I RARELY buy things via the internet .. I DID subscribe to this magazine today ..

Dwell Magazine and the Environment

Filed under: Green Living, Green Sites — aaron newton @ 3:30 pm

Dwell is out with its latest edition and the cover announces, “Green goes Mainstream”.

Since its debut in the year 2000 this hip, modern magazine has been printing more and more articles about environmental issues.

This month it contains a section called “See Change” with suggestions on environmentally responsible practices and a critique entitled “How Transportation Shapes America” about how development of our country’s infrastructure affects the way we live and feel.

It also includes an article by Virginia Gardiner entitled “Emeralds in the Rough”. It tells the story of Irish architect Dominic Stevens and the house he and his wife built out in the Irish countryside.

Stevens describes their home as being biodegradable and deplores some of the inconveniences of modern structures by saying,“Nowadays we rely on so many inventions that people don’t know how to fix. Houses have become another one of those things, where people are always calling in experts for repairs. If our children grow up in a house that’s constantly being built, we’re giving then the knowledge to go and build themselves.”

His home is made from rough hewn timber and sports a sod roof. The architect views it as a work in progress; always adjusting to changes in his family. When questioned about the changing state of Irish homeownership Stevens says,“We didn’t want to be saddled with a large mortgage… Irish people nowadays tend to buy expensive houses that drive both members of a couple to work full-time to pay off the loan, while the children need childcare.”

This is a very personal issue currently facing my family. During this time of decision making I enjoyed a refreshing perspective from this thoughtful magazine about a conscientious designer willing to stray from the norm. It seems that these days Dwell magazine is willing to do the same.