Archive for category Sustainability
Virgin America Terminal-SFO
Posted by Irene Turner in Architecture, Sustainability on April 26, 2011
The Virgin America Terminal, T2, in San Francisco’s international airport is a great example of thoughtful design that is beautiful in it’s simplicity and sustainability. I had the opportunity to pick up a friend there last week and I am now a BIG fan!
Here are some Very Virgin America Reasons to Love SFO’s Terminal 2 via 7X7 SF .
- Working travelers can log on at lap top work tables, plug-in stations and elevated work counters and enjoy free wireless throughout the terminal.
- There’s a Pinkberry
- It’s the first airport dining program in the country to recruit Slow Food vendors.
- It’s slated to be the first LEED Gold Certified airport terminal in the U.S.
- Similar to Virgin America’s signature cabin music, moodlighting, seating, and design, T2′s “Recompose” zone will create a stress-reducing oasis for travelers post-security
“The new T2 demonstrates that sustainability is achievable on many levels – from reusing construction debris to rethinking water usage to public education,” says San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. “Renovating SFO’s T2 toward LEED Gold brought all of this together. It is an incredible achievement, and we are proud, once again, to be taking the lead on sustainable innovation.”
Uniquely “Virgin” features in the airline’s T2 space are: Continue reading “Virgin America Terminal-SFO” »
Japanese Influence is Global-Part 2-Tea
Posted by Irene Turner in Art, Entertaining Sonoma Style, Interior Design & Renovation, Sustainability on March 31, 2011
Tea was first brought to Japan by Japanese priests who had been studying Buddhism in China in 593 AD. It wasn’t until 1422- 1502 that Murata Shuko, a Zen priest, created the first ceremonial tea ritual; elevating it’s status to a spiritual art form, almost a religion. This ceremony is called Cha-no-yu, meaning “hot water tea” and celebrates the mundane aspects of everyday life.
via Fog So Thick You Could Cut It With A Knife An excercise in aesthetic immersion…
According to Spacious Planet, the serving of tea in ceremony requires years of practice. Many traditional skills, besides the knowledge of tea, must be perfected such as incense, ikebana (flower arranging), kimono and shodou (calligraphy). For the host, the process of refining the tea ceremony is continual, one which may never reach perfection. Unfortunately, as with many traditions, the tea ceremony culture is changing in Japan. Continue reading “Japanese Influence is Global-Part 2-Tea” »
Prayers for Japan
Posted by Irene Turner in Giving Back, Nature, Sustainability on March 14, 2011
via UTexas Education: Bajoeng Gedé, August 2002
“Step into a circle of prayer for all people affected by the recent events in Japan. The spirit of love we share with them, magnified through prayer, reaches across the miles to comfort and bless all whose lives have been touched by these recent disasters. Unity
Please pause, pray and light a candle for all those affected by the earthquake, the resulting Tsunami, and volcano eruption and all their devastating effects in Japan and the wave that followed from there. Continue reading “Prayers for Japan” »
Serenbe Community-via Santa Rosa Interior Design
Posted by Irene Turner in Architecture, Interior Design & Renovation, Sustainability on January 25, 2011
As I discussed in my post on Home Trends Part 2, there is a renewed interest in urban living and planned communities as people try to simplify their way of life and the quality of it. Personally I prefer the concept of planned communities (or small towns) as they benefit a slower and more intimate way of living. They address real problems such as-drive time (and cost) for daily living needs; connection with our neighbors and the sense of community we crave; additional ease for aging in place; while still maintaining a back to nature and organic way of life. Recently I read about a planned community in Georgia that I consider a great example of what I’m talking about. Here in their words:
SERENBE is found in the heart of Chattahoochee Hill Country. This 40,000 acres of bucolic southern countryside is about the same size as Napa Valley, and is one of the last undeveloped stretches of land in the Atlanta area. Continue reading “Serenbe Community-via Santa Rosa Interior Design” »
4 Home Trend-Part 2-2011 and Beyond
Posted by Irene Turner in Architecture, Interior Design & Renovation, Personal Style & Well being, Sustainability on January 13, 2011
We are entering a time where collaboration, innovation and inspiration are key in creating our future lifestyle. It’s time to take a look at how we really live and begin to change the housing industry to support us. Part 1 of this report dealt with soft trends, or trends for decorating our interiors. This part takes a look at the larger view of trends in the way we will be living as we move forward in this 21st century. Here are the top 4 trends as I see them:
1. Rightsizing: The buzz word is downsizing, I prefer to call it right sizing. For some, in fact, it is going smaller. The baby boomers are now empty nesters who are getting older and want to live an easier quality of life. They are in fact down sizing, whether it’s a smaller home or fewer of them; along with a core group of young first time homebuyers who’s sensibility is to live a simpler way of life.
For others, there is a desire to create a space that flows the way they really live their life and truly fits their needs, not some cookie cutter McMansion created by a developer as a business investment. I call this right sizing and it is part of the Slow Home movement. Some signs of this are: Continue reading “4 Home Trend-Part 2-2011 and Beyond” »
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