My students and I had the brilliant opportunity to attend the Greenbuild Conference and Expo that was held this year in Phoenix. We were treated to a tour of the expo floor, which showcased innovations in the green building industry. So much to see, and so much to learn! Being the materials and design junkie that I am, I was thrilled to see that, in addition to the sustainable nature of the products, there was a strong aesthetic nature to what I was seeing. Anything worth doing is worth doing beautifully.
The students (there were five of them) participated in a hands-on educational session that required them to design a sustainable habitat for a protected Arizona animal that resides on the Hassayampa Preserve. I had the good fortune to act as a facilitator for one of the groups. I brought a bag of found objects scrounged from my classroom, and together with the other teams, the students set out to learn about their assigned animals and create their designs.
The students were given an overview of the Hassayampa Preserve and its mission, and then were broken into groups. Each group studied an animal that lives in the preserve, and, working with objects form nature as well as re-purposed items, created a design based on the habits and requirements of the particular animal. Each group then presented their design, offering strategy and rationale. Thanks so much to the USGBC for inviting us to participate, and to Gwen Emery, who is the visionary behind the project.
