Connection
Chair’s message:
Start small, think big Climate-responsive design is an imperative that our generation will be forced to address through every stage of our work efforts. This goes well beyond selecting the most sustainable materials and providing resilient infrastructure for our future generations. Mother Earth is angry at the disruption that we humans have caused, and she is fighting back vigorously. She will win; it is simply a question of how many human beings will be around after the fact to continue inhabiting this fine planet. Responding to the climate crisis should not be a daunting task for any of us. Some of the brightest minds available have educated us. We have been trained to be problem solvers, and this latest crisis is simply a problem we are forced to address in a timely manner. So let us begin 2020 tackling these challenges head-on. We can do this; it is time to stop making excuses and start taking action. Our “Don’t feel like you next generation need to have a beautiful depends on our green project to make a immediate actions.
difference here. Carbon neutrality will require both big and small moves... All these little actions start to make a larger impact on the environment around us.”
Don’t feel like you need to have a beautiful green project to make a difference here. Carbon neutrality will require both big and small moves. Start with the small tangibles in your life. Can you find an alternative means to commute to work each day that would use less fossil fuel? Maybe even just one day a week to start? Do you really need a bag with your purchase? Can you use a reusable water bottle or glass instead of the plastic bottle?
Can you compost? Put solar on your residence? Install a rain barrel? Plant a tree? All these little actions start to make a larger impact on the environment around us. Start small, but think big. Furthermore, if you are fortunate enough to be working with a smart client who wants to build in a sustainable manner, take this opportunity to go beyond LEED: Challenge yourself, earn a new credential, and make the project as green as you possibly can. Don’t fall into the pattern of following the same design decisions you made on the previous project. Many of these once great ideas have already become obsolete. Push yourself to learn new strategies on how best to reduce energy, minimize the environmental impact, and create a more equitable community with your next/current project. No project is too big or too small. As I begin my term as the 2020 Chair of the AIA Young Architects Forum, I look forward to serving this member group and making a profound impact on our generation. We are faced with an environmental crisis, and the architecture profession is poised to lead humanity out of it. We have the skill set, and we have the technology. Now, we simply need each of you to lead us forward. I regularly find myself astonished when I see what my peers are working on, and what great work they are capable of. I know we can respond swiftly and appropriately in providing climateresponsive design strategies. Our children’s generation depends on it. Can I count on you to join this effort?
Ryan McEnroe, AIA, ASLA, LEED AP
Firstname Lastname As a licensed architect and landscape architect who grew ipsum up on andolor organic McEnroe Lorem sitfarm, amet, has a unique understanding sustainability consectetur adipiscingofelit, sed do practices. An associate at Quinn Evans eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore. Architects, he serves as the 2020 YAF Chair.
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