The Vine

A little community humor, courtesy of The New Yorker.

Happy Thanksgiving. Go easy on the pie. 

© 2003 The New Yorker Collection from cartoonbank.com. All Rights Reserved.

From Andrea Learned:

Mama Shelter, a new hotel in Paris, was just mentioned in a well-regarded consumer trendspotting publication:

http://springwise.com/weekly/2008-11-20.htm#mamashelter

Here’s a clip:

Created by the Trigano family—founders of Club Med—along with Parisian philosopher Cyril Aouizerate and designer Philippe Starck, Mama Shelter combines modern, technology-enabled accommodation with a friendly, communal vibe. Each morning a board lists local cultural events, and a variety of live performances take place in the hotel as well. Dining options range from a communal table to cold cabinets stocked with meals available for in-room candlelight dining 24/7. Mama Shelter’s rooms vary from 15 square meters to 35 square meters, priced starting at EUR 79 per night—very affordable by Parisian standards.

***

The key trend-worthy and gender aware points: a team of thought leaders (in a variety of disciplines - and including a philosopher) developed/designed it, and they focused on creating a local/communal - as well as high design experience. These things speak to the feminine brain traits of potential guests who are looking ever more carefully at their travel decisions from a sustainable/value/cozy perspective. It goes beyond the linear points like: “what hotel have we always used” on the corporate account, or which one screams luxury/status. Mama Shelter speaks to the new “conspicuous consumption” (as defined by Nate Garvis in October).

I believe there is huge power in developing such cross-industry/discipline thought leader teams (with The Vine being a larger scale model) for every development/project. It will be interesting to watch and see if Mama Shelter succeeds (and I think it will). Just imagine if their team had also included at least one very recognized female philosopher/design expert etc…!

…worth considering for any built environment project.

Burlington, Vermont, tops the list of America’s healthiest cities, according to a recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Among U.S. metropolitan areas, Burlington has the largest proportion of people—92 percent—who say they are in good or great health. It’s also among the best in exercise and among the lowest in obesity, diabetes and other measures of ill health.

This comes as no surprise to Vine member, blog contributor, and Burlington resident Andrea Learned. Her take on the local scene:

“I rarely come across people who don’t get involved in some major fitness or outdoor activity all year long (skiing or snowboarding are pretty much a given, for one). The “local first” perspective started way before it became trendy, and includes the availability of beef and poultry from farms, literally down the road. We have an incredibly walkable/bikeable downtown area, and with this economic downturn, the sidewalks and lakeside bike path are getting more packed (well - at least in the summer/fall months).

Finally - I think Burlington has this “so glad to be here” feel because so many people moved away from big city life for an idyllic existence and found it. Mind you - you’ve got to be willing to deal with extreme weather and a flight connection most places you want to travel - but otherwise, it often feels like Mayberry.”

Photo by mrbula

Here’s a great article from The New Yorker tracing the history of lawns as the centerpiece of American landscaping—from mid-19th century origins as an attempt to refine rural slovenliness, to the forty billion dollar industry of today.

As the author aptly notes, “The lawn has become so much of a part of the suburban landscape that it is difficult to see it as something that had to be invented.”

Over the past 150 years, well manicured lawns have come define our neighborliness and civility (read: our property values). Indeed, in many neighborhoods you would be cited and fined for not maintaining one.

The backdrop of the story is the small but growing (no pun intended) anti-lawn movement, whose proponents decry the volume of chemicals and water required to maintain an aesthetic, non-productive form of gardening. As opposed to, for example, edible landscaping.

Mind you, I’m not endorsing an anti-lawn agenda that would turn all of our yards into scrub and weeds (or, if you prefer, “low growing broad-leafed plants”). But with water shortages curtailing development in California and elsewhere—and with EPA estimates that nearly one-third of all residential water use goes into landscaping—it does call into question the sustainability of the existing model.

From gapingvoid cartoonist/blogger Hugh MacLeod…

This cartoon says so much, so elegantly, that whatever more I write would only detract.

The story behind the cartoon is fascinating too.

According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, your friends can make you fat. So can your siblings or spouse, although less so. (Your neighbors, apparently, cannot.)

Among the 12,000+ people monitored over a 30-year span:

A person’s chances of becoming obese increased by 57% if he or she had a friend who became obese in a given interval. Among pairs of adult siblings, if one sibling became obese, the chance that the other would become obese increased by 40%. If one spouse became obese, the likelihood that the other spouse would become obese increased by 37%. These effects were not seen among neighbors in the immediate geographic location.

The study’s conclusion: “Obesity appears to spread through social ties.”

The full report is here. For a more humorous commentary, go here instead.

Chris Waugh illustrated these network effects in his fantastic talk at The Vine, drawing upon IDEO’s work with the CDC to counteract youth obesity, including the powerful (and poignant) example of Pie Ranch.

Kudos also to Dr. Richard Jackson, who introduced this topic two years ago at our inaugural meeting. Jackson addressed the impact of the built environment on our health and wellness, and he showed us the alarming medical and societal ramifications of obesity — to name just one: the airline industry burns an additional 350 million gallons of fuel per year because of overweight passengers — exacerbated by neighborhoods designed for cars, not humans.

This is not to let individuals off the hook. Certainly your health is, first and foremost, your responsibility.

But the influence of your community — both social and physical — appears to be profound.

One of our exercises on the first day of The Vine involved:

Questions à contemplation à words on paper à random groupings à mashups of words to form sentences describing “What this community might become.”

Considering the haphazardness of the process, the outputs are remarkably lucid. (If you’re reading this and you weren’t there…well, you kinda had to be there.)

Here’s what you came up with:

Less Divisive Opinions Lead to Connection and an Answer of Hope

Listen! It’s a Warm Place that Communicates Inspiration Connection Awareness with Energy and Grittiness

Hot Engagement [Pause] Suburban Humanity (Empathy) Warm Personality Listening with Sincerity and Wine (Laughter) A-ha!

Special Inscrutable Listening and Laughter Can Reinvent Comfortable Gordo Wisdom

This Community Inspires Listening Enthusiasm Creativity Laughter Collaboration Vacation Wanderlust

Organic Happiness comes from Connection and Listening with Positivity and Silence

Innovate … Look for a Swell Connection Hearing Empathy for Intriguing Hugs

Love (Peace) Listening with a Spirit of Passion and Perspective to Create Cohesion Inspiration Innovation: Soul (Sensitivity)

Calming Insight Sparks Evolution and Reinvention bringing Joy Fun and Trees

Learning with Expansive Substance! Thoughtful Communication Refreshing Faith + Action = Love

And my personal favorite:

Reflect and be Creative in Prioritizing Nourishing Hugs and Hot Love

A number of folks have requested info about the books and music featured at The Vine. I’m happy to share both.

Here’s a list of books that were carried in our onsite bookstore.

Here’s an iTunes playlist of the songs you heard throughout our three days.

Enjoy!