The “green” road trip; can we make this happen?
Posted on | June 15, 2009 | 2 Comments
Last week I posted about the GreenDesignCollective’s Portfolio Project, where I am inviting fellow unemployed architects and designers to host their online portfolios on the GDC for free for a period of up to a year. These are the first steps towards creating a true “green design collective”, partially inspired by groups like the Hyperform Design Co-op in Colorado: it is my sincere hope to eventually foster a network of designers who are well-versed in green design principles to either work together or individually on design projects across the country, or even around the world.
Recently, however, as I’m also unemployed myself, the seeds of this project have been growing very quickly in my mind, and have branched out to include other exciting ideas. For instance, a road trip. I have always wanted to get a used RV and do a road trip around the country, but I’ve never really had the time or the resources to invest in this endeavor. Until now… I mean, I’m unemployed! And I have no solid, immediate plans. When better to do it, and what better opportunity do I have than to take the GreenDesignCollective on the road and talk to people about the importance of green design principles?
Which leads me to the details. First, I’d like to get perhaps a couple of other people to come with me to A) shoulder the monthly costs of the trip and B) keep me company. Driving for hours on end by myself sounds fun for like, a day, but I’m sure I would get bored quickly.
And another thing: if we are promoting green design principles, how do we stick to them ourselves while we’re on the road? RVs don’t exactly get good mileage, but if we get a used RV to begin with, then we’re definitely already saving a lot on the carbon footprint of the entire trip.
What are some other green principles to consider in a road trip like this? Post ‘em if you got ‘em! Here, I’ll start:
1. Try hitting farmer’s markets as much as possible. I saw Alice Waters on 60 Minutes yesterday, as she waxed poetic on the benefits of healthy living to Leslie Stahl…she is so awesome. Imagine hitting the farmer’s markets in all these random places throughout the country and then taking them into the RV and making a delicious meal out of them. Talk about the need for efficient interior space!
What are some other considerations…?
Tags: efficient > energy > sustainable > transportation > travel
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2 Responses to “The “green” road trip; can we make this happen?”
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June 15th, 2009 @ 4:02 pm
I think that perhaps one step would be to find a way to get someone to sponsor your “green road trip” by assisting in retrofiting your used RV to an alternate fule like Vegetable oil, in order to make your commuting/driving truly green.
Because it is an older vehicle the conversion to a bio-fuel, or alternative fuel could/miight be easier to do, and maybe even donated to the cause by some form of sponsorship.
just a thought….
June 28th, 2009 @ 2:56 pm
great informations.Thanks and will come back soon.mark