michelle kaufmann designs

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In our now 5-year long game of “who can get the higher MPG number” on our Prius, my husband Kevin has been winning. (however, it is mainly because he prefers to drive slowly in order to get the higher number, even if it means taking a million hours to get somewhere).  However, he has changed the game for us, as Kevin just had the windows tinted on the car for my birthday present.   At first blush, that may not sound like a very romantic birthday gift, however, since having the windows tinted last week, I finally broke our record and achieved 49 mpg on this tank of gas (while still driving my favorite speed).  I had no idea how much gas was being used for air conditioning the car (that black car gets super hot in the California sun) Saving gas + being the new winner of our game:  what could be more romantic than that?

So if you are looking for ways to save on gas with your car, and you find yourself using your car’s air conditioning a lot, I highly recommend having your windows tinted. Plus, you can drive Brad-Pitt-style (he has also been spotted in his black Prius with tinted windows).

Thanks to my dear friend John Maienza for helping me to see the beauty of the tint.

My name is Michelle and I am a latte-aholic. As soon as I wake up in the morning, I start obsessing over how quickly I can make it to the coffee shop for that gigantic latte. I then spend my morning in the office, whether in meetings or designing, enjoying the warm coziness of my cup’s milky contents as well as that much needed energy I get from the caffeine.

However, in order to keep feeling that daily energy rush, my cup has been growing larger and larger. No longer is a large or grande cup enough. I must now opt for the extra-large or venti latte. I made the transition to the gargantuan serving size a few months ago and have never looked back. But now the energizing effect of the larger dose is starting to loose its potency. And there isn’t a larger size available. I am starting to get nervous. But this might actually be a good thing since I know caffeine can have all sorts of not so pleasant effects on your hormones, sleep patterns, and stress levels.  Still, an addiction is hard to break - so what to do?

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Last week I had a lovely dinner with some friends and colleagues that soon turned into something more than just an evening meal. Prior to dinner we had taken part in an all day sustainable design charette, focused on cool new innovations for a community we’re working on to promote green living. Later, at dinner, over a few bottles of wine, we decided to flip the lens back on ourselves and shared our own personal eco-confessions. The conversation quickly turned into a sort of group therapy session as we confessed to all the eco-no-no’s we regularly commit and were consoled and advised by our fellow offenders. As with most forms of therapy (especially those influenced by the addition of wine), it turns out that eco-confessions therapy can be quite a healing experience.

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One of my recurring eco-confessions has to do with the number of flights I have to take every year for work, which dramatically ups the size of my carbon footprint. Around the office we’re taking steps to make flights less necessary, like installing good new video conferencing technology. Buying carbon offsets is another solution we use, but it’s obviously not a perfect one. So I was pretty excited when I came across this solar power system for airplanes from Powerenz.

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Before I disclose my eco-confession I should preface it with another, related confession: I am an incurable tea addict. I drink it morning, noon, and night, but, thankfully, this is an addiction that is actually good for me since tea is so chuck full of antioxidants. When my supply begins to run low, though, I am faced, once again, with this ever recurring dilemma, which hits me as I survey the sea of teas available on the store shelf before me: buy organic, fair trade tea like a good little green girl or go with the cheaper, sometimes much cheaper, conventional tea. My eco-confession is this: I usually choose the conventional tea. The price difference just makes it so hard to do anything else. But no more!

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As I am preparing for a trip with my husband and booking our flights, I see airlines offering fliers the chance to purchase carbon offsets for their travel. While I love having a way to buy myself out of feeling guilty for increasing my carbon footprint due to flying (if only I could purchase the removal of guilt for not going home to Iowa to see my parents more often), I am also reminded of the quandary I so often find myself in these days. What alternatives do I have that will allow me to do the work I believe in so much but without flying so much?

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Unfortunately, this is a candid photo of what my trunk has looked like up until now

I have a deep, dark secret of wastefulness. As people say, the first step to fixing the problem is admitting you have one. Well, I have one. My name is Michelle, and I am a water bottle waster.

Initially, I find the cool, clear liquid in the store-bought water bottles alluring and refreshing. Mostly, my water bottle purchases happen when I am traveling to or from places (work, site visits, shopping, etc.) and am in my car. I partake of those revitalizing first sips from the bottle and feel satisfyingly hydrated. I then set the remainder of the water bottle in the seat next to me and continue on my journey.

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As you may have read, I recently experienced quite a little shock when I took a “Green Life” test created by my friend, David Gottfried, that’s designed to score on a scale of 1 to 100 how green a person’s life is. Mine turned out to be not so green. In fact, I barely reached the basic level of Green Life certification, which just isn’t okay with me. So I have resolved to achieve a rating of “gold” in my green life by the end of 2008 (“platinum” by 2009) and this is how:

1. I am going to reduce my carbon footprint by investigating and implementing alternatives, such as webex and video conferencing, to all the travel I’m forced to do for work.
2. I will live a healthier lifestyle that includes more exercise and cooking with lots of healthful, organic, locally produced food.
3. I plan to find ways of simplifying my life as much as possible so that I can channel greater focus and attention as well as more time and strength into achieving my life’s goals.
4. Finally, I must spend more time with my family and friends. This may be the hardest of all my green resolutions because I love my work so much. I need to make a conscious effort to expand my definition of the impact of my work as going beyond what I achieve sitting at my computer. By spending time with friends who share my vision of a greener world, collaborating on ideas and gaining new inspiration, I will take even greater steps toward achieving this vision. The key is community; we can do more good in this world by working together.