People & Planet: Interview with Jim Miller

La Luminata caught up with sustainable design enthusiast and practitioner Jim Miller of Jim Miller Design Ltd….

La Luminata: Explain a bit about yourself and the work you do….

Jim: Jim Miller Design Ltd offers sustainable architectural design and build services.

La Luminata: What made you decide to specialize in sustainable design?

Jim: I am hard wired with a sustainable attitude and strongly believe that we must all make dramatic changes to all our lives to ensure the health of the planet.

La Luminata: La Luminata recently attended the Brighton & Hove Open Door event and visited one of your latest projects, 3 East Drive. Explain a bit about the project and the sustainable strategies you adopted here….

Jim: Because new builds only make up a tiny fraction of the total housing stock the real issue is how to upgrade the housing we already have, and period buildings are the most difficult. East Drive was a fantastic opportunity to implement many sustainable technologies and ideas into a period house. Insulation was upgraded in every part of the house along with air tightness. Secondary improvements included replacing the single glazing with slim double glazing and adding solar panels and a green sedum roof.

La Luminata: Are there any emerging new technologies that you are particularly excited about?

Jim: Nano technology is very exciting and could resolve some insulation issues. We also need to look at designing buildings which work passively and in a more natural way.

La Luminata: What has been the highlight of your career so far as a sustainable architectural designer?

Jim: Changing clients attitudes to sustainability.

La Luminata: Have you seen a shift in clients’ attitudes towards sustainable design due to the financial crisis, because people just want the cheapest solution?

Jim: Sustainable solutions are often more expensive and tightening budgets obviously affect this. However the solution is longer term and as sustainability becomes more mainstream the costs will come down and new ways of building will become widely accepted.

La Luminata: How do you think sustainable architecture, and the way the public embraces sustainability, will develop in the future?

Jim: I think it will become the norm in the not too distant future.

La Luminata: Have you got any exciting sustainable design projects coming up?

Jim: I’m hoping to combine the latest technologies and design ideas in a garden office as a small scale trial with the plan to build my own sustainable new build in the future.

La Luminata: Any tips or advice you’d like to pass onto the readers..?

Jim: Incorporate sustainable improvements whenever you upgrade your building and spend the money on the simple things like insulation and air tightness first.

By Carly Gordon

People & Planet: Interview With Lisa Tse of ‘The Sorority’

La Luminata: The Sorority is an interesting concept, what made you decide to set this up?

Lisa: Having been a woman in business for the last few years, I observed an increasing number of women running their own businesses or quitting their day jobs to pursue their dream ambitions. These women were inspiring, individual and empowered on their own terms.

I feel that society alludes to stereotypes of businesswomen in the corporate environment where more traditional masculine traits of strength, aggression and ruthlessness are often championed.

We are now in an age whereby we have greater freedom and expression and more and more women are embracing the opportunity to forge their own careers, but they are not represented in society.

When we hear about alpha females, the term is often seen as a negative one, when in fact we are surrounded by a new generation of alpha females wielding a softer power that is fierce without being threatening.

It is about being proud of our feminine values and skills. An interest in style and fashion should not undermine our business credentials.

The Sorority was born from an aspiration to create a vision under which modern day women can unite, celebrating femininity and creativity in business, offering inspiring and alternative icons for women in business.
La Luminata: What has been your experience in the working world and how has this influenced your current viewpoint?

Lisa: The two principles I have learnt to live by in business are integrity and passion. People conduct business in many different ways around the world. I believe it is important to hold yourself up to your own standard and work collaboratively, inviting opportunity and fostering new visions.

La Luminata: Which are your main inspirations throughout your creative work?

Lisa: The world around us is an enchanting vista in a state of perpetual movement. As Proust stated, discovery lies not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. I absorb my surroundings and embrace the beauty in the simplest of delights.

La Luminata: What is your most memorable working moment to date?

Lisa: When I was young I had always imagined working in a creative career and dreamed of one day running my own studio with my name on the wall. I will always appreciate the moment we opened my studio in London and my name was mounted to the wall. For this I have been very grateful, and everything else that has happened since has just been a blessing.

