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Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v03n21)
Green Broad Ripple - Buildings - by Cortellini
posted: Oct. 20, 2006

Green Broad Ripple header

Why Green
In 1952 my family immigrated to Indianapolis from Italy. We settled in a small house on Indianola Street south of 52nd. For the better part of the intervening half century I have lived and worked in and around Broad Ripple harboring a growing affection for this place for various vague and unspoken reasons. Yet it has only been in the last decade or so, in the seasoned phase of my life, that I have truly begun to appreciate Broad Ripple for the marvel that it is.
Broad Ripple is a rich and complex community largely because, through the years, it has attracted and accommodated the unusual, the offbeat, and the independent along with the traditionalist, the established and the pragmatic. This mix lends an air of sophistication to its character - an honest worldliness largely devoid of affectation. Hip, and with it there is always a myriad of activity in Broad Ripple. Art, poetry, live music, fine dining, quick food, spas and salons, unique Mom and Pop shops, grocery stores . . . all comprise the elements that make urban life desirable.
The other face of Broad Ripple is the one most appreciated by its residence - the village ambiance. Quaint cottages and bungalows are arranged along quiet streets shaded by mature trees which harkens back to a slower more natural way of life for which many of us in our hurried culture hold a deep longing. This, in conjunction with the river, the canal, the trail and numerous parks, points to the strong connection Broad Ripple has to Mother Nature. Broad Ripple has a Green soul. As such, I believe that it is timely, appropriate, and visionary for Broad Ripple to now declare itself the first Green Community in Indianapolis.
What would a Green Broad Ripple look like? How would things change? What are the steps to get from where we are to where we want to be? There are no ready-made answers to these questions, yet it will be through the addressing of these questions that our community will gain an informed understanding of what it means to be Green.
This column, in the upcoming articles, would like to open the discussion of Green as it pertains to Broad Ripple. It will attempt to illuminate the various issues on going Green: what it means to be Green, what has been proposed by other communities, the practical consequences, the means of implementation, the difficulties and the benefits. It will work to present information in a factual and unbiased manner. Yet this author openly admits that he is a proponent of Green and because he believes that in a certain sense Broad Ripple has been Green many decades prior to the concept becoming popular, if this column is only half way successful in telling the Green story, many of you will come to realize, as he has, that Green Broad Ripple is a phrase whose ring is just so undeniably right.



Cortellini is a licensed architect in the states of Indiana and Arizona. He holds a BFA from Indiana University Herron School of Art. He has taught architectural technology at the college level at several universities and has pursued independent artistic endeavors. His architectural practice has focused on residential and small commercial projects. He has recently committed his practice to designing Green buildings, is a member of the US Green Building Council and is a LEED Accredited Professional. Send questions/comments to cortellini@BroadRippleGazette.com




cortellini@broadripplegazette.com
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