Week 6: Green Building

The presentation today made me really want to build a LEED platinum house and I was thinking of all the things I want in my house, but more importantly, how it will affect my family. I would like to have as many windows as possible, all openable. In the living room/den, I would like one of those walls made of multiple panes of glass that can be moved away to create an open space. That would increase the intrinsic value of my house and would allow for more communal living with nature. If I build a house in Washington, D.C. area or in Southern California (two hotspots for aerospace engineers), then I will able to take care of the amazing weather in the spring and fall there. Second, I would like to include solar panels on all of my roofs (or the majority of them) to power the house. I could even possibly make money by selling back the energy I make that I do not use. I would also condition my children to be more energy conscious so that they know how much energy they are using and they work to reduce that. I hope that making my children more aware will rub off on their friends and continue to inspire future generations. Maybe one day, in a perfect world...

In Response to Blog Assignment of "This Blessed House"

After reading "This Blessed House" I recalled the last few pages where the religious artifacts were driving a wedge between Twinkle and Sanjeev. I couldn't help but think about the divisive aspects of organized religion. I personally find that organized religion can be very harsh on the spiritual life of a person. I do not agree with many of the things that the main stream Protestant church says is right or wrong (homosexuality, abortion, stem cell research, etc.), but I still believe in spiritual aspect of the church. I believe that Sanjeev represents the non-religious spiritualist (even though he never expresses spirituality) and Twinkle represents the Church because she keeps finding and keeping the religious artifacts.