Sparkflight Studios

A country’s overshoot day is the date on which Earth Overshoot Day would fall if all of humanity consumed like the people in this country.  Humans use as much ecological resources as if we lived on 1.6 Earths. The Ecological Footprint is the only metric that compares the resource demand of individuals, governments, and businesses against Earth's capacity for biological regeneration. Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. In 2020, Earth Overshoot Day lands on August 22. We maintain this deficit by liquidating stocks of ecological resources and accumulating waste, primarily carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Earth Overshoot Day is hosted and calculated by Global Footprint Network, an international research organization that provides decision-makers with a menu of tools to help the human economy operate within Earth’s ecological limits. More information may be found...

Vote Earth! Earth Day reminds us every year: hope lives in you and me. It is the place where we first see things as they are, loving the world as it is. It is in this truth-telling that we offer our good intentions for the earth and all our neighbors. It is there we discover joy in the struggle to create good. Sparkflight Studios is finding opportunities in this unique time. We are driving and polluting much less, celebrating time with family, and activating our senses in the rich outdoors. On this 50th anniversary, Earth Day has a digital presence, or “Digital Acts of Green.” Follow this link to “Vote Earth” and find your voice of hope for a better tomorrow. Vote Earth Volunteer Create Your Own Act of Green Make every day Earth Day with daily action !

Rendering of the proposed mixed-use site In September, we introduced Sparkflight Studios' involvement in the 2019 AIA Blueprint for Better Housing , a mission to solve housing needs in our community. Anne was invited to be the Team Coordinator of the Multi-Family Mixed-Use group. She worked diligently with her team and alongside the charrette participants and members of the local community to create a design that was presented to AIA Las Vegas in October. The team proposed a 381,000-SF mixed-use, mixed-income development on the west side of Martin Luther King Boulevard, south of Lake Mead Boulevard, in the 89106 zip code. The team chose this site due to the economic disparity between this zip code and the rest of our city, with a diaspora of community members seeking opportunity elsewhere. This community has an intense desire to preserve its heritage and build a vibrant future for its children; Anne and the rest of the dedicated charrette team worked hard to come up with u...

Often to mark Earth Day, we list some local events that contribute to the "greening" of our valley and list sustainable actions that we can all take.  Scroll down for that content... This year the post is direr. Or, more hopeful depending on your disposition.  Small actions are wonderful, but not enough.  Mega steps are required if we want our next generations to be able to harvest food from the oceans,  live in our coastal cities, and enjoy the diversity of fauna and flora that we do now.  There is no Planet B. Today we see increasing extreme weather events and overwhelming scientific evidence of an anthropogenic-accelerated climate change. As designers and occupants of this amazing planet, we must take responsibility for our role in the acceleration.  Other than designing for " resilience ," what can be done to reverse global warming and related impacts?  Get informed.  Take action. Here is the evidence that it is happening: Glob...

EV Charging Stations at Clark County Government Center Just before Earth Day this year it was gratifying to see all six charging stations at the Clark County Government Center Photovoltaic Shade Structure project in use.   Smart coupes , a Leaf, and a BMW were all benefitting from the solar array. It got me thinking about what could be done in our corner of the world to celebrate earth day.  Is it driving more efficient or electric vehicles to reduce carbon fuel reliance? Pitching in at a local clean-up event to improve habitat conditions?  Or auditing your waste reduction plan ? In honor of Google announcing that they'll reach 100% reliance on renewable energy this year, here's their Google Doodle. 2017 Google Earth Day Doodle More doodle history here...

Nendo's nest shelf allows users to expand unit to desired width. Micro Living has made an impact in North America. Many are choosing to give up their large living space for a home that is less than 1,000 square feet.   The increasing appeal of Micro-Housing can be attributed to many wanting to minimize their mortgage, reduce carbon footprint, and enjoy portability, as seen on previous blog Rural Micro-Housing – Could you live in 572 SF? ,   or the desire to be in a dense city fabric as discussed on Urban Micro-Housing: A Path to Sustainable Livability . Although some are choosing to give up space, comfort and luxury do not have to be lost.   Some companies such as Nendo and  Resource Furniture , are designing incredible, sustainable, transforming furniture.   We no longer have to give up comfort and luxury due to space limitations. Resource Furniture’s unique multifunctional, transforming furniture line has a variety of Wall Beds, Transformin...

