Living Classroom Sprouts in San Francisco
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 11.10.05
Living in Los Angeles, sometimes it’s hard not to be jealous of San Francisco. Not without its problems, San Francisco is a magnet for do-gooders while LA seems to repel them (unless you include Hollywood celebrities who have seen the light). Regardless of any residual eco-envy, another magnificent idea has sprung up in SF and I can only hope it will trickle down. The San Francisco non-profit, Literacy for Environmental Justice, has unveiled its plans for a Living Classroom in the neighborhood of Bayview/Hunter’s Point.
The vision is of an exemplary structure that will foster environmental education within an underprivileged community of the city. Toby Long Design will use the brilliant prefab systems of Cleverhomes to make what the organization claims will be San Francisco’s first 100% renewable energy building. In addition to active and passive solar design, the Classroom will have a living roof and a living machine for wastewater remediation. Not too shabby. I want one in my hood. :: Living Classroom
No wonder you have eco-envy! Its great when communities have good ideas, and depressing to be in a place that seems to have very few!
Thanks for the great info on this blog!
We have something like this in the Boston area that is run by the Audobon Society. It's called, rather inaccurately and unglamorously, the Boston Nature Center. It's actually in Mattapan, and is unfortunately not on a train/subway line, so it's kind of difficult to get to from downtown Boston.
I haven't been there, but I keep hearing good things about it.