Saving the Salmon

I think Salmon are one of the greatest creatures on earth. I spent years as a commercial fisher being outsmarted by the different varieties of Salmon. All the species are pretty smart except for our rather slow friend the Pink or “Humpy” Salmon. I’m digressing. What we are talking about is a wonderful organization based here in the Pacific Northwest.

Salmon Safe’s http://www.salmonsafe.org/ mission is to transform land management practices allowing our friends the Pacific Salmon to thrive. They even help the Humpy’s. In a world where we are starting to moan every time we hear the word sustainability (I don’t moan but most of my Architect friends do) Salmon Safe stands as a clarion to the benefits of conserving, preserving and restoring our precious watersheds. They certify vineyards, farms, university campuses and even golf courses. They are one of the good guys in white hats riding the backs of beautiful Salmon returning to healthy watersheds of the Pacific Northwest.

So when I had images I captured of the sustainable, eco-friendly, water harvesting landscaping that had helped win awards for the PCC Edmonds store http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/ I jumped at the chance to be a part of such a respected organization. Plus they used a photo credit that was big enough to be seen AND I was on Television. The PCC Edmonds store is not only Salmon Safe certified but also awarded a Platinum LEED certification, which is no small feat. They never moan when they hear the word sustainability. Check out the show here:

http://www.king5.com/new-day-northwest/Salmon-Safe-Ceritifed-116422494.html

Taos Eco Park

Saturday April 16th was the official opening for the Taos Eco Park. I took a quick trip to Taos to shoot the project and the opening for my client LDG Architects of Taos New Mexico. What a heartwarming, exciting project. I reconnected with old friends like Brian Greer the director of the Taos Youth and Family center. He was one of the team members in creating this world class soccer venue. As it is the highest 2 star FIFA sanctioned soccer field in the world, Brian was telling me he had just talked to the Rwanda National football team about training in the new facility as they have a game in Mexico city and need to train at altitude. Doug Patterson the principal and driving force for LDG Architects utilized smart sustainability which is the trademark of LDG Architects. Features like water recycling, solar technology and an amazing playing field that is safe, beautiful and uses no water make this a world class venue while conserving resources. The Taos Eco Park was a community effort that is a shining star or actually a shining 2 star dream that was turned into reality.