Miami architecture has been at the forefront of Chic and Nouveau since its inception dating back to Carl Fisher and his dreams of what Miami would be. Its newness and bold look has been evident through the eras, never the same, always changing and ever adapting to its surroundings. Its visual difference is unlike any other city and noticeable from building to building and its skyline forms a kaleidoscope of innovative style which is candy to our eyes creating an ambiance of function and pleasure for those who live there and for the tourist Mecca it has become.

In its palm fringed avenues with scantily dressed residents Miami has become the dream commission of world known designers particularly in the downtown and beach areas. The buildings are lively with airy and spacious connections becoming world renown and are constantly reinventing themselves while holding on to its cultural influence.

Carl Fisher got the credit for Miami Beaches’ adaptation of Mediterranean architecture and soon after architects influenced by the Art Deco movement of Europe moved to the Magic city to apply their designs to the tropical feel and look of the city. The buildings became streamlined with a nautical flair that accompanied the sea, sun and surf. The hum drum of the past was out and the new and bold became its signature. The materials of the past were put aside for a newer and lighter look with the use of Stucco, Terrazzo and glass to name a few.

From the Mangrove swamps and Palm, Pine, and live Oak forests Miami was transformed into a visual paradise dreamed up from the minds of innovative and forward thinking designers willing to let go of the norm. Miami’s architecture was not only functional but became visually sensual to enjoy at every turn which brought tourists in by the millions creating its well known pedestrian atmosphere.

Recently Miami’s architecture with its resident icons, the Fontainebleau Hotel and the Eden Roc were renamed – MiMo – for Miami Modern. But in this modern age of travel and easy access too many destinations, and the economical collapse of the 70′s and 80′s Miami lost its luster and some of its influence. In the late 70′s Miami’s Art Deco district of the past was put on the National Historic Registry and the area was restored to prominence making it Chic and shifting thought back to the Magic City, once again bringing back people and value to the once forlorn area which had fallen into decay.

Thanks in part to a new visually vibrant television show called “Miami Vice” that featured Miami as its backdrop, the city was revitalized and it brought back relevance and international attention, and the people came running to Miami once again.

Pastel colored buildings and mirrored towers became what people thought of when they thought of Miami. It was edgy and experimental and a pleasure for everyone to gazed upon it.

But the Magic Cities architecture wasn’t done, and through the 80′s and 90′s it was evolving once again and a big push to designate more areas as Historical was made and eventually named 11 more as such.

Miami is a city which has always put civic pride first, thus designers have incorporated the indoors with the outdoors. Many world famous architectural firms such as Herzog and de Meuron to name one have helped change the landscape and look of the Magic City. For years the city committed itself to reclaiming public spaces like Lincoln Road in Miami Beach which became an outdoor living area for people to enjoy shopping while connecting with Mother Nature.

Downtown Miami’s effervescent skyline meshed residential buildings with its multifaceted cultural makeup making it a place to enjoy with all your senses and a true one of a kind destination.

The Miami art Museum is a great example of innovative design and is scheduled to open in 2013. It has incorporated large balconies with spacious outdoor spaces and multiple levels adding once again to the wonders of the city’s innovative designers making it unique in a world of copycat designers.

The economic crisis which has gripped the world today has made waterfront properties which were once out of reach viable for purchase and developing, and Miami has become a prime location for developers again.

A Malaysian firm recently purchased the land surrounding the Miami Herald building and is planning on creating a 3 billion dollar complex which will once again change the face of the Magic City in a new, innovative, and eye catching way incorporating residential, shopping, and public areas on the waterfront with spectacular views of the city and ocean beyond.

A new and exciting group of designers are now building in Miami for the first time, and they’re not trying to recreate the Art Deco designs or the MiMo features of years past, but are adding to the skyline with a Latin American flavor and tropical feel. It won’t be the glitzy forms of yesteryear but a subtle balance which will be uniquely Miami, taking into consideration its cultural mix and paying much more attention to detail instead of flash and adapting its designs more to the city’s tropical surroundings and feel.

