What is your impact?
Even I didn’t realize this simple lesson until recently. My daughter had an assignment to write about an issue that was important to her. She is strong and independent minded, so I had no idea what she was going to submit as her final topic. Much to my surprise on the day she presented her paper, I received a text from another parent that said she had done a great job. I responded, “Wonderful” and didn’t think much about it. Later that day, her teacher sends a note summarizing what had occurred that same afternoon. She presented her paper on climate change to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and shared her perspective on the urgent need to save energy for her generation. Little did I know that I was a raising a civic activist who passionately cares about our planet!
Yes, we are a family that recycles, composts, drives an electric vehicle, gardens and likes organic foods. It’s just what we do. She knows what I do in designing buildings that serve the needs of its occupants. She has also been my “tester” for activities that we do for our STEM camp for girls. This has shown me that everyday small actions can fuel deeper understanding of environmental stewardship.
This year’s Camp SEE focused on designing a greenhouse. We weaved in a discussion on renewable energy, building structures and environmental footprint. Of course, the snack part of the day is always a favorite with scholars playing in the “dirt with worms” aka crumbled brownies with gummy worms. We also toured a building in their community called UROC. We talked about how salvaging an existing building to repurpose it into something new is one of the most important sustainable design strategies that captures embodied carbon and reduces further carbon emissions.
For a glimpse of the camp, check out our short film UROC + Camp SEE, which is part of this year’s AIA Film Challenge!
https://www.urbandesignperspectives.com/blog/uroc-campsee-aiafilmchallenge
Buildings are responsible for over 40% of the world’s carbon emission. Our profession is tackling this issue of climate change in many ways like the 2030 Commitment to design buildings to net zero. It’s a heavy lift that will take all the planet’s people to make tangible everyday choices to lessen the carbon load. Intimate imprints made through modeling behavior and mentoring others can change perspectives. We can all have impact right where we are and can spark a multiplying movement to modify our actions and attitudes toward our collective responsibility in taking care of the earth.
