Gottfried Green

In the midst of feeling the country going to hell in a hand basket, I am reminded of some 2006 posts on this blog. I started basically just trying to understanding what green meant to me and why I suddenly cared. By attempting to build a structure green you are considering all the natural aspects that go into and surround the building forced to acknowledge the natural world and your shared existence there. This reveals many wonderful perqs in both the process and the outcome that go well beyond building yet another building. Two new books in my radar, the first being Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas L Friedman. It talks up an idea that has been rolling around in my mind as I learned more about the green movement. There was the Industrial revolution, then the Information revolution and now Friedman introduces the Energy revolution. The basic idea is as with the 2 previous revolutions, the fundamental way we experience life on earth would changed with rapid economic growth and cultural shifts (for better or worse on the last one). This energy revolution promises to save the U.S. if only we would take up arms in the form of invention, innovation, and entrepreneurial endeavors focused on alternative energy and energy conservation. To focus on this grand scale would provide new jobs, cut our dependence on foreign oil, assist in national security and re-establish some sort of credibility in the world. People question wether we can do this in 10 years and it makes me laugh. If people only new the industrious history of America. Problem with people is that they love the idea of change but want nothing to do with causing it to happen. Bottom line: some country with be the leader in these new technologies and conservation techniques and if it isn't us then we simply aren't going to be around in say 2050. Just a guess.

The second book, How to be Free by Tom Hodgkinson is a jaunt comparing a the new trend lifestyle of getting back to nature with a little twist. The author tries to debunk the myths of and promote the benefits of the Medieval lifestyle. Hodgkinson writes about the book, "On first sight, this idea seems bonkers. Surely the medieval age was a time of bad diets, corrupt priests and abject serfdom? Well, no. This view is actually a calumnious caricature. When I started to write How To Be Free, I decided to read Mutual Aid by the great 19th- century anarchist Prince Petr Kropotkin, described by Oscar Wilde as one of the most cheerful men he had ever met. In Mutual Aid, published at the same time as Darwin’s Origin of Species, Kropotkin argues that cooperation is an essential part of animal and human life and development. He also reminds us that it was in the medieval age when the great free city-states such as Florence were created. The medievals, he says, valued craftsmanship, cooperation and justice. Mutual Aid led me to read other books on medieval customs and culture, and what I found was a society that made a sustained and conscious attempt to live fairly and justly." The idea is the Victorian age coupled with the industrial revolution wiped out our connection or understanding of our true place on earth- as part of the natural world. Medieval lifestyle certainly could be describe as down and dirty.

Labels: books, Nature

Simon Norfolk/NB Pictures, for The New York Times

My neighbor Olga believes the end of days is coming soon. She's 8 years shy of a century of living on the earth and sometimes I think she is right. Things do seem dire. I read local environmental news here. Someone in Naples shot a bald eagle last week. How stupid do you have to be to shoot a bald eagle?? There is the Atlanta drought which is translated to the rest of us through pictures of the empty lake. California is on fire and now I read this article in the Times. It's a great piece because it goes back in history to how water "works" in the Southwest since the US started regulating it. Long story short, the decreased "snowmelt" that feeds the Colorado River is causing drastic water shortages for something like 7 states including California. I know here in Southwest FL we have our own drought that I can see by looking in a pond in the back of Grandma Gottfried's house that was full last year at this time and now has about 6 inches of water in it. It takes a lot for things to sink in the minds of humans so I guess we can wait it out and see if the rising seas beat out the lowering levels of potable water.

Labels: global warming, Nature, water, wildlife

I am going to end up disecting the Leaf House because it has most of the cutting edge technology in place and working together with the design. They provided the green wall sponsor ELT Living Wall Systems. This is a Canadian company but the website offers all sorts of information about how, why and what to do with some great example photos. At the Link is a list of all the sponsors that helped with the Leaf House.