Miami is refreshingly sophisticated and unique but does not take itself too seriously which will create a skyline that will be a joy to look at and its spaces a wonder to live in, work in and relax in. The future of Miami’s architectural designs is in good hands. The tropical lushness which is Miami and the beautiful buildings will be a wonder for all to enjoy.

If you are looking Houston properties in an up and coming, family friendly, neighborhood, you should give strong consideration to the Rice Military Homes. This vibrant upper middle class neighborhood is located in Houston’s Inner Loop in close proximity to Memorial Park and a wide variety of other amenities. Just west of downtown, Rice Military homes give you the best of two worlds, an exciting urban lifestyle, and easy access to the natural beauty of Memorial Park. Making your home in one of the choice pieces of real estate offered in the Rice Military Homes area may be one of the best decisions you will ever make.

The Rice Military Homes area is named such as the area was formerly owned by the Rice Family. Its close proximity to Camp Logan contributed “Military” to the neighborhoods moniker. The area began its life as a residential area in 1910 and has been growing, and improving, steadily ever since. The Rice Military area has been embracing modernization since the 1980′s and has grown trendier every year.

The perks of living in the Rice Military area are many. One of the biggest advantages is its close proximity to the amazing 1,500 acre Memorial Park. Memorial park has a variety of amenities, including a golf course, a nature center, the Houston Arboretum, six miles of bike and nature trails, a swimming pool, a fitness center, open space, and a variety of sports fields. On the other hand you also will have easy access to Houston’s downtown arts and museum district, and lots of amazing shopping. In the museum district alone you can visit the Houston Zoo, the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, and more. Purchasing Houston real estate in this area, gives you the best of both the indoor and outdoor worlds.

Real estate available in the Rice Military area consists primarily of Townhouses, condominiums, and single family homes. The median price range for real estate in these Homes is $200-600,000.00. Most of the homes have spacious layouts and large garages. The exteriors of most of the beautiful homes in this area exude a trendy modern feel. This neighborhood is a mecca for both young professionals and more affluent people alike. Purchasing real estate in these homes is a good investment, whether you are seeking a starter home, or an investment, as the neighborhood is growing and appreciating more every year.

Whether you decide to purchase real estate in Rice Military Homes for its urban appeal, its proximity to outdoor activities, or both, you are sure to find something that suits your tastes in this neighborhood. The Houston real estate market boasts many great neighborhoods, but these sets it’s self apart with its diversity of urban and recreational activities in close proximity. If you stop to have a look around you will likely find that Rice Military Homes may be just what you are seeking in a neighborhood for yourself or your family.

Much depends on the younger generation.

Their habits, priorities and motivations largely will define the directions of development, technological advancement and political leanings. And while this always has been true to some degree, it may matter more now as society ponders the potential crushing cost of climate change, pollution and the cumulative effects of humankind’s unprecedented industrialized push forward these past 150 years.

Millennials, or Generation Y, and those born after them will have to seriously consider the environmental impact of everything they do. Mental Klaxons may as well sound a crisis alert every time they consider driving a car, purchasing a house or otherwise taking part in potential carbon-creation.

Passing the Boomers

Growing up, I didn’t have to do that. To me, pollution, contamination and too much garbage was the big scare. I remember walking above an abandoned missile site in the middle of nowhere Alaska and thinking about irradiated dirt in 1971. (I was 10, hitchhiking with mom.)

Nukes are bad, certainly. But their impact proves relatively minor as long as they remain in their silos. Now the passive threat of rising sea level threatens thousands of island nations and low-lying real estate worldwide, and we’ve blown past the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that scientists say is safe for humanity — 350 parts per million. Current level is 392 ppm. Yet, we keep pushing it. The stakes are off the charts.

“Danger, Will Robinson!” Or so says voice actor Dick Tufeld in his guise as the Robot in the 1960s TV show “Lost in Space.” But that’s Boomer speak. (Another that comes to mind is Rita Moreno bellowing “Hey you guys!” on Electric Company.)

