laughs as we rode the same groomers over and over and tried to find variation in the bumps along the side.

Another tele skiing adventure with Tim was exploring the bumps of Chair 9. He had so much energy and enthusiasm for going as fast as he could, it didn’t matter how many face plants resulted. I did my best to keep up, and was definitely huffing and puffing at the bottom of each run. We shared quiet moments together, there was no need to constantly talk, we were both excited and energized by the mountain, the snow, the wind.

When Tim bartended at Chair 8, I would stop by on my way home to see him and share a few drinks and small talk. It was a place in town I knew I could find a friendly face and a smile. It was easy to be in his presence, never feeling the necessity to justify why I stopped by, even if it was just to be with him. He was always tired after working 7 hours on the ski hill, then 6 more at the bar, always watching the clock to head home, but never rushing me to get out.

One of the older athletes from the Telluride Ski Club exclaimed she “got 5 words out of Tim in one go, that must be a record!” I said, well you just have to ask him a question about something he’s passionate about. He would get a glimmer in his eye and a big smile and could go on for hours. One example is our drive to Montrose to the Biodiesel plant for a cleanup day. He talked about his goals in graduate school, and how he was excited to learn about the agriculture aspects of biodiesel and of the feasibility of it on a larger scale beyond collecting waste grease. A messy and difficult process that he got to experience first hand. He was dedicated to learning more about biodiesel and was very excited to make the first batch this spring when the weather got warmer and the grease de-gelled. His hidden fire burned with his passions to pursue aspects of renewable energy and to keep learning.

Those interests are what brought him to be a fellow intern at Steeprock Builders. An ecological design/build company that installs and runs off of solar panels, wind turbines, and biodiesel generators, all integral aspects towards realizing the vision of combining the built environment with natural systems and reducing humans impact on this world. Glen Harcourt, the founder, had a knack for finding all of those like-minded flecks of mica and collecting us together to create a family of go getters who are searching and succeeding at finding ways of living more sustainably. On February 23, Tim, Glen and Bo were headed to a hydro-electric project, and I know they were smiling the whole way there. Pursuing their passions, living life to the fullest, and leaving their mark through renewable systems that are the future.

I will always remember and cherish each of those small moments in time that I got to spend with Tim and the quiet beauty he brought to this world. His presence was comforting, his smile lit up the room, and his enthusiasm for life and all it holds will continue on within everyone that was touched by his life. Every mountain peak I am surrounded by reminds me of Tim. An overwhelming feeling of quiet peace emanates from each mountain top; Tim is there, watching, listening; being quiet and patient, loving, and happy.

Honoring Three Wonderful Friends

February 23, 2006 while heading to a hydro-electric project in Glen Harcourt's small plane, they hit a power line and died.


Glen Harcourt, founder/owner and mind behind Steeprock Builders and Atlas Arckology (a non-profit that promotes sustainable endeavors), He had a knack for gathering up like-minded, go getter, change the world people. His passion for life and bringing out the best in everyone will live on through everyone he's touched and influenced.


Bo Willse, laborer at Steeprock, learning to fly, and wonderful friend. When the bus dropped me off early at the Steeprock office before anyone else was there, I would hang out with Boomer, his dog, while Bo ate his breakfast. Excited about the day, with that smile on his face, always.




Tim Hackett, fellow ski coach at Telluride Ski and Snowboard Club, and fellow intern at Steeprock was working on every and all projects pertaining to renewable energy systems.

All three were good friends and I was fortunate to get to know them and work with them during the three months I have lived in Telluride. They all embodied energy and enthusiasm for life that was hard to find in places. They each had abundant smiles and laughs that filled the room and even couldn't be contained by walls. They were dedicated to sustainable endeavors and were making the world a better place each day they lived. They have not left us, since their inspirations and ideas will continue on in everyone touched by their lives. I feel them in the wind and will always see them in the mountain peaks, I will strive towards their ideals, and continue to live with their love and enthusiasm.

Also see www.strategiesforsustainability.blogspot.com (Mar 1 post tribute to Glen)
http://public.fotki.com/shmooga/glen/ (pictures of Glen and family)
http://mikelane.blogspot.com/2006/02/trivial-traveling_26.html (tribute to Tim)

"you won't find no gold in that rock. Only fool's gold."

"All gold is fool's gold."

"Yeah? Is that so?" Old Jack turns his leathery face and one good eye to his mate, the hint of a smile on his lips. "Don't philosophize on me, medicine man." He pats the pouch inside his belt. "We can buy what we need with it. That's good enough for me."

"Only from fools."

"Bullshit, Sam. Don't you know nothing about economics? About medium of exchange? How long'd you go to that Harvard?"

"Two weeks. It was a long grind."

"Not long enough, seems like. What branch of higher learning did they teach you there anyhow?"

"They taught all the branches--but none of the roots."


