Make A Checklist for Effective Living

Imagine designing a town from scratch!  What would you include?  A park? A school? A gourmet restaurant?  Of course, you’d have to start with a library...a place for the community to gather, learn, connect, recharge and be inspired!  Then maybe later we could think about a bank and a grocery store.

Herriman, Utah (south of Salt Lake City) is a planned community developed by The Sorensen Group, a real estate developer in Salt Lake City.  They opened a stunning library as a part of their “master plan community towne center”.  Prior to The Sorensen Group’s move, Herriman was a town of 1,500.  But by 1999 it was a city and has grown to over 18,000 residents.  A 12 year old city?  For East Coast folks it is a hard concept to even imagine - kids are 12 years old, dogs are 12 years old but even young towns start at 100 years old!  But things are different in Utah, there is plenty of room to spread out and just as many people looking for caring communities to settle down and raise their families.  
And what do young families want most?  Safe environments where their kids can grow and learn...like a fresh, new library.
The clean lines and sparkling glass of the library create a monument that the resident should be proud of.  Not only does it look great, but as a LEED certified building, it acts that way too.

LEED stands for Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design.  They are a set of sustainable principles that ensure new building are constructed with adequate attention to the environment.  More new libraries are opting for LEED buildings that save energy, have a low impact on the environment and conserve resources. Using LEED principles to build any space is a great example of win-win-win thinking.  Good for the environment, great on the long term budget, respectful of future generations and an extra win for looking good.  There also seem to be plenty of grants and incentives for environmentally friendly construction projects.

So, how does a building qualify for LEED certification? It’s a long process that starts before any shovels hit the dirt. LEED accredited architect, Tom Brennan, led Herriman through the process that included a commitment to a plethora of environmentally friendly criteria.

At the library site I found a great illustrated checklist...it reminded me of the old Girl Scout Handbook, filled with embroidered badges that could be yours if you only met the requirements on the checklist.  Buildings earn points for each item included.  Here’s a sample:

• install bike racks and designated parking for carpoolers and low emission vehicles
• include open outdoor spaces to encourage biodiversity
• capture storm water runoff
• install reflective roofing and solar panels
• provide a connection to the outdoors with an abundance of daylight
• use recycled products inside the library
• use low emission paint, sealant, adhesive and composite wood
• use the building to educate the community about protecting the environment

What if we had a checklist to follow each day?
If it creates outstanding libraries why not use it for outstanding people?
What would be on your checklist to certify your day as a success?

• Smile
• Eat healthy foods
• Love the people around you
• Exercise
• Think
• Laugh
• Help someone do something
• Work on something meaningful
• relax (a little)
• Feed the dog
• Go to bed early

I could even assign points to each criteria to track how successful each day was...
collect the data...make a graph...drive my family crazy...
‘CEL’ - Checklist for Effective Living
I got to go find a clipboard...

A Jewel In The Crown

The words ‘Goldman Sachs’ never reminded me of the library - until today.  Although I have been to NYC many times to take in all its wonder, I never knew about Battery Park City, a planned community of about 10,000 people established in 1968, but not populated until the 1990s.  The 92 acre area, located at the very tip of Manhattan, was created with excavated rocks and soil from the construction of The World Trade Center and sand dredged from Staten Island.  The neighborhood is bordered by the Hudson River and the financial district and it is home to the World Financial Center.  All in all a pretty nice piece of real estate.  

Michael Moran

One day Goldman Sachs, the now infamous investment banking and securities firm,  moved into the Battery Park City neighborhood and, instead of baking brownies, made a generous donation of $3.5 million towards a spectacular new library (and $1 million toward a new community center).  The city and state added an addition $6.7 million and, viola, the Battery Park City Library was born.  

Located at 175 North End Avenue, the library is a 10,000 square foot jewel … if I lived in NYC I would be hopping on the subway with my little terrors in tow and barging right in to lounge on the built in couches, plop into the bean bags, read magazines in the recycled chairs, and log onto one of the 36 computers (I’m sure the patrons would love that).  The space is not only bright, airy, modern and fun but it is also the first of the NYPL branches to be LEED certified.  The rugs are made from old tires, the circulation desk constructed from recycled cardboard and the staircase is crafted from recycled glass chips.  An it is all exquisite.  The branch is a perfect illustration of beauty, function and environmental respect - it will be an ongoing joy and inspiration to the children and families of Battery Park City.  While I know there is a certain standard to uphold in the neighborhoods of the super-wealthy, I wonder if the added expense of such a space is appreciated, were residents really after a beautiful place to read and play with their kids or did they want a design showplace.  Again, the current state of libraries in America rears it not-so-pretty head an reminds us that the rich get beautiful libraries and the poor get what they get (and they should be grateful).