Labels: design, landscaping, materials, Nature, water

Indeed it is. During our tree inspection, Bryan the inspector, told us that we had a grand tree- the Live Oak above. It meets all the criteria Sarasota County specifies here. Besides having the beautiful tree which we've always admired there are a few more perks to having it on our lot. Because it is a protected tree, it goes on record with the county and in a way is landmarked. This means in the future anyone wishing to cut it down will have an impossible time (i.e developers). It is because of this unwanted red tape with future freedoms on the property that our property appraisal should be lower and our taxes could see a small reduction. These are all great bonuses for us and the property.

A few more things from the county site about Grand Trees. "Trees produce oxygen, provide wildlife habitat and play many important ecological roles. Certain trees also provide psychological benefits in response to their impressive size and great character. Such trees have been determined by Sarasota County to be “grand” in nature.

Grand Trees are an especially significant component of Sarasota County’s urban forest and have a unique and intrinsic value to the general public because of their character, age, size and ecological importance."

Labels: landscaping, Nature, permits

We are having a final site inspection done this week. They want to insure proper erosion control along the bank of the Gottfried Creek. As it turned out, the main clearing will be 3 stumps of non-native trees that would be removed regardless. There will also be a dead slash pine removed and a cluster of 2 palms. This is a plus because of cost but mostly because we won't disturb any old growth or scrub habitat that sits mostly along the opposite end of the site.

Labels: Nature, permits, siteplan

We finally got the boat in the water and took the trip up Gottfried Creek, across the Lemon Bay and over to Stump Pass which is the gateway to the Gulf. This took us about a half an hour going mostly no wake speeds(up the creek)and minimum wake speeds around the bay. Although, I didn't have my own camera but here's some photos from the website that capture most of what we saw there. Stump Pass Beach has been left alone and thrives in its natural beach habitat. There is only a walking trails to the tip of the beach that meets the waterway that cuts through to the Gulf. By boat, you can just pull up around back through the inland waterway, drop anchor a few feet from the beach and jump in.

Labels: Englewood, Nature

Mr. Gottfried took a picture of our small pier that we built for about $180. You need a permit for the real deal and right now we are still focusing on the house expense. This was enough, however, to get us a little closer to the water and have a place to tie up the boat after day trips to Stump Pass which is right at the entrance to The Gulf of Mexico.

Labels: Nature

I finally got around to reading The Creation by the Pulitzer Prize winning biologist E.O Wilson. The book is his plea to a generic Pastor of evangelicals who believe nature was given to us by God for our use and it is heaven that is the real prize. This goes against Wilson's feeling that we are but a humble part of nature and therefore must respect our delicate place. Something that caught my eye specifically was his definition of the word biophila. He explains an example in the fact that when asked, people from all over the world, if they had to choose, would select a living environment similar to the environment of early humans. When asks people stated, "they wish to live on a height looking down and out, to scan a parkland with scattered trees... closer to a savanah then to either a grassland or closed forest and to be near a body of water such as a lake, river or sea." He goes on to say that although not proven it does make a nice case of why so many people want to get back to nature and specifically, waterfront i.e. the representative vacation home. "...this interpretation holds that human beings today still choose the habitats resembling those which our species evolved during millions of years of prehistory. The distant forebears wished to be hidden in copses looking out over a savanna or transitional woodland, scanning the terrain for prey to stalk, fallen animals to scavenge, edible plants to gather, and enemies to avoid. A body of water nearby served as a territorial boundary and an added food source." It is true that some people wouldn't be caught dead in the "country". But there is something that rings true with why so many want a second or retirement home with these natural amenities. As a species we've been intimately tied with nature from our beginning. In our rise above, we've abandoned what allows us to exist here in the first place.

Labels: Nature, wildlife

We visited the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota over the weekend. The gardens emphasis is on epiphytes- plants that live upon other plants, such as orchids, bromeliads and gesneriads. Since it's been said somewhere that you can grow anything down here (FL), it was extrememly inspirational to us thinking about Gottfried. She had many banyan trees which they were training to arch over walkways. All the mangroves along the water remained. She also incorporated bamboo along parts of the perimeter to block out the expanding development of Sarasota which she began to notice in the 70's. Where we are on the creek we look out over islands of mangroves along with the ones that grow all along the bank. We are hoping this keeps a feeling of sanctuary down by the water in the years to come. The history is very charming but ironically her husband made his fortunes in oil and mining industries. She was very forward thinking when she left her pristine property for use as gardens and research open to the public. You can bet it would be towering condos otherwise.

