I spent the past week in DC for a green housing training. I learned that cats are filled with fire retardants and what R measurements are for. I took notes in a recycled cardboard notebook and slept in a thousand dollar room. I saw the tops of occupy tents in a glimpse after dark. I went to a Busboys and Poets, but not the original, and was reminded that I'll never share a jail cell with Howard Zinn, or at least a pot of coffee.
I learned a lot about houses, though. Their basic function may be to keep us sheltered, but there's much more in the science of building houses. I may not be ready to build a home, but I'm excited to start building a greenhouse and some outbuildings.
While I wait for the day when I've acquired some land to start these projects, I've been reading about other projects in the world. The most fascinating one I've run across today is called the Crystal Island. It's a building proposal located in Moscow, Russia. The idea is that this beautiful, multi-use, giant tent will be home to a city within the city while simultaneously meeting green standards. The societal issues that can be foreseen of building a giant structure within an existing city are fierce. The idea of encasing people into a bubble may stem from the harsh Moscow weather and may sound cozy, but I'm guessing the people on the outside looking into the Crystal Island will feel differently.
