Amy L. Nash is an Eco-Sustainable Professional involved in design, consulting, research, outreach, public speaking, and instruction focusing on quality eco-responsible and efficien...mehr sehenAmy L. Nash is an Eco-Sustainable Professional involved in design, consulting, research, outreach, public speaking, and instruction focusing on quality eco-responsible and efficient integration of the built and natural environments as well as the operations within the environments. Her specific areas of interest center around eco-responsible natural and built environments including new construction, building re-use/rehabilitation, historic preservation, energy efficiency, sustainable planning and development relating to communities. She does individual consulting as well as group presentations on environmental, social, health, and economic impacts of sustainability and how that connects to our environments.
Amy L. Nash was born and raised in North Dakota. She attended West Fargo High School and graduated with honors and began studies at North Dakota State University for engineering. An exploration of some of the design careers, led Amy to make the change to Interior Design and also Architecture. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design (1999); Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design (2002); and Bachelor of Architecture (2003). She has practiced as an Interior Designer in the genres of kitchen and bath design, residential design, and commercial design. Her focus was always on the blend of responsible choices of materials and technical installation coupled with timeless aesthetics that involve warmth and comfort. She also practiced in an architectural firm for a number of years. It was during her time there that she became an NCIDQ certified Interior Designer and a LEED Accredited Professional ID + C. Although, always keeping environmental issues in mind throughout her career, it was at this point that the sustainable concepts deeply took hold and became a passion. She wanted to push this further and was able to through joining forces with other professionals in the state in the formation of the United States Green Building Council – North Dakota Chapter. She collaborates with this group and has been involved in leadership roles, education and outreach, advocacy, and connections with other sustainable professionals across the state and country. She traveled to Washington, DC in a unique opportunity to meet with Senators and Congressmen about the issue of climate change in conjunction with farmers and agricultural professionals from across the country.
Upon leaving the architectural firm, Amy became a graduate student at North Dakota State University in Natural Resource Management in 2010 and is tailoring her study to create an umbrella of sustainability over her work in the design fields. She is working toward her M.S. and PhD. in a multipart research project studying the relationship and integration of the built environment, the natural environment/ecosystems, and community development/sustainable development. She also teaches at North Dakota State University in conjunction with the introductory sociology classes as well as assists in other classes. She is also a Graduate Assistant in the NDSU Memorial Union Art Gallery of which provides a unique opportunity for outreach and sustainability efforts at a university level regarding some of the social aspects of community and sustainability. She is coordinating efforts to make this space sustainable through reduction of energy via LED lighting and other operational efforts within the university system.
Amy started her own practice, ALN Sustainable Design & Consulting, LLC and focuses on quality sustainable design of built and natural environments on EVERY project. Her design and life philosophy centers around the concept of “living local but thinking global”. She also believes that “quality design is not a luxury to long for, but a necessity that everyone should have”. She has experience with small scale residential materials selection projects on up to full interior selections/specifications of large scale commercial and institutional projects. She has experience and accomplishments with K-12 schools; higher education; healthcare design including long-term care, assisted living, memory care, and dental; corporate design; religious and spiritual design; residential; kitchen and bath design; accessibility; and, preservation. She has worked with new construction, remodeling, renovations, material upgrades, asbestos remediation projects, and accessibility compliance upgrade projects.
Amy has expanded the combination of her studies, experience, and practice into the development of a genre of what she calls the “new green…the true green”. She coined the term Eco-Sustainability in which sustainability now absorbs larger ecological concepts such as bio-mimicry, resilience, and restoration processes and applies this to how we live, function, design, etc. This also encompasses economics and social components. In an effort to share information as well as to promote the movement toward more sustainable life, she is in the development process of a web portal called Eco-SustainableUSA.com in which links to Eco-Sustainable Living, Design, Health, Research, Local, and Community. She is collaborating with a staff of graphics designers, photographers, web designers, and professionals to gear toward a launch in 2012 in conjunction with her portfolio/project-research site.
Amy is a Project Coordinator at the Downtown Community Partnership in Fargo, ND working on community development and economic development issues and projects with a sustainability component. She is working on the team working toward various components of the formation of a Business Improvement District as well as a Main Street Program. She has been involved in outreach efforts during the Street Fair as well as worked on an emergency action plan that aided local businesses to engage and help citizens and visitors in event of dangerous weather. She assists with the DCP Design Committee as well as other marketing, networking, and development planning.
Amy resides in Fargo, North Dakota with her husband, Shawn and their two Black Lab/Pit-Bull mix rescue dogs from the Humane Society, Clementine and Clover. The dogs are their very spoiled “children”. She enjoys organic gardening, healthy/organic cooking, eclectic music, memory keeping/scrapbooking, travel, and high school-college-professional football; she’s also an avid ZUMBA class participant. She serves/consults on numerous advisory boards and councils for the betterment of community. She and her husband give their time/resources to many local causes such as the Arthritis Foundation, Relay for Life, The Great Plains Food Bank/Emergency Food Bank, Special Olympics, and the Women’s Foundation to name a few.
Amy can be reached at amy@amylnash.com.weniger sehen