Labels: Nature

Sit back, enjoy some spanish guitar and take in a nice explanation of how things should be built- with their surroundings incorporated into the design and build. I guess the ants have it right.

Labels: Nature

This is the 3rd tree that sits on the lagoon. When these trees mature they are going to create a Robinson Crusoe feel owning the areas along the bank.

Labels: Nature

This is the banyan we remembered and it seems to be getting stronger by the day. There is a nice forest floor surrounding the tree that sits right on the creek. There are 3 things in this photo that make us happy.

Labels: Nature

We knew Spanish Moss coated many trees but when you're able to stand under and around it you get a good, healthy dose of southern mother nature.

Labels: Nature

Mr Gottfried finally got the mower working and we were able to mow through some tall grass to get a better feel of this mostly foreign land. We vaguely remembered that the land was beautiful and found ourselves experiencing a bit of buyers remorse. Once we could move around, however, we discovered areas we could only realize once we walked under them. There is a small child laying on the quilt. I think it is time for a new camera to do this justice. It was a great feeling to sit under a beautiful tree.

Labels: Nature

Groovey Green mentions the lost importance of something as simple as shade from trees. Much of sustainable, green building design draws from the days when home builders had to consider their building environment as is. Shade from trees was a big helper to the need for cooling. The post offers a few specifics such as: "According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the proper placement of as few as three shade trees will save an average household $100-$250 in energy costs each year." Also: "Deciduous trees, those that lose their leaves in the fall should be planted on the south and west side of the home. (or north and west sides in the southern hemisphere). These trees will provide shade in the spring and summer when you need it most. By fall and winter when the sun is lower in the sky the leaves are gone and the sun can shine through. Be sure to shade all hard surfaces such as driveways, patios and sidewalks to minimize landscape heat load." It's the specifics of placement and types of trees etc. I need spelled out now and again. The post provides some straight forward info. There's also a related article at msnbc.

Labels: design, Nature

Here at Grandma Gottfried's we're about 2 miles from the beach. This is just enough to keep the effects of Karenia brevis, the algae that produce red tide at bay. We did try for a sunset last week and experienced the throat tickle but it has become worse with dead fish and seaweed now floating onto the beach. View an article from the Tribune at the Link.

Labels: Nature

We are looking for design elements similar to what was going on here. Miss Gottfried enjoyed her day so much. These open porches alude to the indoor/outdoor space of what we dream. To be forced to interact with nature constantly to get from here to there.

Labels: Nature

Here are some photos of the lot as it sits now overgrown in all its glory. It has been 4 months since we saw it. First impression is that it's so quiet there. Fulton Street (Brooklyn) seems all but a faint memory but I can still hear the buzzing of it in my head and probably will forever. It's a subconscious thing.

Labels: Nature

We obviously really got into the name of the creek on which our future house will sit. Here's Gottfried as she sits by a small bridge on Dearborn Road. One might notice the power lines running along the top of the photo- we are going to visit a couple not too far away that live completely off the grid. More on that after the visit.

Labels: Nature

The lagoon that can be seen from the aerial view is seen here looking out onto it from the lot itself. The lagoon makes for a sheltered little nook along the bank.

Labels: Nature

Here is an aerial view of the lot which can be recognized by the lagoon that exists slightly inland from the pointer (Mickey was our realtor). You can also see the neighbors house in white. The lot is 150 ft x 600 ft. approx. and the property lines are somewhat visible all around in red.

Labels: Nature

Here is the bank as it looks from Gottfried Creek. There is a house on the left. Our lot begins where it becomes overgrown. There are mangroves that border most of the bank and the banyan tree sits just behind the bank.

Labels: Englewood, Nature