-Edward Abbey "Good News"

EVERY LONG JOURNEY

Every long journey is made of small steps,
Is made of courage, the feeling you get.
You know it's been waiting and waiting for you
The journey's the only thing you want to do.

We cannot know what you go through or see through your eyes
We will surround you, our pride undisguised.
In any direction, whatever you do,
You're taking our love there with you.

Every long journey, what drives you to go
It's half what you know, and half what you don't.
The secret's been waiting your heart's got the key
The secret's the only thing you want to see.

Every long journey begins with a dream
The spirit's encouraged to make it all real.
The dream has been calling and calling to you
The dream is the only thing you want to do.

Steeprock Builders

www.steeprockbuilders.com

My new part time job which will begin in January. I'm very excited to be working for this ecological Design/build firm, which has beautiful attention to detail, and a strong sense of stewardship for natural resources. Their workshop is run off solar power with a biodiesel backup generator. They do the entire process from permitting, to design, to digging the foundation with their biodiesel backhoe, to finishing touches. I will be helping out where help is needed, and hopefully will learn a lot about the entire process from the ground up.

Telluride, CO

My base for the winter. I'm coaching 7-8 year olds skiing, but more importantly have chosen Telluride, because San Miguel County has recently passed a Green Building Code for all residential construction and renovations. The town of Telluride has embraced these codes, but is also looking for ways to make them better, with a rating system like LEED so that there isn't merely a minimum standard to be reached, but an incentive for even better. I"m also looking into open space environmental groups like the Sheep Mountain Alliance, and architects around town who are embracing the "green" attitude, or have been at the forefront of this movement. The town of Telluride is an old mining town, so it's very compact, small houses, and great public buses and a gondola to transport people to Mt. Village (where all the second homes are, and large hotels. . .NOT sustainable lifestyles just over the mountain ridge) The two entities of Telluride and Mt. Village are interesting contrasts to each other. The first night I was here I went to a "green" ski movie, about the fate of backcountry skiing etc. There was a short intro "mockumentary" about the Lost People of Mt. Village. It described the day when the people who live (well at least vacation) up there just disappeared. There isn't even a grocery store or a gas station in town. And the houses with 19 bathrooms became uninhabitable because of the excess of space and lack of community.

It's a very small town, but it's been great getting to know people, and talking with them about my passions. There is a strong "green" community, but the trick is how to balance healthy development (affordable housing as an example) with keeping open space and pristine areas. Most people who live in Telluride did not grow up here, a vivid example of how development will not just stop, so how can we do it in a healthy manner. So very intersting conflicts and solutions are taking root in this small growing community. I have commited to 5 months, and we shall see what happens at the end of that time. In the meantime I'm excited to be gaining a community around me, meeting new people who I will see again the next week, and diving right into town activities. (a Green Building Material forum is taking place in an hour)

I will upload pictures when I can, but the computers available to me have not been cooperating.

Eugene, OR-

U of Oregon has a strong architecture program, and in the forefront is Professor Charlie Brown who does a lot of research on building materials and energy use. Since energy is the largest consumption of resources throughout the building's lifetime it is necessary to begin to reduce the impact and lifecycle costs associated with energy use.

Portland, OR

Portland State University- a very strong urban planning program in a new building with lots of natural light and public spaces.

Office of Sustainable Development www.sustainableportland.org
A government sponsored/run department that is in charge of facilitating recycling, composting, green building, and transportation throughout Portland. A very progressive and sucessful organization that continues to grow and enhance the Portland area.

Portland is interesting because they have an Urban Growth Boundary that inhibits the spread of suburbs out into the farm fields. Because the west coast is relatively young, it is able to put in place these boundaries and so far have been able to entice some developers to work within those guidelines and create beautiful, walkable, diverse neighborhoods. . .One example is Villebois, a planned development in Wilsonville that will become it's own town center, and is well under way taking housing reservations and working of the final site plans.

City Repair- www.cityrepair.org
A group of citizens that want to help transform the public spaces in Portland to promote community development, natural building, and place making. They have helped groups of people sucessfully build cob benches and kiosks in their public spaces. Each spring they also put on the Village Building Convergence, a week long event of workshops, speakers, and community building. A neat organization that is walking it's walk.




Our United Villages and the Rebuilding Center- work in partnership. . .the rebuilding center is a place for used building materials that can then be resold at lower prices, and the revenue goes to Our United Villages, a non-profit, working to foster community outreach within Portland.

"Instead of seeing the rug being pulled out from under us, we can learn to dance on a shifting carpet" -Thomas F. Crum

"Inside my empty bottle I was constructing a lighthouse
while all the others were making ships." -Charles Simic

It's a mean country,
but it's your's and mine
I know it's rugged, but I'm set to see it shine
-East Texas Red


It's a long and rugged road
and we don't know where we're heading
but we know it's gonna get us where we're going

When we find what we're looking for
we'll drop these bags and search no more
It's gonna feel like heaven when we're home.
-The Wailing Jenny's