Architecture for Humanity and the Abundance Project

Boise has a local Architecture for Humanity chapter and would love to get more people involved in the group. It is a fairly new group with a couple projects under its belt. If you've been by the Boise Bicycle Project, you would have seen a project that the AFH chapter and BBP teamed up on re-utilizing some of BBP's old bikes to create a new bike rack.



Currently, AFH is partnering with the Abundance Project and Kim Metez. The Abundance Project takes the extra food from your garden and partners with local farmers to provide food for the local refugee population. AFH is in the process of putting together designs for the bins that will be used at the drop off locations. The design incorporates the old blue recycle bins as drawers and will be incorporated into a wood structure from re-salvaged/donated materials. The next steps to come will be a painting party to put the Abundance Project's logo on the bins and prototype building. These prototypes will then be tested to determine a final design.

To get involved, check out the Boise AFH site: http://afhboise.ning.com/

To learn more about the Abundance Project, here's an article from The Boise Weekly:

Grow a Lot, Share a Little
Posted by Jennifer Hernandez on Fri, Apr 2, 2010 at 10:36 AM

What started out as a book club assignment has turned into a mission to help feed local refugee families with the bounty that grows in Boise backyards.

After reading What is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng by Dave Eggers, Boise real estate agent Kim Metez was inspired. Working to form a community project with other agents in her real estate office, she started asking for donations from people’s gardens that she could pass along to the International Rescue Committee, where for the last two years she has volunteered by helping a Burmese family adapt to their new life.

From the first boxes full of food that arrived on her doorstep in July 2009, donations steadily grew. The freshly grown produce was taken to the IRC office, where it was distributed to refugees as they came in for help with learning English, finding work, scheduling doctor appointments, reading bus maps and trying to function in an United States city.

As the 2010 growing season approaches, Metez is gearing up for another summer of sharing. In addition to donations of fresh fruits and vegetables from citizen gardens, she is looking for volunteers who can help with grant writing as well as master gardeners and master composters.

For more information visit the Abundance Project’s Facebook page. You can also call Kim at 208-871-9059, or email her at kimmetez@gmail.com.

Last summer, one donor was so enthusiastic about the project that he created a video to help promote it.

Abundance Project from Craig Clark Studio on Vimeo.

The Inspiration of TED

If you haven't heard about TED, it's time to check it out! Every year, a group of some of the world's visionaries get together in Long Beach, California to present their latest ideas and inventions. The categories vary from design to science to music to business. All the presentations are then later streamed online at www.ted.com. No matter your interests, you're bound to find something inspiring and thought provoking. The conference began in 1984 and the website launched in 2007. Their mission?

"Spreading ideas.

We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. So we're building here a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world's most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other. This site, launched April 2007, is an ever-evolving work in progress, and you're an important part of it. Have an idea? We want to hear from you.

The TED Conference, held annually in Long Beach, is still the heart of TED. More than a thousand people now attend -- indeed, the event sells out a year in advance -- and the content has expanded to include science, business, the arts and the global issues facing our world. Over four days, 50 speakers each take an 18-minute slot, and there are many shorter pieces of content, including music, performance and comedy. There are no breakout groups. Everyone shares the same experience. It shouldn't work, but it does. It works because all of knowledge is connected. Every so often it makes sense to emerge from the trenches we dig for a living, and ascend to a 30,000-foot view, where we see, to our astonishment, an intricately interconnected whole."

A few videos we suggest to get started...

Majora Carter's tale of urban renewal | Video on TED.com: Majora Carter discusses her work cleaning up the Bronx riverfront and fighting for environmental justice--a truly inspiring woman.

Catherine Mohr builds green | Video on TED.com: Catherine Mohr discusses her process of building a home with embodied energy in mind.

Pilobolus perform "Symbiosis" | Video on TED.com: A visually stunning dance that shows the strength of the human body.

Sirena Huang dazzles on violin | Video on TED.com: A moving performance by an extraordinarily talented 11 year old.

Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food | Video on TED.com: TED 2010 Prize winner, Jamie Oliver, discusses his work behind the fascinating TV show Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.

