Our first crop of Green Aha! moments harvested at Greenbuild ‘09 range from:

the Simple…

to the Illuminating…

to the Downright Quirky…

Even our very own Barb got in on the action, accompanied by a special “prop.”

Keep checking out our Green Aha! feed from Phoenix on YouTube and Life at HOK.

HOK is turning the tables at Greenbuild ‘09. Instead of adorning our booth with OUR story, we’re creating a platform for telling YOURS. That’s right, it’s Open Mic Night at next week’s big conference and expo in Phoenix.

During the show, we will be inviting individuals to share their Green Aha!, the moment they first realized the importance of living and/or working “green.”

We will broadcast those inspiring tales at our booth, as well as uploading them to a YouTube Channel so others can share the experience. The most profound Aha! moments will win a free signed copy of The Green Workplace.

See you at Booth #3442. I’ll be the guy …

So I already told you about how much I <3 Jonathan Kozol, and how much fun HOK was having at SCUP, but I didn’t get a chance to tell you about the closing plenary presentation: Mediated Culture and the Future of the University.

I was ready to start my vacation a few hours early, but the description was intriguing enough for me to hang in for one last session (well, the idea of brunch helped, too!).  I was thrilled that I did stay because this was another fascinating and inspirational presentation.

Michael Wesch is an Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Kansas State University.  He’s a young guy (definitely …

Yesterday as I was getting ready to leave the office, I heard some faint music playing. As I walked toward the rear exit, it got louder and louder…what did I find? None other than my friends in the HOK Planning Group watching videos on YouTube (don’t fret, it was WELL after normal business hours ).  I’ve seen the Filipino prisoners dancing to Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and YouTube videos of late night dance parties in university libraries, but this one was new.  The particular video they were watching was of a flash mob performing a beautifully choreographed performance of “Doe, a Deer” from the Sound of Music. 

It got me thinking….is there a fun way to use flash mobs …

Happy Holidays! As you all know HOK Chicago has MOVED. Our office Entertainer Extraordinaire (aka Brandon Wojcik) took on the task of delivering all of our dusty old files to our archiving facility in St. Louis. Because Brandon is ultra-cool he made a spiffy documentary. His cat even makes an appearance (so cute!). Also, I’m sure you’ll all appreciate the closing theme. It’s a catchy tune.

In the winter of 2008 a great migration occurred. The migration of files. These files were wrapped, packed, and travelled to their forever home in the haunted and frightening Lemp Brewery. This video documents their manifest destiny. Music by Division and Honore, America’s most incredible one man band. [Brandon Wojcik]