"Our Common Future"

In 1987, the United Nations released the Brundtland Report, which defines sustainable development as "development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".

Seven generation sustainability is an ecological concept that urges the current generation of humans to live sustainably and work for the benefit of the seventh generation into the future. It originated with the Iroquois - Great Law of the Iroquois

"People don't want gas and electricity. They just want hot showers and cold beer" -Amory Lovins

Monday, May 23, 2011

Expectations

Its funny when I look back at when I was a kid, trying to figure out what I wanted to do when I grew up.  I didn't have a clue, or at least I didn't think I had a clue.  And maybe that is just because I didn't know what was out there.  I always loved to draw forms and shapes, build with blocks, and visit my mom at work in Boston to look at all the great buildings in the city.  I was also always very environmentally aware, riding my parents to shut off the water or lights, to not litter, and to recycle.  So I guess its fitting that I ended up at a Construction Management firm, and the timing couldn't be better with the current focus on more environmentally responsible building practices.

A couple years back I went to lunch with a former professor and I expressed the need for the department to prepare the current students for the green building movement.  I thought I was providing feedback for department direction.  I didn't realize I was volunteering to teach a course.  So to my surprise a few weeks later, I received word that my proposal for a course had been accepted and I would need to submit an abstract and syllabus.

I have found that teaching from a textbook is good at providing the fundamentals, but not so good at capturing the real life examples and experiences that my day job provides.  And therefore I am here, starting a blog with the hopes of catching some of that real-life experience mixed with some personal accounts while working on projects with sustainable development goals.

I hope to provide others with a glimpse into the many decisions that go into a building project, some behind the scenes looks at the work in progress, and ultimately I hope to inspire others to act more sustainable in their every day life, to help make good decisions today that preserve what we have now for our future generations.  -mk

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