Ecosa Institute News

Are We There Yet?

by Tony Brown, Director of the Ecosa Institute, June 2009

Artwork by Lauren Stocksdale, Spring 2009 With Ecosa approaching its 10th year, it is interesting to see the stir of interest in "green" and in saving the world by changing light bulbs. However, people I know who have been seriously advocating change for the past ten years are frustrated, and concerned, by the shallow responses and the lack of serious action. The scale of the challenges and, yes, disasters facing our societies are far greater than most people appreciate. For the last 10 years Ecosa has tried to persuade, cajole or encourage change rather than "tell it like it is" because we believed being negative would get in the way of the message. The results of this approach have done little to change our society, so our new approach is to speak out without the sugar coating. Radical is derived from the Late Latin radicalis, having roots. The radical approach we are advocating looks at the root causes and proposes root solutions.

ECOSA AND SOLACE INTERNATIONAL PARTNER ON KENYA PROJECT

The 2009 fall semester students will be working on a project on the shores of Lake Victoria, Kenya. Solace International has asked Ecosa to develop a sustainable approach to the development of a 30-acre site that will include a vocational school for orphans. The project will include housing, kitchen, agriculture to provide a sustainable food supply and a fish farm to provide both food and an income source. Since 2002 Solace International has been working in countries around the globe providing housing, vocational training and support for homeless orphans in nine countries. One of the operating principles of Solace is to "embrace partnerships with nonprofits that compliment Solace's goals". We are very excited to be able to offer the expertise of our staff and the enthusiasm of our students to make this new project in Kenya a model of sustainable practices and to support an organization with such an outstanding track record and a commitment to social responsibility.

“We are really looking forward to working with this outstanding organization that is affecting the lives of thousands of people around the world.” Ecosa Director Tony Brown, says. “It is our goal not only to create designers who understand sustainability, but also to use these skills to bring the possibility of a sustainable future to Kenyan children." Since 2002 Solace International has been exceptionally successful in creating a better life for orphans in countries around the world and now works in nine countries. One of the four operating principles that have made Solace International a success is to "Embrace partnerships with nonprofits that compliment Solace’s goals". We believe that Ecosa, with this partnership, will be able to assist in reaching those goals while at the same time giving our students an outstanding opportunity to participate in a project with a high level of social relevance.

To learn more about Solace International click here

ECOSA AND BALL STATE UNIVERSITY SIGN CREDIT AGREEMENT

Some time ago, while attending the education for sustainability conference in Portland Oregon, Professor Robert Koester saw a presentation by Ecosa Institute founder Antony Brown that peaked his interest. It told the story of a semester program bringing a new innovative approach to the teaching of architecture and design. As director of Center for Energy Research/Education/Service (CERES) at Ball State, Koester was already recognized nationally as a leader in the movement to address ecological concerns through the field of architecture. Ecosa’s unique blend of practical, experiential and cross discipline learning with a core emphasis on sustainability was a program that he believed would enhance the sustainability component of the architecture program at Ball State University.

Over the years the relationship has developed and grown with invitations from Professor Koester to Ecosa director Antony Brown to review projects by Ball State’s Master of Architecture students. In August 2007 Brown was appointed as an Adjunct Visiting Scholar in Architecture.

Now thanks to Dr. Koester’s persistence there is a formal agreement between the two organizations to provide credit for BSU students attending the total immersion semester at the Ecosa Institute. This innovative agreement gives BSU students and students from around the world, the opportunity to receive credit for an intensive study of sustainability in a “semester abroad” setting.

“With this agreement we are able to move our concepts into the mainstream of architectural education.” says Brown. “We have been hoping for this kind of connection with an architecture school and for that school to be at Ball State University is especially exciting.”

Ecosa takes on challenging new project in Liberia

We have been asked by Empowerment Society a non-profit organization located in Phoenix to provide a design for a sustainable village in Liberia. This is a country that has survived a civil war that has in effect devastated the economy and infrastructure. It is a country that also is home to one of the largest remaining rainforests in Africa. The hope is that this project can serve as a model for development in nations trying to recover from a variety on political and environmental disasters.

Download a description of the project (PDF).

For more information about the empowerment society go to www.empowermentsociety.com

Ecosa Semester program takes on third project from Desert Mission

This fall our students will be working on a third project in Sunnyslope, a neighborhood in Phoenix. Our first project, the mission lane housing is now in construction documents, our second project was the redesign of Hatcher road a major thoroughfare through the neighborhood (see below for details) and now we have been asked to demonstrate the impact of the overlay zoning we proposed. We will be designing a mixed-use development to demonstrate to business owners on Hatcher Road how the zoning changes can enhance the street and provide a more viable development mix. This project will include housing retail and commercial as part of a process of bringing diversity back into the urban environment.

New partnership with Solace International

This semester we have been asked by Solace International, a non-profit working with orphans around the world, to partner with them on an exciting project in Kenya, Africa. We will be designing a master plan for a vocational school located on the shores of Lake Victoria that will include not only housing and other facilities but will incorporate an agricultural base to provide a sustainable food source. Part of this master plan will locate and design an aquaculture farm for both an internal food source and and as an income producing enterprise. The many integrated systems planned for this 30 acre site will be a challenging project for our semester students.

"We are really looking forward to working with this outstanding organization that is affecting the lives of thousands of people around the world.” Ecosa Director Tony Brown, says. “It is our goal not only to create designers who understand sustainability, but also to use these skills to bring the possibility of a sustainable future to Kenyan children." Since 2002 Solace International has been exceptionally successful in creating a better life for orphans in countries around the world and now works in nine countries. One of the four operating principles that have made Solace International a success is to "embrace partnerships with nonprofits that compliment Solace’s goals". We believe that Ecosa, with this partnership, will be able to assist in reaching those goals while at the same time giving our students an outstanding opportunity to participate in a project with a high level of social relevance.

To learn more about Solace International go to www.solaceinternational.org