Earlier this week, Green Builder Media president Ron Jones interviewed celebrated author Richard Louv on our Impact Series: Game Changers in Sustainability program about the concept of Nature Deficit Disorder. In the interview, Louv asserted that the more high tech our lives become, the more we need a connection with nature to feel alive.

“When we introduce nature into our built environment,” Louv said, “we’re calmer, nicer and more productive.” Louv challenged building professionals to expand our thinking beyond the fundamentals of sustainability, such as energy efficiency and indoor air quality, and adopt a biophiliac approach, which recognizes the instinctive bond between humans and other living systems.

Louv is worried about the dystopic image of the future that is portrayed in so many of today’s pop culture movies and books, in which nature is stripped of biodiversity and humans are not just distanced from nature, but also devoid of hope. He cautions us to be careful of what we imagine. “Don’t envision a future that you fear. Martin Luther King’s speech wasn’t called ‘I have a nightmare.’ We won’t get to sustainability unless we aim a lot higher. We have to be outrageously optimistic in order to achieve a regenerative future.”

Louv’s interview reminded me that, despite the daunting environmental challenges that we’re currently facing, we each hold the power to shape a sustainable future. We are our planet’s gardeners.

But I can’t help but wonder: will we have the courage to be outrageously optimistic? Are we wise enough to construct environments that will invigorate people, or will we default to slapping up stucco wastelands that will inevitably degrade into tomorrow’s slums? Will we dissolve into the mind-numbing din of technology, or will we be able to create a buffer that helps us reconnect with the unbridled joy and purity of the natural world?

How can incorporate nature into buildings to create blooming environments? Write to me at sara@greenbuildermag.com or follow me on Twitter @SaraGBM.

For more information about green building and sustainable living, visit www.greenbuildermag.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter at @greenbuildermag and @VISIONHouseGBM for regular updates and breaking news.

Last week, I attended the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which showcased a seemingly infinite panoply of advanced technologies, intelligent devices, and forward thinking ideas for connected living. From voice-activated TVs to highly sophisticated projectors with image mapping capability to self-driving vehicles, the show floor was a veritable garden of digital delights.

I was duly impressed by the emphasis on connected home and renewable energy technologies (particularly solar). Whole home automation systems that enable homeowners not just to measure their resource use but also to interact with the smart grid to select when and how they want to use their HVAC, appliances, lighting, and other devices have become a viable and cost-effective reality (you can purchase a whole home energy kit by Ingersoll Rand’s Nexia from Home Depot for $300).

LG’s suite of products are now fully integrated, which means that their high efficiency (18%) solar panels can generate all the power that is needed to run their efficient ductless HVAC systems, consumer electronics, and appliances. And those appliances have become so intelligent that they can be programmed to turn themselves on or off to reduce energy use and expense. You can even check in with your refrigerator on the way home from work using your smart phone to see if you have the proper ingredients for dinner!

Panasonic’s Eco Solutions group is making advancements in battery storage technology, which is the currently the bottleneck for widespread, residential and industrial-scale use of solar and wind systems, as well as modular kitchen systems, ventilation fans, self-cleaning toilets, and water heating systems.

Without doubt, I’m a huge advocate of the digital age. After spending a few days at CES, my mind is racing with ideas and images for a streamlined future that sleek, mobile, and sustainable.

With that said, after roaming isle after isle of booths displaying endless gizmos designed to engage the hearts and wallets of consumers, I can’t help but wonder—what exactly does the fast pace and full absorption of non-stop connectivity do to the human spirit? At what point does the spirit hunger for a more natural connection with other living beings and the environment? And how much is too much—when will the spirit suffer from the overstimulation of bits and bytes?

I’m trying to find my own equilibrium between time spent in front of the screen versus in the trees. I must admit, despite my best efforts, I tend towards too much of the former and not enough of the latter (too many airplane flights, not enough mountain trails). But I continue to mindfully strive for balance.

I look forward to Green Builder Media’s upcoming Impact Series webinar on the concept of Nature-Deficit-Disorder with award-winning author Richard Louv on January 29 at 2 ET. Louv doesn’t just understand Nature-Deficit-Disorder, he coined the term and started a movement to connect today’s children with the natural world. Perhaps in the dialogue between Green Builder Media President, Ron Jones, and Louv about a new vision of the future, in which our lives are as immersed in nature as they are in technology, I can find some solutions for equilibrium.

How do you think the human spirit is affected by the digital age? Write to me at sara@greenbuildermag.com or follow me on Twitter @SaraGBM.

For more information about green building and sustainable living, visit www.greenbuildermag.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter at @greenbuildermag and @VISIONHouseGBM for regular updates and breaking news.

The French poet, Paul Valéry, said that “the trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be.” With the debacle that is Congress, the demise of civil political discourse, the prolonged economic insecurity, and the proliferation of extreme weather events and shocking hate crimes, this sentiment couldn’t feel more appropriate.

According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2013—Year of the Water Snake—is predicted to bring continued uncertainty. Attention to detail and discipline will be required in order to achieve goals. Expect steady progress rather than windfalls this year.

In the sustainability sector, I trust that 2013 will fastidiously build upon the key accomplishments realized last year by a broad spectrum of individuals and organizations. Through the efforts of groups like the National Resources Defense Council, Rainforest Action Network, Sierra Club, and World Wildlife Fund, 2012 celebrated increased habitat protection for polar bears, grey whales and other vital species; enhanced clean car standards; decreased use of antibiotics and hormone disruptors in livestock; improved protection of living reefs and underwater parks in the Gulf of Mexico and waters off California; reduced toxic pollutants from coal plants; increased adoption of policies by behemoth corporations like Disney to eliminate the use of paper connected to the destruction of endangered forests; and augmented codes and regulation in the housing industry to promote performance and resource efficiency.

The road to continued success will require nothing less than big thinking and bold action. In a joint statement made by environmental journalist Bill McKibben, Philip Radford of Greenpeace USA, and the recently deceased Rebecca Tarbotton of Rainforest Action Network (rest in peace, Rebecca—we sincerely appreciate your hard work and will honor your legacy!), “We’re making progress, but not as fast as the physical situation is deteriorating. Time is not on our side, so we’ve concluded that, going forward, mass direct action must play a bigger role in this movement, as it eventually did in the suffrage movement, the civil-rights movement, and the fight against corporate globalization.”

I am hopeful that, in 2013, the mounting frustration with our nation’s paralyzing political gridlock will yield to a renewed sense of duty and empowerment on behalf of innovators everywhere to seize the reins of opportunity and shape a future that reflects the distant reaches of our imagination.

May we have the intellectual curiosity to ask the right questions, the determination to seek the answers, and the wisdom to accept whatever response we receive.

What are your sustainability goals for 2013 and how will you achieve them? Write to me at sara@greenbuildermag.com or follow me on Twitter @SaraGBM.

For more information about green building and sustainable living, visit www.greenbuildermag.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter at @greenbuildermag and @VISIONHouseGBM for regular updates and breaking news.