Pretending to Be Green

While I was researching for my next post (coming soon) and writing it, my dad started watching a documentary about the project and the construction of the California Academy of Science, by renown Italian architect Renzo Piano. A visionary, revolutionary project, which took years in the thinking and in the making. There is a 800,000 litres water tank with water coming directly from the Pacific ocean through 5km of pipes. It houses the largest man made coral reef in the world, thousands of animals, from small fish to manta rays coming from all around the world. It also has two gigantic domes which house a planetary and a tropical rain forest. The forest can be seen at all its levels thanks to an incredible spiral shaped ramp built by roller-coaster makers.

Completed in 2009, the building covers 37,000 square metres, the project is very respectful with nature since most of the materials are reused and —between other things— it produces its own energy, with 60,000 solar panels. There is a very unconventionally shaped energy efficient green roof with many openings that help regulate the inside temperature. Also, it's got the greatest... and it can... and it holds... and it is the biggest... OK, you got it.

ENOUGH BULLSHIT!

When men (the fact that I'm not using 'human beings' is not casual) become so detached from Nature that they think they can use it according to their plans without an understanding of it the time of doom is close. 

Why human beings don't simply listen to Nature and learn from it instead of destroying it in order to make ecologically sound, nature friendly ginormous, AMAZING green building using millions of tons of materials, googolplexes of hours of human labor? Why don't we listen to our inner self?

Masanobu Fukuoka says “simply serve nature and all is well”. I agree.

We ARE Nature.

We serve nature, we serve ourselves.