The Savannah chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council will host a presentation Nov. 27 by Crystal Weaver, Dean of the Savannah College of Art and Design School of Building Arts, about sustainable design in Madagascar.
Weaver will highlight the handbuilt homes that were created during a Habitat for Humanity project this past summer.
The meeting is free and open to the public. It will be held from 5:45-7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27 at Wild Wing Cafe in City Market (on the second floor). RSVP to Tommy Linstroth at: tlinstroth@melaver.com by Nov. 23.
Building homes in Madagascar was a lesson from the past in sustainability, Weaver said. Everything to build the homes came from a 50-foot radius of the home. The families and volunteers dug the mud, made the bricks, and cut the thatch. They had no nails and the only metal tools they had were handmade trowels.
The volunteers were very aware they were building a home, though, Weaver said; the buildings felt like a home. The handprints of the family’s children were in the handmade bricks. The experience was a powerful reminder of the wisdom of past generations.
“It reminded us that people used to build homes sustainably, but we got so enamored with technology we’ve moved farther and farther away from that,” Weaver said. “Madagascar is 500 years behind us, but they are a perfectly sustainable society.” Madagascar is a fascinating place, Weaver said.
Candidates for the Chapter Board of Directors will also be introduced at the meeting. Voting will be open from Dec. 1-15. To be eligible to vote, you must be a member of the local chapter AND your firm must be a member of the national USGBC.
Weaver is in her eighth year as Dean of the School of Building Arts. She previously served as Acting Chair of the Historic Preservation Department at SCAD and Chair of the Interior Design Department.
The Savannah Chapter of the United States Green Building Council is dedicated to promoting sustainable design and green building throughout the Creative Coast. The group meets monthly on the fourth Tuesday of the month. Monthly meetings are held at the Wild Wing Cafe in City Market (on the second floor) unless otherwise noted. The meetings are open to the public, and everyone is encouraged to attend. The USGBC-Savannah Chapter seeks to educate the public on the long-term benefits of green building and how sustainable design can be integrated or implemented into one’s life.
www.coastalgreen.org