Book Review

I would like to share two book titles with you.  I am starting to re-read Jason F. McLennan’s book, The Philosophy of Sustainable Design.  I gain so much insight every time I open it.  I collaborated with Jason as the Co-Chairman of the Spokane Chapter of the group called Cascadia Inland Branch Collaborative.  Jason is CEO of Cascadia Green Building Council, a Chapter of both the US and Canadian Green Building Councils, which is the Pacific Northwest’s leading organization in the field of green building and sustainable design.  He has brought many wonderful ideas to the non-profit group.  I purchased the book at Greenbuild Chicago 2010 from Jason himself and want all of you to know what a fantastic book it is!  The book is described as “a journey to learn how” the building industry “can build more responsibly”.  Jason created The Living Building Challenge which is an international sustainable building certification program that goes beyond LEED Platinum.  You can learn more about The Living Building Challenge at the following Back to Terra link http://www.backtoterra.com/services.html .

I am just starting Green to Gold, co-authored by Daniel C. Esty and Andrew S. Winston.  The book is targeting business owners and encouraging them to join the green movement not only for the good of the planet, but also for the success of their companies.  They use examples like Toyota, IKEA and others, companies that are taking the “eco-advantage” in the marketplace.  Their thoughts include “how companies generate lasting value” by “building environmental thinking into their business strategies”. 

At Back to Terra we encourage this type of thinking, as good promotion of environmental values work in an educate and share it forward mindset.  Good sustainable design should not be held under ones hat as their own company’s tricks of the trade, but shared.  Ownership of an idea doesn’t accomplish anything.  Good sustainable design should be out in the open to educate the public and other designers.  When an idea is shared it can then be added upon, improved and networked.  Good design should go VIRAL.  It’s only when you share it that it becomes more valuable.

While on the topic of sharing, please post your favorite book or books related to sustainable design.  We are always looking to expand the knowledge base.

Happiness is Green

Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay) is a brilliant young entrepreneur who gets the meaning of life. Life is not about slaving yourself away for the almighty dollar. Life is about finding joy and happiness in all that you do, letting money flow as a side effect. This guy turned the daily grunge paradigm upside down and inside out at his company, Zappos.  His free-thinking mindset turned his company's workspace into a playground. Happy employees are healthier, more alert and .... guess what? MORE PRODUCTIVE!  Healthy = Wealthy.  Health means more than simply being able to exist for 80 years behind a desk. How can one be truly healthy if one is not happy? Just imagine if all workplaces were like this! What if this was the norm? What if we were ALL happy? How much more could we accomplish? If you are a business owner.... how much could your business grow and expand if you stopped working so hard on the bottom line and started focusing on quality and productivity? -The TOP line? Trees grow from the top, building on solid foundation below. If your business has a solid foundation, stop stressing over the "bottom" line. It will take care of itself as long as your branches (products or services) and leaves (employees) are growing and healthy.  Happiness is Green!  Happiness makes more money-green, yes. But that's not the kind of green I am talking about. Happiness sustains your employees. What if you hire someone who will work for you forever because they are perfectly happy? Happiness goes hand in hand with a green sustainable workplace. Be green! Create a Happy working environment!