It was interesting to see the views of an urbanite that also makes use of ecological ideas in his projects. As with most lectures on energy, he mentioned the embodied energy of materials, which takes into account the sourcing, production, transportation, and maintenance of materials. He also touched up on the transportation systems that could be employed in cities. Being from Seattle, that city became the basis of his examples. Numerous transit systems are in the process of being developed to help reduce carbon emissions, and the concept of "walkability" was introduced to us. It wasn't something I had ever considered, but having numerous points of interest, and ease of mobility to such areas, within walking distance could help to greatly reduce emissions that result from vehicle usage. Another interesting topic he brought up was Car2Go, which seems to be a useful form of transportation if you are just trying to get from point A to point B.

     Combining urbanism with his ecologist background, Critter and his associates took part in numerous Living Building projects. One of which was the Center for Urban Agriculture in Seattle. The project was for a competition. The building was to be used as a residence, as well as for vertical farming. 

(Author: Glenn Tanag)