GREEN SPACE: Local universities, sustainability experts convene to improve the D's green cred

In a city where many see lemons, people involved with Detroit's Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) program see lemonade.

See, Detroit was selected as one of nine cities to participate in the program by the American Institute of Architects, and it is an opportunity being seized with relish by those involved. "We have a chance to make Detroit into a model for sustainability," says Eleanore Eveleth, who is working to coordinate the SDAT process.

The SDAT program will look at four realms of sustainability: transportation, energy, land use and the new economy. Local experts in each area will get teamed with national ones in a three-day charette from October 30 to November 1 -- but first, the locals are gathering on October 6 to make sure the big event is as efficient as possible.

"We want to have a more productive meeting on the 30th," says Eveleth. "We will give an overview of the SDAT process, which is what the folks from out of town are coming to do."

Evelath expects community organizations, residents, people that live in the area and  those already working on green products and issues to participate. "There are a lot of people already working on small bits and pieces of this," she says. "This is a way to bring all these people together and learn from folks that have done this in other cities."

SDAT has made a survey available on-line to help frame the process' roadmap. Click here to get started.

The SDAT kick-off is on October 6 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and will be held at the Ecumenical Theological Seminary, located at 2930 Woodward in Detroit. The three-day charette will be held at the University of Michigan Community Design Center, also in Midtown. For more information, call Zachary & Associates at 313-831-6100.

Source: Eleanore Evelath, SDAT
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh