CITY Issue 58

IT'S NOT ABOUT JUST PUTTING STUFF OUT THERE, BUT RATHER THE PROCESS THAT'S INTERESTING. THAT'S HOW YOU FIND REAL SOLUTIONS. ///// / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / Findlay says the “ app oach” that ma ks SFOTE’s eﬀo ts has its oots in his own upb inging in T inidad. “My mothe spent he whole life helping people,” he says. “My fathe ” — an oilman in the Ca ibbean — “spent his helping co po ations th ough a ve y st uctu ed, methodical p ocess.” Late , in Findlay’s own ca ee as an indust ial design consultant, he saw that with the ight pitch ,the di ection of la ge companies could be shi ed th ough small actions — baby steps that led to change with social and envi onmental implications. “ s an individual you know you can change to mo e ene gy-eﬃcient lightbulbs, tu n oﬀ lights du ing the daytime, things like that, to add ess one’s ca bon footp int,” he says. “Obviously a hotel o a co po ation has diﬀe ent needs and a diﬀe ent set of conce ns, but the powe they have is the powe to do things on a la ge scale.” In his own estimation, Findlay’s unique stewa dship of ideas and elationships comes at a time when a c itical numbe of people ac oss social st ata a e open to thinking and doing diﬀe ently. “Right now no one can aﬀo d the luxu y of saying, ‘it doesn’t matte ,’” he explains. “Right now you can have the same conve sation with a gangste f om the ghetto who has chosen a life of c ime to sustain himself and his family — someone who at the same time knows he can’t continue with it — and someone at the head of a company. People at co po ations a e getting facts and ﬁgu es now; what’s happening to ou envi onment and ou society is not a myth.” et athe than p opagandize in the blogosphe e o agitate fo efo m f om outside the co po ate st uctu e, Findlay b ings dispa ate fo ces togethe to cook up common sense solutions that found ea ly success with the Laventille buses and should deﬁ ne the next SFOTE p oject in wa to n Ivo y Coast. He’s likewise engaged, occupied — busy, even — with planning ene gy systems and sma t buildings in a pa tne ship with ﬁ nancie Robe t J. Shive and const ucting an “a tist live/wo k space” on the island of Gaspa ee oﬀ the coast of T inidad with Rome p ize winning a chitect Thomas Tsang. It’s this so t of estless c eative ene gy that links Findlay with like-minded collabo ato s Hansen, Shive , and Tsang, and bands such as TVOTR and Santogold, which have suppo ted his endeavo s in the past, and a e clea ly on boa d to collabo ate with him on his endeavo s in the futu e. “It’s not about just putting stuﬀ out the e, but athe the p ocess that’s inte esting. That’s how you ﬁ nd eal solutions,” he says. “It’s mo e challenging, but eal solutions a e the only way to go. Halfway is no way to me.” 58 CITY TY

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CITY Issue 58

CITY Issue 58 Contents Have You Heard Our Friends Action Wanted City Moment The Amused Bouche Fast Food Temporary Contemporary In Rogue Diary Nicola Vassell Everard Findlay Milan Vukmirovic Lucas Ossendrijver When Fashion Met Architecture People: Person Behind Every Man... Eyeing the Room Mates Vagrant Saints Amplify Where to Buy It Icon

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