Just in Time for Earth Day 2013

This year I'm hosting another green kind of party, just a few days before Earth Day April 22, 2013. But that doesn't mean I get out of doing good works!  I try to focus on green design every day, but Earth Day is a time for me to try extra-hard to share my excitement and commitment about sustainability with people who might not have heard the good word.

It's easy to get overwhelmed with all the depressing facts and figures about the state of our planet, especially as a citizen of the United States, the single biggest polluter on the earth, per capita. We're living in a seriously dangerous condition and quickly moving towards a devastating outcome for us as well as the billions of plants, animals, insects and other forms of life that we share this planet with.  But there is reason to celebrate too! LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) has helped to start a national conversation about sustainability between our government and local communities. Green design is moving forward in the ranks of required courses at elementary schools, high schools and higher education facilities. And being 'green' or sustainable is now an important factor in big business as well, though there's still far too much greenwashing going on.

That's where Earth Day comes in. There are still people who have not heard that they have the power to make a difference simply by changing their personal habits and becoming more educated about the choices they make every day. The more of us who join together, the louder our voices become, and our reach goes further. I think the founders of Earth Day hoped that they could incite a paradigm shift, and it's our responsibility to keep that momentum going!

Below is a listing of Earth Day activities taking place in the San Francisco Bay Area, my hometown. I encourage everyone, no matter where you are, to find information about your local Earth Day events, pick a fun activity and get out there, sharing your love for people and planet in whatever way you can. You might just make some new friends at the same time!

http://sf.funcheap.com/city-guide/earth-day-2013-guide/
And here are some more not on SF FunCheap's list:

California State Parks Foundation's Earth Day Event - Candlestick Point State Recreation Area. April 13, 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. For more information visit www.calparks.org/programs/earth-day

Earth Day Kids Club - Serramonte Center, Daly City. April 16, 5:30 p.m. For more information visit www.serramontecenter.com

San Mateo County's School District "Be Seen Keepin' it Clean" Events. April 19, various times and schools. For more information visit www.smcoe.k12.ca.us

Ocean Beach Clean Up - Ocean Beach, Stairwell 17. April 20, 10 a.m. - Noon. For more information visit www.parksconservancy.org/events

San Mateo County Park Earth Day Events. April 20 & April 21, various times and locations. For more information visit www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/portal/site/parks

San Francisco Recreation and Park Department's Earth Day Activities. April 6-27, various times and locations. For more information visit www.sfrecpark.org/earth-day-volunteer-opportunities

California Academy of Sciences Earth Day Programs. April 20-27, various times and locations. For more information visit www.calacademy.org/earthday

Distribution of free "BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) San Mateo" reusable bags. April 22, various times and locations. For more information visit www.cityofsanmateo.org/bagban

DIFFA SF Dining by Design 2012 Preview

I am a member of a 9-person inter-collegiate student design team for this year's DIFFA Dining by Design San Francisco event (http://www.diffasf.org for tix & info).  We represent the American Society of Interior Designers Northern California Chapter, and we've been working diligently for the past 10 weeks on our design, which is to be installed this Tuesday all day and Wednesday morning, before the Table Hop & Taste Preview Party Wed night, and the Gala Dinner Thursday night.  Below is a sketch (by me and Tomas Machuca) of our installation design:

Our theme (written by me) is "Circle of Compassion":

"Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.      - Albert Einstein 

Our circle of compassion is composed of natural elements - wood, crystals and succulents - the beauty of which gives us the strength to endure long-term illness while we search for the cure. The circle is a reflection of the cyclical nature of life, and of the seasons.  Our chosen colors are DIFFA’s red, white and black, to reflect solidarity of purpose, because together, we can free ourselves.

We started with a budget of zero dollars, but thankfully the Board of Directors recognized that's not realistic and gave us some money for moving costs & incidentals.  We've already blown through that small amount & have had to kick in money from our own pockets, in addition to the 40 or so hours of free labor.  Regardless, we have many wonderful sponsors who have loaned us beautiful items for our design, which is going to look AMAZING.

I am so proud to be part of this team and this event, which is near and dear to my heart, benefiting SF General Hospital AIDS patients without insurance.  My former housemate Keer was one of those beneficiaries, and I dedicate my work to him and those like him, who deserve long and healthy lives. (Keer now lives in New Orleans and is doing well.)

I will be live tweeting from our account @ASID_CANorth this Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, with photos from our installation and many others.  This is one of the biggest and brightest design events of the year, which director John Waters has dubbed "The Cannes of Tabletop".  Please follow us and also follow my sustainable design Twitter @jdavidsondesign for more on this event.

Welcome to the new blog of J.DavidsonDesign

Greetings & Salutations!

I have been blogging for three years over at Furnicology, and for several reasons, decided it was time to own my own piece of blog real estate.  I will be transferring over my historical posts from the old shared blog, and also updating you with new and exciting information in the world of sustainable design and interiors, especially, but really anything that takes my fancy in the world of design is fair game.

Thank you for stopping by.  Feel free to contact me on Gmail, follow me on Twitter, check out my online portfolio at Carbonmade or connect with me on LinkedIn.

I also manage several social media accounts for the American Society of Interior Designers Northern California chapter, and you can follow my work there on Facebook, Twitter, Facebook or our new LinkedIn group.

Have a great day and don't forget - sustainable IS obtainable!