Evelyn Lee

EVELYN LEE - Senior Contributing Editor
Evelyn is a 2012 dual degree candidate getting a sustainable MBA/MPA from the Presidio Graduate School. Trained as an architect, she received her Masters in Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architectureâ€™s (SCI-arc) Metropolitan Research and Design Program. Prior to going back to school, she was program manager for Public Architecture in San Francisco, CA, where she oversaw all aspects of their 1% Program, encouraging architects to give 1% of their time to the public good, pro bono. Evelyn is constantly searching for new avenues to expand her architectural knowledge, and is a freelance writer for a number of written and online publications. When sheâ€™s away from the computer, Evelyn enjoys running, playing the piano, driving her Prius, and coaching/playing soccer.

Evelyn can be contacted at evelyn.m.lee@gmail.com

Solar Panels are Front and Center at this Year’s Emmys

SolarWorld raised a canopy of 200 solar panels this week to help provide power and shade for the 2011 Emmys’ Red Carpet. The 50 kilowatt display is the largest temporary instillation of its kind at an event, with four separate canopies surrounding nearly 400 feet of red carpet. Following its evening in the limelight, the panels will be donated on …

Inhabitat LA Exclusive Interview with Laura Avery, Manager for the Santa Monica Farmers’ Markets

This Wednesday kicks off the City of Santa Monica Farmer’s Market 30 year Celebration, and Inhabitat got an exclusive interview with, Laura Avery, overseer of the Farmer’s Market for 29 of the 30 years it’s been running. We asked Laura to give us a history of the market, and tell us about its ultimate mission and future.

Can you tell us a little bit about the History of the Santa Monica Farmers Market?
I started in September of 1982, when the market was just on Wednesdays on Arizona Ave in a very depressed outdoor retail error. (There are currently four different markets held weekly in the city of Santa Monica.) Then current mayor Ruth Yannatta Goldway decided to start a farmers’ market because they had just started in California and she wanted to bring people downtown. She wanted to increase foot traffic. She wanted to bring healthful food into the city. She also had a very large senior citizen contingency and wanted them to have access to healthy foods.

Farmers Field: The Most Sustainable Stadium in the United States

Los Angeles has been trying to attract a football team to their city for some time now, and the anticipated Farmers Field carbon neutral stadium may just be the icing on the cake. Designed by AEG, the new stadium is focusing specifically on five specific sustainable initiatives to make it one of the most sustainable stadiums in the country: energy & climate; recycling & waste; water conservation; sustainable purchasing; and education. The plan also includes the implementation of a transportation program that will give Farmers Field the lowest “cars per football game ticket holder” ratio of any other NFL stadium.

World’s First LEED Platinum Airplane Hanger

The Bob Hope International Airport in Burbank, CA is home to the world’s first LEED Platinum aviation facility in the US, Hanger 25. Airports aren’t typically known for their sustainable footprint, and applying concepts of sustainable construction to the warehouse buildings that house airplanes have previously not been on any pilot’s radar. Serving as a true model in sustainable building, Hanger 25 does a lot to challenge an industry that is typically know for their carbon-heavy reputation, taking impressive strides to improve the environmental realities of operating an aircraft.

High Tech High Chula Vista Delivers Students a Great Education in a Sustainable Atmosphere

A magnet school, High Tech High Chula Vista provides its students with a hands-on learning experience in an incredibly sustainable atmosphere. The new campus was recently awarded the one of the AIA’s Committee on Environment Top 10 Awards. Designed by Studio E Architects, the campus purposefully reflects High Tech High’s emphasis on sustainability and the environment by minimizing energy demand, providing natural ventilation along with plenty of daylighting, and packaging it all in a super efficient building design.

Good Food Festival: The Farmers’ Market Never Tasted So Good

The Santa Monica Farmers' Market is celebrating its 30th anniversary in partnership with FamilyFarmed.org, by launching the Good Food Festival and Conference later this month, September 14-18th. The multi-day festivities will showcase locally and sustainably produced food as well as innovative leaders from the good food movement. Participants in the conference include some of the region’s most distinguished farmers, chefs, artisan food producers, food visionaries, and food entrepreneurs. All five days of events will include a variety of speaker panels, chef demos, a food policy summit, a documentary film screening, and an extravagant “Localicious Gala” party on the ocean that will bring farm to table in the most decadent and delicious way possible.

Join Inhabitat at the Women in Green Forum This Week

Join Inhabitat’s Senior Editor, Evelyn Lee, this coming week at the Women in Green Forum, August 30th-31st in Santa Monica at the Sheraton Delfina. Only its in second year, the conference is considered the nation’s premier conference highlighting women in environmental careers. Evelyn will be moderating a panel following the opening …

Grab your Paddle for a Trip Down the LA River

Grab your paddle for a scenic ride down the LA River! Often known as an innocuous concrete basin that winds its way through the city, many locals can hardly fathom a leisurely and, oddly enough, scenic tour down the LA River via canoe or kayak. Earlier this month Councilman Ed Reyes (the councilman behind the LA River Redevelopment Scheme), along with his daughter and a number of other politicos did just that, making the inaugural trip that launched the “Paddle the Los Angeles River” program. The interest in the program has been tremendous with the 2011 Summer trip series selling out within a mere 10 minutes after sales opened. Each initial trip costs include $50 fee to cover expenses that include all the necessary safety equipment, boat rentals and transportation costs to the launch and pick-up sites.

Bidding War over the Crystal Cathedral Campus

The “Hour of Power” for Crystal Cathedral draws to a close, but the bids to buy the campus of this Southern California Icon keep rolling in. Earlier this month, the local congregation was doing their best to raise the $50 million estimated to save their church, and Oklahoma based Hobby Lobby made a $47.5-million cash bid. Currently in the lead to buy the landmark is the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange and Chapman University with the leading bid closing in on $55-million. Meanwhile in the fray of it all, the Crystal Cathedral Ministries are still trying to raise the necessary funds to maintain their home.

Local Library is a LEED Platinum Diamond in the Rough

Channel glass illuminates the interior of the Silver Lake Library with day light, helping the local library earn its LEED Platinum certification. The library, designed by M2A Architects, features a 45 foot high channel glass spine that serves a dual purpose, creating a public plaza that embraces the larger community while creating a welcome backdrop for the library’s primary public spaces including the reading room. In addition, the split-level design allows for plenty of subterranean parking while the plaza provides for a clean connection to the pedestrian street traffic, encouraging participation of the community in library activities such as book fairs.