I heartily agree. If we, as an organization, embrace sustainability in all its parameters, we need to do all we can to stop the construction of this wall. We cannot be seen to even be considering it at all.
· No matter the material, the embodied carbon content will be astounding.
· No matter the social softening (and there does not seem to be any attention to the communities affected by this) it will still divide.
· No matter how "sensible" and holistic the design, it will affect migratory paths,, and in many cases stop movement of critters large and small.
· No matter the processes tied to oversight of operations this will adversely affect commerce and local economies.
· No matter the colloquialism of "better fences make better neighbors" this only holds true if you don't befriend your neighbor, and work hard with her to be neighborly.
· No matter how tall or thick or strong, this wall will not solve the problems it pretends to be able to solve, such as drug trafficking and people trafficking. It's a useless band-aide with no follow-up care.
The concept of a wall is lazy, short sighted, expensive, degrading to the natural world, and contrary to our building alliances with friendly neighbors. Let's put our energy, embodied and present, in the better type of building.
Jodi Smits Anderson, AIA, LEED-AP BD+C
Director Sustainability Programs
DASNY | We Finance, Build and Deliver.
515 Broadway, Albany, NY, 12207
(518) 257-3486 | jsmitsan@dasny.org
www.dasny.org
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