New catchphrases

This generation has its own references, its own icons and its own messages and means of popular delivery. Who over 30 knows of Strong Bad? This phrase is apt: “When all the land is in ruins; And burnination has forsaken the countryside. Only one guy will remain. My money’s on Trogdor!”

Whatever.

Many Millennials take their air and water quality seriously. They want to limit commuting, live close to work, walk to restaurants. Potentially, they’re creating an entirely different approach to community design, energy use and how resources should be exploited.

And they’re hardly shy about expressing their opinions. They’re tearing up the Internet via YouTube and social media pathways. But they aren’t stopping there.

Democracy & climate change

Take Zaheena Rasheed, a former 350.org intern and a resident of the Maldives, a scattered island nation with an average ground level about 4 feet above the sea about 250 miles southwest of India. In an email, she expresses thanks to 350.org, which seeks to build a global movement to solve the climate crisis.

“In under a week, an incredible 35,553 of you signed our petition to world leaders,” she says. Her words appear on the group’s website in a post by Kelly Blynn. The Maldives have reportedly scheduled democratic elections after President Mohamed Nasheed’s troubles that culminated with Canarygate, which involved allegations of corruption.

Rasheed continues. Her words ooze power and conviction: “There is much in common in the battle against climate change and for democracy — the right to a healthy and dignified life — and this can happen when people are free to speak their minds, make decisions over their own resources, and have the power to act against injustice.”

Eloquent, yet not too unapproachably activist.

Others offer a more laid-back delivery. But the underlying message — be good to Mother Earth — remains.

So Fresh, So Green

Sarah Laskow of grist.org stumbled across a video created by a group of seniors from Atlanta’s Marist School. “So Fresh, So Green” was written and performed by Butta Biscuit, Mikey-B, Confucius Rodge and Clive Sensation with the filming and editing handled by Eric Eichelberger.

Laskow says the motivation was Marist’s participation in the Green School Alliance’s Green Cup Challenge. She says schools that took part tried to reduce their energy use over four weeks, and some did so by more than 20 percent.

“This stuff isn’t rocket science: They just turned off more lights, readjusted the thermostats and, in some cases, replaced old equipment,” she writes.

The video is based on Outkast’s “So Fresh, So Clean.” The student rappers stick to the basics, encouraging people to recycle, save energy by turning off lights and not just “talk the talk, but walk the walk.”

Mr. Eco spreads the word

Another would-be Al Yankovic is Mr. Eco from Cal Poly (known offically as California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo), who has a number of videos devoted to the green cause. Mr. Eco calls himself an environmental rap superhero who incorporates sustainable living tips into parodies and represents the Alliance to Save Energy’s Cal Poly Green Campus Program.

In one of his videos, dubbed “Turn Em Out,” Mr. Eco parodies rapper T.I.’s “Bring Em Out.” That latter video has more than 4.5 million views, while our Mr. Eco at this writing had 3,127. But when we first wrote about him in early November 2011, he had yet to break 1,000.

And Mr. Eco, the outspoken superhero that he is, also has taken his schtick on the road, visiting Ahwahnee Middle School in the scenic confines of our own Fresno, Calif. Mr. Eco, also known as Brett Edwards, is from Fresno. So that helps.

He’s making an impact. Ahwahnee Principal Tim Liles even did a plug for Mr. Eco in the video.

One year, zero garbage

The crew at yert.com is tirelessly going from city to city to screen its powerful documentary. The next is March 2 in a Seattle church.

Dubbed “Your Environmental Road Trip” — thus the acronym YERT — the film covers all 50 states in a search “for innovators and citizens solving humanity’s greatest environmental crises.”

The trio of filmmakers says they were “called to action by a planet in peril.” Producer Mark Dixon tells me he’s up for more screenings.

I’m psyched.

