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Find Us On FacebookThe WSJ journal has an article today about the sustainability of bamboo clothing; as it turns out, bamboo clothing really isn’t sustainable once you factor in all the chemicals and processing involved in its production, and claims that it is are probably close to fraudulent. One of these days I might get around to blogging [...]
Bamboozled
November 12th, 2009 by BenFun with GIS
November 12th, 2009 by BenJerrod wrote an entry back in July about walking the proposed road that had been staked for us by our topographers. Walking it, and understanding the topography of the area as well as Design Workshops’s intent, I was suspicious that the stakes weren’t quite where they were supposed to be. That, combined with a few [...]
Sustainable Forestry Solutions
October 1st, 2009 by DavidLast week I discussed some of the deforestation that is happening throughout Panama. The depletion of rainforest is a very real problem with powerful socioeconomic repercussions. For instance, the deforestation of the Darien Jungle would open passage by land from Colombia, and all of South America, through Panama all the way to Alaska [...]
Deforestation
September 23rd, 2009 by DavidThe provinces of Los Santos and Herrera are considered the heartland of Panama. Many Panamanians trace their roots to these strongholds of Spanish settlement. It is in these areas where ranchers and cowboys tend to their cattle, where the best tipico music and food originate, where some of the greatest sense of national pride is [...]
Vertical Green
September 22nd, 2009 by FrancesRecently I read about a very interesting vision of the future. One that sees traditional “soil-based” farming as unsustainable long-term, and puts forth the idea of urban “vertical” farming, or Sky Farms. Take a look at this op-ed piece by Dr. Dickson D. Despommier in the online New York Times here. Despommier has a book [...]
Tree Climbing
September 9th, 2009 by DavidOn a trip to Costa Rica three years ago, I was taken on a jungle tour by an American expat biologist. He lived on the Osa Peninsula, not far from the Panamanian border and offered his diverse knowledge on the rainforest as his means of livelihood. I learned several interesting things on the trip and [...]
The World’s Medicine Cabinet
August 20th, 2009 by DavidThe rainforest is a curious place. To the naked eye, the monotony of green can be overwhelming. Traipsing around, looking high for monkeys and low for footholds, it’s easy to not see the forest for the trees. Externally, of course, the trees have entertaining personalities. Some are covered with large spikes. Strangler figs wrap their [...]
The Road Never Traveled
July 28th, 2009 by JerrodThe importance of personally getting to know your site is imperative to any successful development project. There are many great sites underwhelmed because not enough care was taken to plan proper locations of improvements. Conversely, there are many mediocre sites that can become incredible experiences with careful attention to the land and its features.
A large [...]
Spirits in The [Rapidly Renewable] Material World
July 17th, 2009 by MarkI’ll apologize right from the get go if you just starting humming a Police classic. I know I am! However, this post isn’t about The Police, or Sting, or about music. (But just in case: here.) This post is about the benefits of using rapidly renewable materials.
Conventional construction materials are typically very resource intensive. Deforestation [...]