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Intersection of Water and Energy

Jeff Stephens — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:28:11 +0000

This site has been largely ignored since I took a full-time position back in September 2008 with KEMA, Inc., a global technical and management consulting firm focused on the energy industry. As I wondered how best to archive old content including past articles that I'd written for green building publications, these pages have remained static. No longer.

Moving forward, posts will focus on energy and water: supply, conservation, technology, and our collective struggle to reshape our thinking about these 'commodities.' Energy use has gained a national spotlight. I believe water will be next.

Last Sunday, March 22, was World Water Day. The theme for this year was Transboundary Waters: Sharing Water, Sharing Opportunities.

Whether its water or energy, confronting challenges and exploiting opportunities is in our future.

From Airports to Detention Facilities

Jeff Stephens — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:25:54 +0000

Two articles that I wrote appear in the October editions of two widely circulated green building publications. Both magazines will also be distributed at next month's GreenBuild conference in Chicago. Look for a copy at the show, or download PDF versions below.

O'Hare Modernization Program, eco-structure Magazine, October 2007. (bylined)

Justice for the Environment, Environmental Design+Construction Magazine, October 2007. (ghost-written)

Enjoy.

‘Green Streaming’

Jeff Stephens — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 22:22:56 +0000

To help facilitate the interactive session Green Streaming: Winning Support for Building Green at GreenBuild, posts to this section of the website will focus on forming green building coalitions and overcoming objections to new design/construction practices.So, what’s your experience reaching out beyond the core design team?

Input is valuable and improves the overall project.
It’s more expensive and takes more time.
Advocacy groups want too much and aren’t willing to put their money where their mouth is.
I know more than they do.
The client won’t pay for it.
We’re too busy to start asking for input. The project’s already designed.
The only way green building will become standard practice is if we seek input from the masses.

Post comments or send an email here.

Architecture of Healing

Jeff Stephens — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 20:27:52 +0000

Recently I wrote a contributed article (?) for Healthcare Design Magazine about the Sambhavna Clinic in Bhopal, India, which provides medical care to survivors of the worldâ€™s worst industrial chemical accident. Architecture of Healing describes the Sambhavna Clinic and the work to eliminate the continued suffering in Bhopal. I’m saddenned to hear that monsoon flooding in August has caused extensive damage to the community. Floodwaters (photo) have spread chemicals from the yet-to-be-cleaned-up Union Carbide factory and sickened residents.

Donations can be made here.

Background

My client, Health Care Without Harm, focuses on improving the environmental profile of the health care industry to ensure that the very organizations working to treat patients do not in fact cause harm themselves (hence the website of www.noharm.org). HCW organizes a conference every two years called CleanMed. The most recent US conference took place in April 06. The Sambhavna Clinic was highlighted at the conference and the article was an outgrowth of the conference. The next CleanMed conference is in May 2008 in Pittsburgh.

Success Story: Fruits and Vegetables

Jeff Stephens — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 05:13:22 +0000

Last year I worked on a marketing communications project for the California Association of Food Banks called Farm to Family. Essentially, the program connects food banks with growers to glean their surplus product that isn’t marketable to conventional grocery stores because it’s too small, too large, blemishes, etc. Fruits and vegetables are picked up from growers and then redistributed to food banks around the state, who in turn distribute to local agencies that provide the food to those in need.

Last week there was a food bank conference in LA where the program was discussed. In one week, the program picked up and distributed 1.2 million pounds of fresh produce to those in need. That’s one week!

What a good project.