Owner: New American Village URL:http://newamericanvillage.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:54:49 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: The New American Village blog discusses the progressive politics of sustainability and green building, along with a healthy dose of info on livable communities and walkable neighborhoods. NAV spears the deadly truth about sprawl and strip development and Site statistics:Click here
Pre-Fab Redux 2008-07-25 13:35:00 In Milwaukee, one side of a city block houses the largest collection of American System-Built Houses - Frank Lloyd Wright's foray into the world of pre-fab housing.A full page newspaper ad in 1917 touted these designs as low-cost homes built with factory-made components.Several designs were offered with variations on each design theme. This group of System-Built Houses is the largest grouping in Read more:Redux
Organic Architecture in Wisconsin 2008-07-23 11:06:00 Wow. Just back from a whirlwind trip to Wisconsin
where I visited (and revisited) some of Frank Lloyd Wright's buildings including this Madison gem - the First Unitarian Society Meeting House.Constructed for $75,000 in the early 50's, the Meeting House became the iconic model for modern church architecture. Notice the extended brow. How many churches over the past 50 years have co-opted that dy Read more:Organic
, Architecture
Top 5 Blog Posts 2008-07-10 07:51:00 Sambo Mockbee tops the list of "most read" posts on the NAV blog for good reason; he changed the way many people, including me, look at so-called ordinary materials. He was as much artist and sociologist as Architect. For ultimate inspiration, click on "Shelter for the Soul."-mockbees-shelter-for-soul.htmlThe next most clicked essay - What's Your Walk Score? - links you to a site that scores yo
Declaration of Energy Independence 2008-07-04 08:10:00 For the want, will, and hopes of the people, and with acknowledgments to Thomas Jefferson and the Second Continental Congress, I submit to you this Declaration
of EnergyIndependence
. WHEN in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the Emotional and Economic bonds which have connected them with a destructive Energy Policy, a decent respect to the opinions of man
Drafting a New Document 2008-07-03 12:02:00 Here we are, approaching the July 4th holiday weekend. No longer are we under the heavy hand of Great Britain or King George (watch it with the wise cracks), but we are under a certain form of tyranny in the form of an energy policy that dictates and limits how we go about living our lives. Tomorrow, I will publish a proclamation addressing a much-needed change of course: The Declaration of Energy Read more:Drafting
News Flash 2008-06-30 12:58:00 The latest newspaper article: Green is the New Green. Read more:Flash
Local Bikeway 2008-06-25 09:27:00 Bike trails are a key ingredient in the recipe for cooking up a livable city.The Longleaf Trace, name inspired by the indigenous longleaf pine, runs along an abandoned freight rail track from the university out 39 miles through a handful of small towns. Right now, it is utilized primarily as a recreational bike and walk path, although some outlying apartment complexes are catching on. Shy little c Read more:Local
Extra, Extra, Read All About It 2008-06-24 19:13:00 ...my latest newspaper column entitled "The Frank Lloyd Wright Home." For a fresh take on architecture, livable neighborhoods, and sustainable design, ask your local newspaper editor to start carrying my weekly essays. Enjoy... Read more:Extra
A Little More Line... 2008-06-24 11:57:00 Graphs don't lie. This nifty illustration came from Project Laundry List, a non-profit group advocating the production and usage of energy from sustainable sources, i.e. the sun.Their website, with a nice helping of wit and creativity, offers some good information about the benefits of line drying and more. Clothesline art can be found there as well. their website, a nice quote:"We must all hang t
Walkin' the Line 2008-06-22 17:18:00 On the very local scene, as local as your back yard, a new-old technique of powering your clothes dryer: the sun! Zero carbon footprint.The clothesline movement is growing as a green alternative. Over the past 50 years, as electric dryers, albeit energy hogs, became ubiquitous, many neighborhoods have outlawed line drying for "aesthetic" reasons. But the TIDE is changing. Who's looking at my
Farmer Meets Market 2008-06-19 22:13:00 The Thursday evening farmers market is one of a growing number of markets in the area, all with their own character and personality. This market has a decidedly organic feel.This market came about, from what I understand, because of the personal initiative of Chris Cagle, owner of the organic grocery store and cafe across the street. I call Chris a socio-economic entrepreneur, meaning what he does Read more:Market
A Solution for High Gas Prices 2008-06-19 15:37:00 Nothing makes the point like a timely 3-D art installation. James Moore, proprietor of a local bike shop, fashioned this nice assembly in full view of the "$4-a-gallon" parade. It instantly illustrates, in a very creative way, the ever increasing cost benefits of riding a bike instead of always defaulting to automobile transportation.James is a great example of being the change you want to see Read more:Solution
, Prices
Local Bounty 2008-06-17 09:21:00 Here's a partial display of dividends from a local farmer's market. The fresh vegetables so beautifully captivated the spirit of early summer that they won out over wildflowers for our evening table bouquet.Donna threw in a few extra peppers - banana, jalapeño, and a spicy breed of light green bell pepper, I cannot remember the name - as she weighed up two varieties of purple eggplant and some pl Read more:Local
, Bounty
Father's Day 2008-06-15 08:22:00 In the spirit of Father
s Day, here's a photo of my two sons - Clay, 19, on the left and Avery, 15, on the right - along with my dear mother Mary Nell taken at Unity Chapel last weekend.And, a picture of my new father-in-law Jim Johnson walking his daughter Vickie down the aisle. Notice the sun beaming in the windows beyond. Amidst all the Midwestern rain of the past two weeks, the skies opened u
Wedding Bells 2008-06-11 12:25:00 Last Saturday, I married Dr. Professor Frau Victoria Johnson in Unity Chapel near Spring Green, Wisconsin. 'Twas a simple, elegant affair and went off without a hitch - no dramatic objections, nobody fainted, both said "I will" - even in the midst of surrounding stormy weather. In fact, the sun came out, gloriously, as the wedding began and light beamed in the windows for the entire ceremony.
