Tag: design

Oct 07 2009

Natural Fusion is Energy (and otherwise) COOL …

Since diving into the deep end when it comes to energy issues, almost every day sees new fascinating concepts, approaches, and technologies.  Fascinating … exciting … even hope inspiring at times.  And, as well, as the passion builds, so many of these are truly Energy COOL.

And, Natural Fusion truly does look to be Energy COOL …

No, we’re not speaking about Cold Fusion, but Penn State’s entry into the DOE Solar Decathlon, which opens Thursday on the Mall in Washington, DC.  

Let’s take a look at some of Natural Fusion’s features from its website, which is dynamic, enabling rapid connection of concepts and approaches with the home’s physical layout.

Oct 01 2008

post-capitalist environmental design: money and the Echo Park Time Bank

One of the things we will have to include in post-capitalist environmental design is a new system of money.  This diary is a preliminary investigation of this, continuing from the last diary on post-capitalist economic design.  Here I will discuss in brief the fate of the US dollar, the idea of the “time dollar” as explained by the founders of the Echo Park Time Bank, and the ideas of Hutchinson, Mellor, and Olsen’s The Politics of Money.

(Crossposted on Big Orange)

Sep 25 2008

the practical art of the future: toward post-capitalist environmental design (rewritten!)

Now that the “bailout bill” has been labeled a fait accompli, it should be time for us (at least those of us who live in “safe states,” where  none of our screaming and shouting will affect the electoral count) to consider the possible invention of the practical art of the future: post-capitalist environmental design.  

The point of such a concept of design will be, among other things, to overcome the “merely reactive” nature of environmental/ Left alternatives to the status quo by suggesting that our efforts contribute to more than just efforts to mitigate the damage done by right-wing rule under capitalist conditions.  We do, indeed, have an alternative vision of the world: and this is a beginning discussion of its technics.

(crossposted to Big Orange)