Wishes to all our clients and colleagues for a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  Gratitude for all that you are and do. And for the day after Thanksgiving... Kudos to REI for their #OptOutside campaign for Black Friday. "Outdoor experiences build better people who are healthier, who make better decisions, and who can take other people, other creatures, and other perspectives into account. Spending time outside is pretty much the opposite of standing in line at a store to get a discount on something you probably don’t really need. That’s why I’m such a fan of taking Black Friday, or any day really, as a chance to step away from our materialistic urges and connect with the outdoors and the people and places we care about. Thank you, REI, for giving us a gentle push in that direction." - excerpt from "The Solace of Vertical Places" by Brady Robinson (read more here... ) Enjoy another take on Thanksgiving with the architecture of food i...

Caught sight of a Smart Car charging at the photovoltaic canopy after an appointment at Clark County Government Center today.  It's very satisfying to see our project in use! Learn more about this project in our previous posts. December 2011 - Opening September 2011 - Construction February 2011 - September 2011 - Construction Background Since construction completed nearly three years ago, there are many charging stations at hotels on the Strip, at downtown's Container Park and Zappos headquarters, and North Las Vegas' City Hall. See a map of other nearby charging stations here: Enter zip code 89155 This installation operates on the Chargepoint system, and you can learn more, download an app, or find other locations at their website .

As discovered on a recent visit to Phoenix’s Sky Harbor airport, bottle fillers are becoming a more commonplace way to hydrate.  According to the Pacific Institute , global sales of bottled water are growing faster than any other beverage.  If you must buy a bottle, refill it for seconds.  Better yet, get a reusable bottle in BPA-free plastic, steel, aluminum or even glass. Ready for a refill? Elkay EZH20 bottle filling station has a fill rate of 1.1 gallon-per minute (gpm) for a refrigerated unit, which is three times faster than a standard drinking fountain.     The unit is sensor-activated, so users don’t have to touch anything. The bottle can be held or placed on the designed platform to balance the bottle as it is being filled. The intuitive, touchless operation helps keep the station clean and germ free. What makes Elkay EZH20 bottle filling station appealing? It fills bottles with filtered water in seconds and providing sustainable benefits b...

Congratulations to Lisa Yao and the Fresh Fruit Smoothie restaurant opening!  We wish her much success!  Find them on Yelp* and treat yourself a fresh delicious smoothie--no powders used here. This approximately 770 SF tenant improvement includes multiple food preparation areas, employee break area, restroom and custom shelving.  Our services included design, as-built drawings, and strategic code analysis.

Public event tonight - Wednesday May 22 USGBC is hosting a presentation and discussion about our Southern Nevada sources of electrical power, options for alternative energy and how to more effectively use the energy that we have.  Discussion panel includes experts in the field, representatives from NV Energy's RenewableGenerations program, and an expert on residential remodeling for energy efficiency. See more details, and list of presentors, at the USGBC website . Wednesday, May 22, 2013 5:30pm-7:00pm NV Energy- Wengert Room 6226 W. Sahara Ave. Las Vegas, NV 89151

Our green office status is an ever-evolving process.   It’s fun and challenging to discover new ways to create more sustainability and reduce waste. We have taken our inspiration from the Harvard University Office for Sustainability (HUOS) , which created Leaf level checklists for “Green Office” recognition for its colleges and departments.   The concepts and procedures can be adapted by any size business to develop practices that reduce office resource consumption while boosting the bottom line in small and large ways.   At Anne Johnson, AIA , we are currently pursuing HUOS Leaf Three, which incorporates reviewing all actions from Leafs One and Two to keep us on track.   To participate at Leaf Three level, we have updated our employee manual to include information about our office environmental policies and goals.   We have also established a composting program in our office as part of our commitment to sustainability.   Routinely, we revisit o...

This year, the third annual  Las Vegas PARK(ing) day is being coordinated by Green Jelly, COLABlv and the Nevada Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects ( NASLA ) and is held in the 18b Arts District on September 21, 2012 from 4:00PM to 10:00PM.  The nearest address is Artifice at 1025 S. First Street, by South Main and Charleston Boulevard. 18b is just south of downtown Las Vegas in an area bounded by Commerce Street, Hoover Avenue, Fourth Street and Las Vegas Boulevard (at Charleston) and Colorado Avenue. You can find out more about its restaurants, galleries and businesses on their website . The manifesto is "Reclaim your city" and the method is transforming one metered parking space into a park setting for a day. Check out the downtown 18b Arts District, enjoy a little public green space, and engage in the discussion about how urban space is allocated.  The Downtown Backyard Project ( DBP ) kick-off is tonight and will extend the dialogue b...

