1/5/10

No skiing again today because there isn't enough snow for me even though it has been snowing and it just started to snow again.  I also have to work on my new LEED projects.  Thought of the day:  Stop buying crap.

Bridgette Meinhold - Designer, Artist & Architecture Editor for Inhabitat.com

In this past year I have seen my own friends and family do more with less, spend their money on quality rather than quantity, fix and renovate instead of build new, and pair down their possessions in hopes of a simpler and more meaningful life. I believe that trend is only growing stronger and will apply even more in the fields of design and architecture. As a writer who sees a hundred architecture projects pass my screen a day, I'm seeing more and more creative solutions with existing materials, and buildings. Reclaimed and recycled materials are all the rage, Craigslist and classified adds are where its at, and your local recycling or materials exchange program is the new community hot spot. Cities like Detroit, which has been in a state of desperation for so long, is making a come back in a huge way and the renovations happening there now are an inspiration. We don't need to tear down and start over fresh - we need to make use of what we already have and turn it into something great. Men like Dan Phillips of the Phoenix Commotion, are leading a revolution and rethinking architecture from the foundation up by using discarded materials to build beautiful homes. I'm predicting 2011 to the be the year of the green renovation, where people and businesses will rehabilitate and improve upon what they already have, with a strong focus on preservation for history, materials and for outdoor space.

Read more: Green Design Predictions For 2011! Emily Pilloton, Founder of Project H – Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World