Controversial ELF House Burning in Seattle

ELF stands for “Earth Liberation Front” The following is a description of the “movement” from earthliberationfront.com “The ELF is an underground movement with no leadership, membership or official spokesperson.”

Also known as “Elves” or “The Elves”, the group is made up of anonymous and autonomous individuals who use “economic sabotage and guerrilla warfare to stop the exploitation and destruction of the natural environment.” These acts of eco vandalism have inspired the terms “ecotage” or “monkeywrenching” to describe the actions that people are taking with ELF and other networks. Originally, ELF was formed in Brighton in the United Kingdom during 1992. By 1994, influence had spread to the rest of Europe and beyond. They are seen as a “sister” to the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and often cooperate in their actions. ELF was classified as the top domestic terror threat in the United States by the FBI in March 2001 under the category “eco-terrorists” and in 2005 they were featured on an edition of 60 Minutes.

The houses that they burned in Seattle have been touted all over by the media as models of “sustainable” housing. The buildings used alternative energy and many eco-friendly and efficient materials in their construction. The creation of the buildings however was part of a larger development plan that harmed and in some cases destroyed local ecosystems.

For more information about ELF visit earthliberationfront.com

The Designers Accord

Founded by Valerie Casey, The Designers Accord is a new initiative to get designers to adopt a sustainability commitment. It is a coalition of design and innovation firms focused on working together to create positive environmental and social impact.

This initiative has been adopted by several firms world wide and keeps spreading. As opposed to just a word commitment, The Designers Accord will annually audit certain points in which the firms agree, in order to create positive impact.

I encourage all designers to adopt this philosophy, for moral and ethical reasons, more than just as a trend.

John Thackara and Friends on Sustainability

Audio bytes from John’s panel during the recent InterSections Conference at Northumbria University in the UK.

Listen

“John will argue that 80 percent of the environmental impact of the products and buildings is determined at the design stage; and the ways we have designed the world force most people to waste stupendous quantities of matter and energy. But for John, playing the blame game is pointless, the best way to redeem ourselves is to become part of the solution.”

(headshot by ILVIO GALLO)

The Green Festival

This weekend San Francisco is hosting the Green Festival. The event gathers thought leaders, progressive companies and organizations celebrating what works for communities, for businesses and for the environment.

http://www.greenfestivals.org/

Check out their calendar, there will be events in Chicago and Seattle in 2008.