Hello,
After 13 consecutive cool, rainy weekends, we were blessed with a gorgeous weekend that coincided with the summer solstice, followed by a few days of excessive heat. This may be the pattern for the summer.
I came across a
series of interesting stories this past month that are a nice shift from the daily news. I’m sharing four of them here.
The first is a peek into four designs of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. According to Wright: “The mission of an
architect is to help people understand how to make life more beautiful, the world a better one for living in, and to give reason, rhyme, and meaning to life.” Wright had a seven-decade career, during which 532 building were constructed from his designs. Two of his designs (not mentioned in the article) are owned by the Currier Museum, in Manchester, NH: the Zimmerman House and the Kalil House. The are known as Usonian homes … mid-century modern homes that were also simple and functional.
Check them out, when you’re in the area.
The more frequent, high summer temperatures are prompting people to consider air conditioning, if they don’t already have it. Muy husband and I are among this group. We’re tracking the days we would have like to have had AC. We had three during June. An innovative and sustainable approach, using ice (and less AC), is cooling at least one building in NYC. This
method could be significant as the earth’s temperatures continue to rise.
Currently, about 4,000 buildings globally use this technology, which can lower cooling costs by 40%. A huge ice machine is turned on at night, when the cost and demand for electricity are lower, and the air circulates over the ice during the day, when demand for electricity peaks. Perhaps this approach will catch on and be used in more
buildings. Read more.
In another bit of good news, scientists in Japan have developed a non-toxic plastic that dissolves in seawater. This could be significant for the packaging industry, since a lot of plastic ends up in our oceans. According to the article, the “plastic is non-toxic, non-flammable, and doesn’t emit CO2. It won’t leach chemicals and microplastics
into one’s body as is the case with normal plastic water bottles, packaging, take-away containers, and more. Additionally, because there are small amounts of sodium in most of the world’s soils, the plastic will break down in a matter of weeks if buried.”
Finally, communities in the USA could learn a lot about solving local housing problems while helping to reduce the impact of climate change, by studying affordable housing solutions in Vienna, also known as “social housing.” This is housing that is built or supported by the government. In Vienna, about 1 million people (half the population), live in this type of housing. This affordable and sustainable approach is also inspiring the private market. Read the article to learn more and consider how such an
approach might help your community.
The increase in creative approaches to current social issues is truly inspiring. As we move away from government-funded services, I’m convinced that private investors will step up and fill the gaps to help improve society.
This month, focus on your Family gua at the beginning of the month and your Children and
Joy gua by mid-month. Also, note that Mercury goes retrograde July 18 through August 11. Sign contracts and purchase electronics before and after this cycle.
Enjoy July!
Peg
(You can schedule services or a 15-minute complimentary session with me via Calendly.)
