Regarding http://www.quicktopic.com/blog/archives/000205.html#000205

I always thought the previous sign bore more than a faint whiff off hypocrisy; after all, would an organization really interested in conservation really build an office building with such an enormous atrium? I can't even imagine the oil used to heat the atrium alone during the winter, and to cool it during the summer.

Edited by author 02-09-2003 07:04 PM
Damn good point, David.

For anyone else reading, our building was built in the early dotcom era and has a giant glorious atrium that soars to the top level three floors up, topped by a large skylight. Hardly the model of efficiency (or safety with its marble floors in the wet-shoed winter).

The reasons for such buildings are described most amusingly in "edge cities", along with a number of other things such as why the art is banal. The reason for the large atriums -- to allow three building to share one elevator. That being the most expensive thing in the structure. The size of the individual buildings is based on theories about mgmt/labor ratios and how far americans are willing to walk. Silly, fun book.

Does that make sense? I imagine our building could have shared the elevators and eliminated the atrium (if you're interested, here is a picture of the atrium in question. The elevators are on the left, out of view).

Anyway, the really salient theme is that as we prepare to go to war, the administration does so little to reduce our near-term dependence on foreign oil, save for a faraway and somewhat fantastic initiative to promote hydrogen-powered cars.

So in the case of this building, we're asked to compensate for a builder's oversight with our own small collective actions (using the proper door).

Really effective conservation requires actions coordinated between the large and small scales -- some kind of leadership -- both demonstration of care and large scale actions -- and the cooperation of individuals. Is this way out of character for the U.S?

Regarding hydrogen-powered cars, Peter Kaminsky points out a link here: http://www.quicktopic.com/19/D/esddSRG9Wm6.html#QT_item_29