La Luminata: ....and your worst working memory?

Lisa: Starting out was always very stressful as the future was always uncertain. The first year was an interesting journey of dealing with ups and downs and navigating obstacles such as dealing with client relationships, securing office spaces and managing staff. I found it is a journey every entrepreneur will make and after time you learn to adapt and everything becomes fluid regardless of the  situation.

La Luminata: What kind of women are you looking for to join the Sorority?

Lisa: We are uniting women who embody what The Sorority represents and represents the spirit of the club. We are not feminists and we have no political agenda. We are a collaborative group of modern day women that will represent a new generation of alpha female role models who are stylish and accomplished, conducting themselves with integrity and passion. Sorority women live by their own terms.

La Luminata: Who can join and how?

Lisa: Membership is by invitation only and any queries and interest should be made by registering on our website www.thesorority.org

People & Planet: Donate Your Knickers For Africa

Hey, here's a good reason to increase your eco knicker consumption...

Donate your (new) knickers and bras to Knickers for Africa which supplies underwear to people in Africa who are unable to afford new knickers, pants and bras who are forced to buy much cheaper second-hand/used underwear. Some governments have banned the trade of used underwear, but these garments often find themselves back on the market stalls as there are currently no cheap alternatives: People need underwear, and as you know Africa survives on the free market forces of demand and supply.

'Knickers 4 Africa' hopes to collect and transport donated new underwear to places in Africa that need it most, help support this good cause.

People & Planet: Eco Bamboo Bikes

Zambikes, the brainchild company setup by two Californians and two Zambians, creates beautifully made bamboo bikes, which are strong enough to handle many different types of environments.

Perseverance and an innovative approach to product design and working practices have helped Zambikes put down strong roots enabling a Zambian community to work and prosper and the eco properties of bamboo to be explored further.

People & Planet: Miracle Workers In Need of a Miracle

In September 2007, ‘Wholly Horses’ became ‘WOW! World of Whispers’ and moved into a small rented premises in the Vale of Glamorgan to establish itself as a pioneering Social Enterprise with a workable business model. A series of unforeseeable events has resulted in the project faltering and with every personal resource exhausted it faces termination in September 2009 with the horses being sold at market or euthanised as a result.

Over a six year period ‘Wholly Horses’ welcomed around 800 guests from across the globe, providing uplifting experiences with the herd that in addition to being developmental, educational and therapeutic offered a sense of freedom, friendship and fun. As a Social Enterprise, the work could be expanded to include more people of all ages particularly children and adults with terminal illness, learning difficulties, social disadvantage and disability.

The project urgently requires an injection of capital to survive in the immediate term, one or more investors keen to be involved in a visionary project in the longer term and a new location so that grants and funding can be applied for. In the current climate, when people are in need of hope, upliftment and inspiration WOW! is a proven approach that offers it. If you are able to offer any assistance or can link WOW! with individuals who might be interested in discussing this opportunity further please contact Helen Wingstedt via La Luminata.

The following websites offer more information about the project:

www.equamigo.com

www.worldofwhispers.com

www.helenwingstedt.com

People & Planet: Daryl Hannah

I have been thinking for a while about introducing a 'role models' section to La Luminata focusing on people who are really doing their bit for the planet. Now, when I heard this news story today I knew that now was a good time to start.

Truly sticking up for what she believes in, American actress Daryl Hannah has been arrested during a protest against mountain mining.

She was amongst a group of activists who were protesting at a coal processing plant in southern West Virginia. According to police reports she was “purposely trespassing to protest the destruction of mountains immediately above the Coal River Valley community.”

Daryl, we love you.

People & Planet: Meat Free Monday

'Meat Free Monday' which is a new movement backed by Paul Mccartney and Yoko Ono suggests the very simple idea of tackling global warming through the consumption of less meat. Featuring recipes from everyone's favourite vegetarian, Linda Mccartney, this is one step towards tackling climate change that could actually work.