The High Price of Doing Nothing 2008-05-23 11:01:00 Here on the eve of the Memorial Day weekend, the beginning of summer when people traditionally take long weekend vacations - mostly driving or flying to their destination – and gas prices keep going up and up and up. The whole country is complaining (except for oil and gas companies) because it’s affecting everybody’s bottom line. I can’t help but wonder what things would be like if w Read more:Nothing
Bike-To-Work Day 2008-05-16 07:31:00 May is national bike month, and today is national bike-to-work day.Here's a link to the American League of Bicyclists website where you can find useful information about all-things-bicycle in your area and nationally., a link to "50 ways to celebrate bike month." hop on your bike and ride!
Forward to the Future 2008-05-07 08:57:00 Have you ever driven an automobile forward while looking in the rear-view mirror? Don't tell anybody, but I've tried it a few times. Doesn't work very well.Sure, if the road is perfectly straight with no oncoming traffic, you could feasibly travel short distances, albeit very, very slowly. But I think we could all agree (including our friendly Highway Patrolmen) that driving any distance in a Read more:Forward
, Future
Man with Nature, not Man over Nature 2008-05-01 14:44:00 If Mother Nature gives you a tree, enjoy the shade.How many times have we seen a beautiful piece of land clear cut and flattened to make way for a new building project? One day - a beautiful forest. Next day, it looks like a World War 1 battlefield. Ouch! And how many new developments are named after the unique natural landform that was destroyed in the process? In Hattiesburg Mississippi
Location, Location, Location 2008-04-29 08:10:00 The one thing you can always count on in green is that local is good - mostly.Environmentally, local materials work best. If the product you're looking for comes from local raw materials, you can be pretty certain that it is compatible with the local environment. For example, stone quarried on site makes for a nice aesthetic for a designed landscape feature -colors and textures are inherently c Read more:Location
The Green Ethic 2008-04-28 09:07:00 Consider How far we've come.Just a few short years ago, people who used words like 'green, organic, natural' to describe a better way of life were marginalized and dismissed by most of society, big business, the press, and politicians as if they were a hopeless cult of idealists who "just didn't get it." Conspicuous consumption was pitched as the highest moral paradigm, and Americans bought in - Read more:Green
Ernie's Epitome 2008-04-25 00:13:00 A beautiful essay by my old friend Ernie
. We met in nursery school, grew up together, and to this day, play each other dead even in "cut-throat" scrabble.I live and work about 65 miles due South of Washington, D.C. in Southern Maryland. The political mindset and terrain of this region reminds me much of my hometown area around Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The region of Southern Maryland consists
Park It ! 2008-04-23 13:28:00 Is it possible to go an entire day without driving your car and go about "business as usual"?I am happy to report that Tuesday, Earth Day, the answer for me was yes.A dozen blocks on foot began the day - breakfast with Ed at IHOP. Ed is a long-time friend and running buddy, an Episcopal priest (who single-handedly revived my faith in his profession) and "ombudsman" extraordinaire. You should hear
Underground No More 2008-04-22 15:13:00 OK, OK...So for the benefit of those who wondered where I went (thanks for asking), here's the story. I was thrown in the slammer; the official charge was "pamphleteering." Rocking the boat was the crime, or so they said. Turns out, the we-don't-need-no-stinkin'-sidewalks lobby has some pull here with the local authority-figures. I pleaded guilty - I had to tell the truth - and threw myself
Conservation Neighborhoods by Randall Arendt 2008-03-19 09:47:00 One concept jumps out at me when I study Randall
Arendt’s ideas for neighborhood design – balance.Amid a bulls-rush of conventional thinking by real estate developers telling us that every square inch of raw land must be actively developed and sold off to support the “economic viability” of a project, Arendt has tirelessly advocated leaving significant swaths of common natural space as par Read more:Conservation
More RiverView Terrace 2008-08-08 17:14:00 OK. Can't help it. A couple more images of Frank Lloyd Wright's Riverview Terrace
. Beautiful organic architecture.
Broadacre City Gas Station 2008-08-08 00:02:00 Prompted by a PrairieMod post, I was inspired to dig up some photos I took on a trip to see Frank Lloyd Wright's only gas station back in 2001.The R.W. Lindholm Service Station
, now 50 years old, is straight out of the Broadacre City plan - a concept for decentralization of the American built landscape that Wright promoted in the 1930's as the automobile allowed a new great freedom of transportati Read more:Gas Station
Romeo and Juliet Windmill, Act 3 2008-08-07 06:38:00 A couple of fascinating video clips:Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer, a long-time senior apprentice (he was at Taliesin long before Wright died) tells the history of Romeo and JulietWindmill
. short documentary of erecting the rebuilt tower.
Romeo and Juliet, Act 2 2008-08-05 14:10:00 ...a couple of additional pictures of Romeo and Juliet
.This early Frank Lloyd Wright work almost didn't get built. Wright's aunts lobbied for it as his uncles incessantly threw out reasons why this particular design should not be erected.The aunts stuck to their guns. In his autobiography, Wright recalls a letter written to him by the aunts relating the uncles' fears of the tower's inherent ins
Romeo and Juliet Windmill 2008-08-04 12:56:00 Romeo and JulietWindmill
sits atop a hill behind Hillside Home School, now the part of the Taliesin estate.In the 1890's, when a young Frank Lloyd Wright was in the early years of his practice, his aunts had him design a windmill for pumping water to their progressive boarding school.Wright's uncles argued that the aunts should order a prefabricated metal windmill from Sears Roebuck, but the aunt
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