While I’ve been moved by all the natural disasters across the globe during the past few years, nothing has hit as close to home as the recent flooding in the Midwest. I grew up in west-central Iowa, and before moving to Chicago, I lived in Cedar Rapids, which was one of the eastern Iowa cities devastated by the floods.
Extensive news coverage in June brought Cedar Rapids' battle with the Cedar River to households across the nation, including mine. It was difficult to see The Chophouse, a downtown restaurant where I often met my friend Heather, flooded to its awning. And it was heartbreaking to hear the anguish in my friends’ voices as they told me about their losses and everyone’s lack of flood insurance. My friend Joe explained how, while observing residents gutting their homes in hopes of saving the structures, a representative from the Washington, D.C.-based Federal Emergency Management Agency told him Cedar Rapids’ devastation was reminiscent of what he had seen in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. I recently attended a benefit in Chicago that raised money for Iowa City, which is located 30 miles (48 km) south of Cedar Rapids. Iowa City experienced destructive flooding by the Iowa River in June. The event was sponsored by the Chicago affiliate of the University of Iowa Alumni Association. Although I didn’t attend the university, I was compelled to lend my support.
During the benefit, native Iowans and Chicagoans shared stories about friends and family members affected by the flooding, and everyone demonstrated their affinity for the Iowa college town that influenced their lives. As I talked to these alumni, I recognized the lifelong impact a school can have on a person. This issue of eco-structure illustrates how schools’ influences can affect the environment by educating students about sustainability, using schools as tangible scientific studies. From elementary schools, like Chartwell School in Seaside, Calif., discussed in the “feature,” page 26, to universities, like Emory University, Atlanta, which is showcased in “deep green,” page 56, sustainability is making its way into curricula and students’ everyday lives. The lessons students gain may motivate them to choose careers in sustainability. For example, two University of Wisconsin at Madison students have created a business developing aquaponics greenhouses on the roofs of grocery stores. The organic vegetables grown on the roofs are sold in those stores with a label about their environmental significance. Read “ecocentric,” page 24, to learn more. Although my college did not directly lead me to a career in the green-building industry, it did have a lasting effect on my life.
Not only did it provide the tools I need to be effective in my job, it helped me appreciate the beauty of the environment, especially eastern Iowa’s hills and sometimes destructive rivers. In addition, the lifelong friends I made in Iowa assure me that they will come back from the devastation they suffered. If you’d like to help, donations can be made to the American Red Cross; visit www.redcross.org.
Editor's Book Shelf
Hot Ideas For a Cooler Planet
PUBLISHER: Imagination Publishing, Chicago, www.imaginepub.com
AUTHOR: Wendy Abrams PRICE: $39.99
Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet was an artistic showcase of 126 globes in Chicago that depicted different ways to combat global warming. This book provides readers with an inside look at the exhibit and includes concise, practical tips about smart green living. To read more about the exhibit, see page 30 of the October 2007 issue of eco-structure.