"DRAIN Home"

Video of Youth Speaks performer George Watsky from the opening
plenary session of the USGBC Greenbuild International
Conference and Expo 2007 in Chicago, IL, Nov 7, 2007.
Thanks to the US Green Building Council for the use of this video.

SUSTAINABILITY

“According to the National Academy of Sciences, the Earth's surface temperature has risen by about 1 degree Fahrenheit in the past century, with accelerated warming during the past two decades. There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities” (Environmental Protection Agency on Global Warming).

With the launch of his new film and book An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore has managed to push urgent issues surrounding the effects of global warming into the popular realm. Scientists have undeniably defined the problem in their research depicting their findings in charts, graphs, and statistics (all have appeared in peer-reviewed journals such as Nature). The consensus among them is if radical changes in the interaction between humans and the environment are not made, then the problems associated with over-population, aggressive agricultural practices, the proliferation of pollutants, ozone depleting gases, and the melting of ice caps will drastically affect our ability to reside on earth.

At this juncture, we have a clear choice: create new connections between human beings and the environment, or simply witness the effects of global warming as they consume us. Whilst it may be easy to fall into despair, now more than ever it is important that a spirit of optimism define how we respond to the theory of global warming. Although technological solutions proliferate, this issue of Drain is interested in the role culture plays at this critical time. How can designers, artists and theorists make a positive contribution in redefining the way we relate to the earth? How might cultural practices participate in the social capital necessary in forging a new vision not just for human beings but life on the whole?

This issue has been edited by Adrian Parr and Michael Zaretsky

Drain is a refereed online journal published biannually. The journal seeks to promote lively and well-informed debate around theory and praxis. Each issue of Drain will have a specific concept that it explores. We are especially keen to publish pieces that connect the conceptual framework of each issue to themes such as globalization, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, capitalism and new technologies, as well as ethical and aesthetic concerns. As such, we welcome creative responses to contemporary culture, as well as written work by practitioners in the field of culture. Our primary mission is to provide an environment where a variety of creative activities can be explored with a combination of sensitivity and rigor

Managerial board:
Avantika Bawa
Celina Jeffery
Adrian Parr

Editors:
Celina Jeffery
Greg Minissale
Adrian Parr

Art Editors:
Avantika Bawa
Michelle Barczak

Guest Editor:
Michael Zaretsky

Advisory Editors:
Craig Anz
Southern Illinios University
Terry Boake
Waterloo University
Martha Bohm
Cornell University
Marshall Brown
University of Cincinnati
Ian Buchanan
Cardiff University
Soraya Murray
University of California Santa Cruz
Edward Shanken
University of California Los Angles
Margo Thompson
University of Vermont
Ted Toadvine
University of Oregon
Sharone Tomer
Architect, San Francisco

Web Design:
Adam Aylard

Intern:
Eleanor Luken

Julia Cole and Jim Sheppard
Corey Saft and Greg Watson
Randy Teal
Traci Rose Rider
Tema Milstein

Stuart Keeler

Julie Alderson
Misael Soto
Kenneth French
Eleanor Luken

Janet Laurence
Steve Jarvis
Jennifer Hoag
Penny Brice
Petar Perisic
Sumakshi Singh
Terry O’Day