Better Living Through Sustainability

My thesis work is now documented and up online at this address: http://graduate.mica.edu/gdmfa/thesis2009/bjornard/index.html

Everything will eventually live on this site, but has simply not yet been uploaded. Bear with me, finishing Grad School and starting life again is hard work.

My thesis show was from March 27th until April 6th. I am now in the process of selecting, editing and cleaning up my gallery installation photos. For those of you unable to come to Baltimore for the actual in-situ showing and have mentioned that you wish to see them do not fear, they will be up soon!

One afternoon, I am not exactly sure when—but in mid 2006, I began looking for a way to drive a car that would not require typical, fossil fuel derived, gasoline. This led me to BioDiesel and WVO and some people in Minneapolis running a company called Sundays Energy (at the time it was still BioDiesel Blue). This was not my first attempt at being “green”—a term I hate, and hope to change (along with blog)—but it was an important step to where I am today. Anyway, I ended up attending several workshops on making biodiesel and running a diesel on vegetable oil, and was hooked.

In order to change the direction of sustainable practice in America, the whole idea and way we talk about “sustainability” needs to change. I will feel happy when one day we can stop talking about whether a product is sustainable, or safe, or recyclable, because that is just the way that every thing is. Imagine a world where you can feel good about every object that you make, sell, buy or consume. Would that not be amazing and wonderful? This is the utopian ideal that I aim to pursue and hopefully direct others towards.