March 18-20

ElectroSmog is a new festival that revolves around the concept Sustainable Immobility. The festival will introduce and explore this concept in theory and practice. With Sustainable Immobility we refer to a critique of current systems of hyper mobility of people and products in travel and transport, and their ecological unsustainability.

The exploration of Sustainable Immobility is a quest for a more sustainable life style, which is less determined by speed and constant mobility. A lifestyle that celebrates stronger links to local cultures, while at the same time deepening our connections to others across any geographical divide, using new communication technologies instead of physical travel. Nothing is self-evident for us. We will also critically question the underlying premise that reliance on electronic connections and local roots is self-evidently more energy efficient and more ecologically sustainable than current systems of globalised mobility of people and goods.

Electrosmog Blog

-DEADLINE EXTENDED-

Wanted: A More Intelligent Design

Calling all emerging designers! We at the Greener Gadgets Conference are looking for an intelligent design that helps solve issues of energy efficiency, carbon footprint, sustainable lifestyles or development in nations off the grid.
This year’s Greener Gadgets Design Competition will highlight a new class of standout sustainable products, from those that create their own energy to those that minimize the need for any electricity at all.

Our most verdant finalists will be judged in front of a live audience at the Greener Gadgets Conference in New York City on February 25, 2010. The entry deadline has been extended to January 7, 2010, for a chance at $5,000 in prizes.

Sustainability Practice Network
Panel Discussion
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
6.30pm-8.30pm
RiskMetrics Group, One Chase Manhattan Plaza, 44th Fl., New York, NY

The sustainability of large-scale agriculture is increasingly being called into question. Food manufacturers and agribusinesses catering to global food markets are being challenged by the rising demand for sustainably grown food. What material impact will this have for the food sector?

The discussion will explore what companies are doing to drive both profitability and agricultural sustainability.

Panelists:

Michael Doane, Agricultural Economics and Sustainability, Monsanto
Ani Gulati, Assistant General Counsel and Sustainability, General Mills
Chip Jones, SVP Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, Dean Foods
Jake Baker, Climate Change Investment Research, Deutsche Bank
Tensie Whelan, President, Rainforest Alliance
Josh Viertel, President, Slow Food USA

Moderator:

Linda-Eling Lee, Sustainability Research, RiskMetrics Group

RSVP Required: lindaeling.lee@riskmetrics.com

Wednesday, December 2
7:00 p.m.
The Great Hall
The Cooper Union
7 East 7th Street

Werner Sobek, Werner Sobek Engineering and Design
Introduced and moderated by Toshiko Mori
Welcome by Annabelle Selldorf
Tickets are free for Arch League members
$10 for non-members

Werner Sobek, founder of Werner Sobek Engineering and Design, will present the 3rd Annual Franzen Lecture for Architecture and the Environment. The lecture is given by an international figure whose work has significant implications for understanding and reconceiving the relationship between architecture and the environment. Sobek will discuss a radical approach for building that combines the sustainability concepts of zero energy, zero carbon emission, and zero waste called triple zero building. He will also discuss experiments at the Light Structure Institute and its exploration of material use, façade design for energy conservation, harvesting and storage, and other strategies to reduce resource use.

The annual lecture was created in honor of long-time League trustee Ulrich Franzen. Toshiko Mori, principal of Toshiko Mori Architect, will introduce and frame Sobek's presentation by identifying current issues in the intersection of architecture and the environment and follow his lecture with a moderated discussion.

Wednesday December, 02
06:00 PM - 08:00 PM
The New York Academy of Sciences
7 World Trade Center
250 Greenwich Street, 40th floor
Free for NYAS Members
$20 for non members

This discussion will highlight New York City as an example for cities around the globe and examine the key role cities play in climate change adaptation going into the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (Cop15) discussions in Copenhagen later in December 2009.

New York City is demonstrating leadership of international cities in climate change adaptation through the efforts of the New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC) and the New York City Climate Change Adaptation Task Force (Task Force). The NPCC was convened in August 2008 by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation to respond to climate changes in New York City and accomplish the goals outlined in PlaNYC, the City's comprehensive plan to create a greener, more sustainable city. The NPCC, which consists of climate change and impacts scientists, legal, insurance and risk management experts, serves as the technical advisory body for the Mayor and the New York City Climate Change Adaptation Task Force (Task Force) on issues related to climate change, impacts and adaptation.