KDG's Earth Day Initiatives

We would like to promote green products and finishes!

Between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm on Earth Day, April 22nd, contact us to receive 50% off retail on select green products shown in our library. Green products must contain 30% or more recycled content or be a rapidly renewable material, contain no harmful additives, and be manufactured in the US. 100% of the proceeds will be divided between our favorite sustainable non-profit organizations, such as:

The Nature Conservancy
Idaho Conservation League
Wildlife Land Trust/Humane Society
1% for the Planet organization
The Calvert Foundation

In addition, 100% of the proceeds of sales from Ethos will be donated to the previously mentioned causes.

So be sure to contact us on Earth Day to arrange your product order!

The Beauty of Age

So often nowadays buyers look for products that require zero maintenance and that will look the same as the first day it was purchased--no need for resealing, impervious to scratching or dimples, stain resistance, built in anti-microbial agents, the list goes on...

With this attitude we've allowed harsh chemical agents to be added to our everyday products, and perhaps, sacrificed the natural beauty of age. This is not to say we should disregard the concept of durability. Sustainability requires durability to prevent waste and continued extraction of raw resources. But we should reconsider those products that follow a natural aging process. Age and wear tell our stories and remind us of our history. And if you want them to look new again, oftentimes these products only require a little refinishing.

The dimples that develop on a Windfall wood countertop in your kitchen may remind you of the many family gatherings and meals shared.

The mottled appearance that develops on a Paperstone countertop may remind you of the number of years you've owned your home.

The wear on your Molo seating and walls tells the story of the parties you've hosted.

The patina developing on copper Parasoleil panels reminds you of rainy days.

Centennial Wood floors reflect their past life as Wyoming snowfences and provide an interesting story to tell.

A Green Screen living wall reminds you of the seasons while they shade you in spring and summer and allow the warmth of the sun in fall and winter.

The progression of wear and age adds character to your home and gives it life. In a culture so obsessed with age let's re-embrace being unique.

National Reading Month

March is National Reading Month! So now that the weather cooled down again grab a book and cozy up inside. Here are a few suggested reads...

You may have already read Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen (and if not, do!)--an intriguing and inspiring story of how one person can influence change and rally a village behind a common cause. Now, check out Stones into Schools by Greg Mortensen. It's the follow up to Three Cups of Tea explaining his efforts in Afghanistan. If you saw his speech at the Morrison Center back in November 2008, you learned a little about the present events he's working on, but check out this book for further detail. Every day, the Taliban are preventing girls from being educated, burning schools and commiting horrible attrocities. In Afghanistan, a son must ask his mother's permission to join the Taliban's forces, and as Greg Mortensen explains from an African proverb, "Educate a boy, and you educate an individual. Educate a girl, and you educate a community." Taliban camps are set up in areas of deep poverty offering food and shelter to those who commit to their 'education'. Mortensen understands this to be the reason why to build schools near these dangerous areas to give other options to those in so dire need of help. And as a result, has seen those schools burned--yet, he continues to strive forward. Check it out!

Another inspiring book is Expanding Architecture: Design as Activism. It's a compilation of 30 essays by leading architects and designers on the need to shift our thoughts and perceptions of what the built environment should be like. It calls for social equity and designing for community and the public good. Filled with color images of existing projects it challenges us to consider what we can do in our own community.


We've all read these classics but who can resist the binding? Penguin Classics has been continuing to release some of these well known novels in their clothbound series. The collection started out with about 10 but new ones are being added. Wouldn't these look nice on a bookshelf?




If you're in the mood for some warm food, flip through the pages of Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking: Five Ways to Incorporate Whole and Natural Ingredients Into Your Cooking. The Spring Minestrone shown on the cover is amazing and suits well for the current cold weather. The Mesquite Chocolate Chip cookies were delicious--even though it proved difficult to track down the mesquite flour (if we all keep asking at the CO-OP I'm sure they'll start stocking it regularly). This book is also responsible for an addiction to hibiscus tea. A recipe has yet to fail in this book. Maybe indulge in a bowl of Spring Minestrone while delving into one of the above mentioned books?



Happy Reading!