On the Road: A Sabbatical Journey

By the time this issue reaches you, I should be wending my way eastward on a bicycle through the desert Southwest. It’s a fitting way to start a sabbatical I think—surrounded by broad vistas, exploring a part of the country I don’t see much of, and traveling only as fast as my legs can carry me. This trip will launch an eight-month sabbatical, during which time I’m stepping away from the day-to-day operations and deadlines at BuildingGreen, delving more deeply into priorities in the green building world. This reflection is made possible through the grant I received last fall with the Hanley Award (see EBN Aug. 2010).

I’m not sure how far I’ll get. I’m hoping my aging knees will take me through southern Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, generally following the Southern Tier route mapped by the organization Adventure Cycling. If I’m feeling particularly strong, I may continue further east, through the Gulf Coast states toward the Atlantic—but I’m not making any promises. Along with exploring the desert fauna and flora, and interesting green building projects, I hope to connect with friends and associates along the way.

Refreshed from the biking adventure, my plan is to get down to some more productive work. I’m not sure exactly what that will be—one specific goal of the bike trip is to figure that out. Acutely aware of the compounding disasters in Japan, I may focus my attention on resilient design and passive survivability—an idea we introduced five years ago in EBN.

As I part ways for a while from the company that has been such a key part of my life for so long, it is very comforting to have a great team here that will keep things moving forward. I’ll look forward to re-engaging with new ideas and inspirations!

I won’t be easily available over the next eight months, but you can contact me—and see photos and blog posts from my trip—at www.atwilson.com.

–Alex Wilson