A whimsical Thanksgiving treat from one of our favorite websites, Inhabitat..."Design will save the world." Explore the textured architecture of food with Matthew Carden's surprising and artistic photographs of enlarged food.  Link to story here... Happy Thanksgiving!

Eco Home Fair is at Element Hotel in Summerlin this Saturday. This free event is all about families having fun and learning green living strategies to live well, cut costs, and help the environment. You will be amazed by the easy, green ideas and choices for everyday living and delighted by the arts, entertainment and the activities for kids. Come out and meet undersea explorer, filmmaker, and eco champion Scott Cassell. He is on site to meet the public, talk about why he is committed to green living, and showcase his electric submarine. You’ve seen him on Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and National Geographic. Additionally enjoy interactive demonstrations, local green merchant and professional vendor booths, and great green giveaways. Anne Johnson, AIA will be there to answer questions and provide brief consultations for greening your home and office with sustainable architectural strategies. We would love to visit with you at Eco Home Fair.

Anne Johnson, AIA challenged ourselves to green our office more in 2011.  We are using Harvard’s green office program to evaluate how we are doing in nine impact areas.  The process involves four leaves, or levels, of discovery and commitment to green office practices.  The following is our Leaf One: [1. Energy] We shut off computers and the lights when not in use, saving energy and cost. ( Tips & Tricks HQ ) [2. Recycling] Easy to access bins encourage staff to reduce, reuse, and recycle paper and plastic goods. We are creative with repurposing and reusing office furniture, including our shared office and conference space. [3. Waste Reduction] E-mails and phones are our primary contact tools.  To further reduce waste production, we limit the use of hard-copy files. We print or copy on both sides of a page whenever possible, and keep a pile of reusable scrap paper near our printer. [4. Publication] For marketing publications, we use an e-newsletter...

M ake a positive impact with Earth Day Network's A Billion Acts of Green campaign, by committing to action lasting well beyond Earth Day. Our pledge? To cost-effectively integrate green into our work for you, and review sustainable practices in our own office. At the same time attention is focused globally, take a look at our own amazing back yard...enjoy a hike in the Valley of Fire, check out a local CSA like Meadow Valley , or simply enjoy the weather at an Earth Day Festival. Local Events: GreenFest Mixer (Apr 14) & Festival (Apr 16) LV Green Chamber of Commerce (April 21) Project Green - Pittman Wash Trail Building (April 23) International A Billion Acts of Green: Share your green action.

Over the remainder of 2011, we're reviewing sustainable practices in our office.  Although accustomed to many "green" habits, we've never evaluated our office's process and progress.    Many of you have also adopted some of these first steps of greening:  turning off equipment and lights not in use, recycling, printing on both sides of paper, and using teleconferencing whenever possible.  What are areas for improvement? Using Harvard’s green office program as a basis, we’re using checklists in nine impact categories to discover how we can grow greener.   You’re invited to join us in this year of discovery.   Please post and share your experience too!

Green Drinks Las Vegas is hosting a viewing party for TEDxManhattan's “Changing the Way We Eat” on Saturday, February 12. Sustainable agriculture goes hand in hand with sustainable design as it also embraces the triad concepts of environmental, social and economic viability.  Just like design requires careful choices, understanding where our food comes from, and the impact of its production, allows us to make food choices that support the health of the planet and its inhabitants.  Supermarkets and farmer's markets aren't our only options in the Las Vegas valley.  Perhaps you'll be inspired to give urban farming a try in your own backyard. From the Green Drinks website: This is a one-day event in NYC highlighting the sustainable food movement and the work being done to shift our food system from industrially-based agriculture to one in which healthy, nutritious food is accessible to all. Attendees are invited to bring healthy recipes and local produce to sh...

GoingGreen.com presents Green Your Home Workshop this Saturday May 1 from 10-11am at the Habitat for Humanity green prototype home.  Click here for more information. Green Drinks National Webcast about Sustainable Food is Wednesday May 12. Click here for more information. Green Drinks Las Vegas is Thursday May 13 6-7:30pm at Sun Cat Skylights. Click here for more information.