EUGENE, Ore. – (April 3, 2012) – Dirt is taken for granted – it is stepped on, bulldozed, cleaned up and swept under the rug. Seldom is dirt viewed as a valued resource, but the 18th annual Holistic Options for Planet Earth Sustainability (HOPES)conference will explore dirt in depth April 13 and April 14 at the University of Oregon. The event is free and open to the public.
With the popularity of "victory gardens" and the "food not lawns" ethic in Oregon, this year’s conference hopes to appeal to the do-it-yourself aesthetic and strengthen community ties. Sponsored by the Ecological Design Centerat UO, “HOPES 18” will investigate the properties and opportunities in dirt, including how we utilize it in food production, construction and otherwise interact with it.
“Many members of the community have their own sustainable projects at home,” says Melissa Hansen of the Ecological Design Center. “We are pleased to have this exchange of ideas with them. This year’s events are hands-on projects people can do on a smaller scale.”
Workshops and panels will discuss worm composting, permaculture, earthen finishes, sustainability and urban gardening. Events include a demonstration house tour and work party, a “Trashy Fashion Show,” displays of exotic materials and an open house at the Baker Lighting Lab.
Keynote speakers this year are:
• Diana Balmori, a New York City landscape architect, will speak about her new book, “A Landscape Manifesto,” Friday, April 13, at 5:30 p.m. Her projects include New York’s High Line Park, and she is well known for innovation in boundaries between landscape and architecture.
• Walter Hood, a Bay Area landscape architect and artist, will speak on the social value of design Saturday, April 14, at 10:30 a.m. Known for his landscape/art installation work at the De Young Museum in San Francisco, he specializes in landscapes for disadvantaged communities.
• Dan Phillips, a Texas architect who specializes in reclaimed materials, will speak Saturday, April 14, at 4:30 p.m. on "Gentrifying Icky," a process of recycling trash into appealing homes.
HOPES began in 1995 as a means to promote sustainability and as a way for UO students and faculty to network with designers. Lectures and workshops may qualify for LEED credential maintenance.
For information and preregistration, visit http://pages.uoregon.edu/hopes/. HOPES’s Facebook page is at http://www.facebook.com/HopesConference.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 61 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada.
Contact:Marti Gerdes, A&AA communications, 541-346-6094, martig@uoregon.edu
Source: Melissa Hansen, public relations director, Ecological Design Center, 541-497-0590, hansen4@uoregon.edu
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