Let’s Get It Right This Time…

Welcome to The Vallon Institute! Myself and the two other founders of the institute have been researching and developing this idea for many years now. We assure you this is not going to be your ordinary organization and we will never allow it to become just another good idea.

Take a minute to consider the following facts:

• Over 60% of adult Americans are overweight or obese.
• Affordable Workforce housing is almost non existent in major U.S. metropolitan areas. (Workforce = cops, teachers, office & medical workers, and fire fighters)
• 2/3 of commercial and residential buildings that will exist in 2050 have not yet been built.
• The U.S. Government has committed over $12 trillion for bail-out purposes.

While this list continues indefinitely, these four issues are some of the critical social issues facing America today. If we continue to do things the way they have always been done what is going to happen? We don’t know and I don’t think there is anyone out there who can accurately predict the future. Lets face it, if we could predict the future we wouldn’t need $12 trillion from Uncle Sam right now.

So what can be done? We’re glad you asked. We believe we must redesign the way things are done. The Earth does an amazing job of creating no waste and sustaining itself indefinitely. Why shouldn’t we be able to do this as well? While technology has greatly simplified our lives it has also greatly complicated them. We can do many more things in one hour today than could be accomplished in one day just 50 years ago. However, how come Americans are increasingly overweight? Why are people so unhappy? Why does the term childhood obesity exist? Why are standardized tests more important than physical fitness in schools?  Lastly, why are people so lazy? I am pretty sure there are thousands of well researched facts and figures that attempt to answer these questions. But where are the solutions?

In construction, the term whole building design is being used to describe a process for developing a structure that is all-inclusive, which takes into account all the players and systems before the first hole is dug. Whole building design has led to some of the most sustainable and energy efficient buildings to ever have been built. What can this teach us? Every problem that exists in this world does not simply have only one variable. Rather, many small issues create much larger problems. Let’s use the above stats to fully understand this.

Meet Jane.

Jane is a 35 year old 5th grade school teacher who lives in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Jane is considered lucky because she teaches at one of the most affluent schools in the Northern Virginia area. Jane loves teaching and she is regarded as one of the best teachers in the school district. While Jane loves her job she doesn’t love the fact that she is 40 pounds overweight. It would be easy to look at her and say she is obese because she is lazy. On the contrary, Jane is one of the busiest people we know. Her typical day goes like this: 4:30 am – wake-up, 5:30 am – leave for work, 7:00 am – arrive at school and prepare for the day, 8:00 am students arrive, 8:00 am – 2:30 pm – instruct students with a 30 minute lunch break, 2:30 – 4pm – staff development meetings, 4 – 6pm – grade papers and prepare for the next day, 6 – 8 pm – drive home, 8 – 9 pm – eat dinner, 9 – 10 pm – grade a few more papers, 10:30 pm – go to bed.

Now, if we were to say Jane’s problem was obesity, what would be the causes? Could it be that she has no time in her day to workout? Could it be that she sits in her car for almost 3 1/2 hours everyday since she cannot afford to live in the school district she works in and had to purchase a home on the outer rings of the metro area? Maybe her diet is poor? Perhaps, she could spend fewer hours each day grading and preparing for class, but what about the standardized tests her students must pass in order for the school to receive sufficient funding next year? Maybe she has no energy because she is constantly on-the-go with no relaxation time. Or, could she just be lazy?

As you can see many variables must be considered in order to create a solution to Jane’s problem of obesity. Do we have a solution for Jane? Not yet, but I assure you we are going to do our best to help Jane and other Americans redesign the way their lives are lived. In Jane’s case lack of affordable workforce housing, traffic, poor diet, lack of physical activity, stress, and lack of motivation have led to her obesity. Solving just one variable will not solve Jane’s problem, yet this theory occurs everyday in life. Think: Slimfast, Hydroxycut, Curves, urban sprawling, and no down payment mortgages.

Lastly, we at The Vallon Institute realize that a solution is no good if it isn’t simple and sustainable. After all Americans simply don’t have the time for complex solutions and processes. While there are many issues plaguing the Nation, we have decided to focus on human health, community development, the built environment, education, energy efficiency, and transportation. We encourage you to actively take part in the initiatives we will be starting as well as the exchange of thoughts and ideas through our blog. So what do you say? We say “Lets get it right this time!”

Sean – Co-founder of The Vallon Institute

Tagged as: Built Environment, human Health, Solutions, sustainability, Urban Sprawl