Borderlands exhibit in US Senate on Anniversary of fall of Berlin Wall

For the past couple of years I have been working to document the impacts of the US border wall on wildlife and people. Dozens of endangered species live in this region, and many depend on the ability to move freely to find food, water and mates in this arid landscape. The people of the borderlands share a history that dates back hundreds and even thousands of years, and all are now facing divisions between their tight-knit and longstanding communities.

This project has included a 17-member expedition along the length of the 2000-mile border and a 30-piece exhibit of the photographs that were taken on that trip. The exhibit has
been traveling around the country and in early November will be shown in the Senate. The show coincides with the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. So come check out the exhibit--November 9-20 in the Russell Rotunda. I'll also be working with a network of people on a panel discussion Nov. 9 in the Senate Dirksen building room 11-G, and a reception Wednesday, November 18 in the Russell building room 325. All events are free and open to the public.

For more information about the project visit: ilcp.com/borderlands or wayfarerphotography.com

Eco-villages in Kathmandu

Click on any of the images in this blog to enlarge in a new window or tab.


I have become involved helping develop an eco-village in Kathmandu, founded and managed by a lovely, humble Nepalese, Krishna Gurung. Here is a short video on his work, per an international award for which he was the runner-up.

I had been listening for such work to get involved with and have since been helping Krishna in a few ways ~

- we got him a booth at the DC Greenfest.
- we've designed and printed the banner, brochure and display for the booth. Here's the brochure (click on the images to enlarge):

By the way, if you're in town this weekend (Oct. 10/11), pls check out the DC Green Festival........ it's a 'party w/ a purpose!' I'm also exhibiting, and there are many, many interesting exhibits and speakers exploring the full spectrum of greening society.

We're also helping Krishna develop more appropriate and durable natural building methods. I'm going next September to begin implementing these methods........... pls contact me (bill@heliconworks.com) if you're interested in joining this effort.

And Krishna is always looking for volunteers to come and work at one of the villages, also as teachers and gardeners. He is building the third one now, and wants to continue providing small sustainable communities to serve those w/ leprosy, other disabilities or who are otherwise underprivileged.

Peace,

Bill

Ecological Building and Living Workshop, Saturday, Nov. 7th

Twice a year, I offer a workshop where in one day I take people through the entire creative process of making their home. It's a very full and enlivening day, beginning with drawing exercises to explore what 'home' means as an internal image, to creating models and drawings of your home (or an addition onto an existing house).

In between we sculpt models of our response to a body prayer which embodies the dynamic of how our home at once roots us to place and expands our awareness and connectedness; discuss ecologically design and building practices; hear and see other participants' ideas (which expands our understandings), etc. And you're served yummy organic vegetarian continental breakfast and lunch (and snacks) to keep you going through this very full day. One participant said they hadn't had as much fun since kindergarten!

The next workshop is Saturday, Nov. 7th, 9am - 6pm, at my home, which features many ecologically responsive building methods (you can see photos of my home on our web site).

All for $150! Please contact me at bill@heliconworks.com if you want to attend, and i'll send you more information, including homework to consider before the workshop!

~ Bill

Featured in local story, and missing the point on "payback"

from Truthful Living by (Sat Jiwan)

Jeremy Arias from The Gazette interviewed me, my friend Doug Horgan, and a couple other locals for an article about costs of going green. (Experts: Going green doesn't have to put you in the red, 09.09.09) There's a lot to cover on a topic like this and I think he did a nice job for a short piece, and got most of my quotes and sentiments right on. I enjoyed more of the things that came up in our interview, than what made it into the article.

He mentioned the $7000 (25%) in incentives I got in 2007 for our solar panels and about 15-20 year payback I expect. If I did the same project today combining federal, state (MD) and Montgomery County local incentives, I would get about 80% in incentives and have a payback of 5-10 years. See my recent Voice column (Apr 2009) which summarizes this (note: both MD and Montgomery County have refunded their programs as of June/July).

More on "payback":
While it's true when looking to develop a priorities list for home improvements, it makes a lot of sense to do the quickest payback items first, it's actually a bit of a red herring that you should only do things which have certain financial "paybacks"...

(article continues at: http://truthful-living.blogspot.com/2009/09/featured-in-local-story-and-missing.html )

Transition Takoma

Transition Takoma recently held its first large public event. They hosted a movie, local foods potluck and discussion. The film was: "The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil"

Transition Takoma is part of a growing worldwide movement to localize our economies and create sustainable, resilient communities - a positive vision and practical response to climate change, peak oil and economic instability. Cuba's inspiring story is a creative and successful response to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, when their imports of oil were cut by more than half – and food by 80 percent.



I think the green building movement needs to go way beyond LEED certification and individual efficient or renewably-powered homes and buildings. (Good work yes, but not enough on its own.) Specifically the power of community needs to be tapped, rebuilding our local infrastructure in system-wide approaches.

Local transition groups or informally with your own efforts you can help re-build local self-reliance. As much as I'd love for global, federal, state policy initiatives to be the best place for solutions to problems of global warming and peak oil, they won't be enough alone (especially as weak as they are being crafted) and we certainly need a groundswell of activity by everyday people building stronger local communities to prepare for changes that are already coming. As a bonus these efforts, in general, make our communities more vibrant and enjoyable.

for a more positive future,
-Sat Jiwan

more info...
Transition Movement: http://transitionus.ning.com/

Or find a group near you (here's some already going):
Transition MD: http://transitionmaryland.ning.com/
Transition DC: http://ecolocity.ning.com/
Transition Takoma: http://transitionmaryland.ning.com/group/transitiontakomapark

Helicon Works has a new website!

Helicon Works, architectural collaborative, has developed and grown over the past twenty years. We have recently stepped back with fresh eyes and reconsidered who we are and the intentions permeating our work. Our new website is the result of this exploration.

We operate under the thinking that life changes every nanosecond; that new opportunities and challenges arise constantly. As such, we have developed a service that can evolve as the environments in which we work. We are a multi-faceted and diverse collaborative, from which we create teams tailored to every project to best serve the nuances of each client and place.

Helicon Works has organically grown to reflect a broad spectrum of experience and sensibilities. We are excited about the possibilities this affords - both for our clients, who can benefit from our expertise and full range of services, as well as for our work, which appeals to a variety of styles and needs.

We welcome you to explore Helicon Works’ new site. You’ll find examples of our work, get to meet the collaborative, learn about our vision, discover our full range of services and take advantage of our resources.

The spiritual core of creating and living with an ecological awareness is our foremost concern. We believe all real change arises from this awareness. With this in mind, we offer you our new website!