1. Nuclear power plants are cleaner than coal burning plants.

Coal burning plants are known for emitting carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. It also leaves behind residues like soot and arsenic. Nuclear energy doesn’t emit any exhaust at all and though the byproduct from cooling is a disposal issue, the amount is way less than coal or natural gas. The process for mining coal in some cases has left environmentalists upset at the damage left behind. Though the controversial process of strip mining has been limited, the moving, storing and burning of coal is a dirty process.

2. Nuclear power generates immense amounts of power.

The amount of uranium needed to get a controlled nuclear reaction is way less than the amount of coal or gas needed to heat up turbines to generate electricity. The supply of some of the combustible fuel used in turbine engine power stations is increasingly harder to get and more expensive. The amount of uranium that would be needed to power one family for a year would fit into a shot glass. Efficiency has been increasing by leaps and bounds since the first nuclear power plant, yet even in earlier days they were more efficient than any combustible turbine engine.

3. Aircraft carriers

Nuclear power is what runs some of the biggest ships in the US Navy most notably the nuclear powered aircraft carriers with crews of over 10,000. This demonstrates the ability of nuclear power to scale to the size needed for several types of applications. Power supplies for remote military or research complexes can get power generating uranium to last between shipments. As opposed to coal or other materials which require many shipments a month, increasing dependence on suppliers. This is considered to be one of the few viable power sources that is practical for space travel.

4. High paying technical jobs

A plant will hire people from several different professions Nuclear physics, Electrical Engineering, Structural engineering, Administration and billing and support etc… To run a power plant, thousands of people are in the process. The economies that get these jobs also benefit the service and products that these people buy. This feeds the local economy. Power plants often sell bonds to foster safe investment options and generating capitol for local governments.

5. Population will not outpace available resources

With new uranium mines recently discovered in Australia and Canada the supply will not run out soon. In addition, the amount of uranium needed is nowhere near the amounts of coal and gas that is required for those turbine engines. Nuclear power is still the safest form of power generating technology we have in use right now. From mining the uranium to the actual running of the nuclear generators.

Unfortunately, climate change and resource depletion are real and growing problems. For this reason, many people these days are looking for ways to reduce their energy consumption and help the environment. Air source heat pumps are a great way to cut the energy you use heating your home in half.

But how do these pumps work? Essentially, they extract heat from the air outside your house in the winter and move it inside, or vice versa during the summer. The idea of warm air outside in the winter may seem counter-intuitive, but most air source heat pumps are fairly efficient at temperatures as low as -20°C.

Taking Advantage of Existing Energy

This efficiency is achieved using a compressed refrigerant that is liquid at low temperatures and gaseous at high temperatures. Cold air from outside is passed over the colder coils containing the refrigerant until a gaseous state is achieved. The gas is then pushed into coils inside the house, where its heat is used to warm your house or provide you with hot water. In many ways, air source heat pumps work like a refrigerator.

Different Types and their Advantages

While many heat pumps work only to heat your house, others can also work in reverse, moving heat from the inside to the outside in the summer. These models can be more expensive, but they also save money and space by combining heating and cooling into one simple appliance.

One of the main advantages to air source heat pumps is that they do not burn fuel as a direct means of producing heat or cooling the air. Rather they use existing heat and simply move it from place to place. While this system is more energy-efficient, it also has its limitations. For example, if you live in a place where temperatures stay very low for long periods of time, you may require a secondary heat source to supplement your heat pump.

Despite this limitation, these type of pumps are a great way to cut down on your energy consumption, and many people can take advantage of government financial incentive programs designed to increase domestic sustainability. While most pumps do run on electricity, they are typically very efficient, producing around three times as much heat energy as what is consumed in electricity.

The Drawback

One disadvantage of the air source heat pump system is that it is more complex than a standard electric or gas heating system, meaning that it sometimes requires more maintenance. Nonetheless, many models have been shown to last up to 20 years. Keeping the system clear of condensation and frost when temperatures are near freezing will help reduce the amount of maintenance needed.