Sim Van der Ryn: Legend in Sustainable Design

I was delighted when Sim Van der Ryn returned my call yesterday and  generously consented to grant me an interview when I’m up north at the end of the month.

Four decades before the word “sustainability” had become a buzzword, Sim was busy developing ideas in sustainable building design and integrating the knowledge he gained from observing the natural world.  Through the years, he brought along an entire generation of people who followed his example.

I’m certainly looking forward to meeting this legend.  I think I’ll start with a discussion of the quote by which he’s best known:

The heart of ecological design is not efficiency or sustainability. It is the embodiment of animating spirit, the soul of the living world as embodied in each of us waiting to be reborn and expressed in what we design.

That’s breath-taking.