Author Archive
Improving the Environment One Garden at a Time: Norco College’s Water Demonstration Garden
November 1st, 2012
By Adrienne Luce, Designing Futures Foundation Executive Director
Dr. Diane Dieckmeyer, Vice President of Academic Affairs at Norco College, dreamed of replacing a massive water guzzling lawn outside the student bookstore with a sustainable teaching garden that could advance and support the college’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
Left: Diane Dieckmeyer working in Norco College’s water demonstration garden.
As Diane described in the DFF grant application, “California is known for its endless sunshine and lush vegetation of orange groves, palm trees, and hibiscus. However, this vegetation is not native to Southern California where drought-tolerant plants flourish. Southern California is considered a semiarid region and receives approximately 15 inches of rain annually with the Norco College region receiving only 13 inches annually. The use of non-native plants and expansive green lawns so common in California is a drain to already scarce water resources. One of the most effective ways to conserve water is to replace water-thirsty lawns and non-native plants with native and drought-tolerant plants. For example, replacing a 1000 square foot lawn with native and drought-tolerant plants saves 7700 gallons per month; a water consumption reduction of over 91 percent.”
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Posted in Designing Futures Foundation,Higher Education
Micheltorena Steps Community Project
June 18th, 2012
By Adrienne Luce, Designing Futures Foundation Executive Director
The HMC Designing Futures Foundation board recently approved a Community Project grant to fund the restoration of the Micheltorena Steps in Silver Lake. The steps are a main pathway to Micheltorena School for children in the neighborhood, and are unsafe and in disrepair.
Scott Plante from our LA Studio proposed this project, and although Scott doesn’t have kids, he lives near the school and uses these steps. He is committed to improving the quality of life in Silver Lake, and has served on the Silver Lake Urban Design Committee for six months. After an inspirational moment while he was sitting in traffic on the 101 staring at a freeway overpass, Scott went to the Silver Lake Urban Design Committee with a design proposal to light steps and underpasses throughout Silver Lake. A creative lighting scheme would highlight anonymous infrastructure, making it more visible and a part of the community rather than an obstacle. Recognizing the safety issues with children and the adjacent school, the Micheltorena Steps were selected as a prototype for repairing and relighting similar steps throughout the neighborhood.
Posted in Designing Futures Foundation | 1 Comment »
OTIS Report on the Creative Economy
November 22nd, 2011
By Adrienne Luce, Designing Futures Foundation’s Executive Director
For many years, arts education advocates had the same conversations with the same groups of people about why the arts were important and why they should not be cut from our schools. In 2007, an initiative was launched by the OTIS College of Art and Design under the leadership of its president Samuel Hoi that changed everything. For the first time the conversation about the value of the arts was completely re-contextualized and expanded to a broad and diverse audience. Last week I attended the 5th annual OTIS Report on the Creative Economy of the Los Angeles Region held at the Colburn School in downtown LA, and I was just as impressed and enlightened this year as I have been every year since the project’s inception.
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Posted in Architecture Education
