Global greenhouse gas emissions will rise by 52% by 2030, unless the world takes action to reduce energy consumption, a study has warned.

The BBC just reported this regarding the impact of current practices regarding greenhouse gasses. What is the effect of greenhouse gasses? Global warming.

I like how Jack Williams of USA Today puts it:

To understand how the natural greenhouse effect can impact the climate of a planet, we can look to our two heavenly neighbors, Venus and Mars.

Venus, with a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide and a “runaway greenhouse effect”, has an average surface temperature of 900 degrees Fahrenheit. Mars, with a thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide and virtually no greenhouse effect, has a mean surface temperature of -80 degrees Fahrenheit.

So the Earth is poised in on a life-sustaining tightrope of temperature, maintained in part by the composition of the atmosphere. Our building, development activity has two impacts: reducing green space, which absorbs CO2, and releasing more C02 through fossil fuel usage in material production, transportation, construction, and building operation. This one-two punch is pushing us toward higher greenhouse gas levels, which will impact our climate.

I just read “The Journey of Man” which suggests that the Ice Age allowed and forced modern humans to adapt to changing conditions, spreading from sub-saharan africa to the rest of the world. This expansion was allowed by ample resources for humankind and the creative intelligence they carried in their skulls. Can we today handle such a climate change? I’ll bet not. Our gifts today include greater intelligence and tools for communication but our natural resources and population are not the same.

Let us apply that greater intelligence to development and building, and work toward lower greenhouse gas emission and reliance on fossil fuels. In addition, call your legislators to urge them to promote the same.

If you are looking for some inspiration for your dream project, be sure to check out the Ann Sacks line of tile. This line of tile is like no other: they use many types of integral designs, a wide range of colors, and innovative installations. You will never think of tile the same way again!

The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreland of wonder.

The Brookings Register recently ran a brief article on our work with Ascension Lutheran Church of Brookings, South Dakota.

Here are a few highlights:

Major changes are in store for Ascension Lutheran Church in Brookings.
Plans for construction of Phase 1 of a multiphase expansion are now being completed, according to Les Olive, Ascension Lutheran Building Task Force, and the congregation next month will begin the bidding process for a $1.5 million addition and renovation of the existing church structure.

“Remodeling the existing worship space into a gathering area will be a wonderful improvement for fellowship and an excellent hub from which all the other activities (Sunday School, the WAVE, education and fellowship sessions) can radiate.”

For the whole article, click here.

It is great to see creative expansion of building accessories and components. Along these lines, Design Boom organized a design competition for innovative tile in 2004. This fleshy tile and a heated tile were the two winners out of over 1500 entries.

This “mood tile” is also pretty cool: imagine your walls changing color as the shower heats up in the morning!

You may not see all of these tile on Menard’s shelves next year, but these competitions push the envelope and broaden design thinking across the world.

Thanks, Paul, for link.

Maintaining an attitude of playfulness may at first seem inappropriate for problem solving, but intuitive problem solving is basically a creative process, and is more easily activated when critical judgement is suspended.