Memories of My Boss & Friend

We sang "You are beautiful" as we drove up over the pass southwest of Denver into the valley of the Collegiate Peaks. I think Greg only knew the words because he had three daughters right around my age, but he sung along with me anyway. He was always good for a hug. He had a genuine smile. He took us hiking on his property and climbed a steep boulder formation so he could show us the view of the mountains across the flat plane to the west. He never seemed winded, even though we were over ten-thousand feet and I was panting. I never met his daughters, though I saw one or two of them in the office, tall and athletic. I met his wife just once at a party, along with his dog. I judge all people by their dogs, and this was a good dog. Greg was a good boss and I will miss him, as will we all. My thoughts are with his family and my former coworkers at Rocky Mountain Institute.

Democracy Now, March 11, 2009

"Green Architect Greg Franta Found Dead at 58 - And the green architect Greg Franta has been found dead. His body was discovered inside his car in a ravine between Golden and Boulder, Colorado. It appears that he crashed on his way home over a month ago when he was reported missing. Greg was the chief architect at Rocky Mountain Institute and named Colorado architect of the year in 1998. He worked with the Clinton administration to make the White House more energy efficient. He had been spearheading the building of Democracy Now!’s new studio, which we are looking forward to being the first leed-certified TV/radio/internet studio in New York City. In this video for the Rocky Mountain Institute, Franta spoke about the importance of green building.

"Greg Franta: 'When we think about high-performance buildings it’s having a low environmental impact. And it’s good for our economy. Creating a place for the building users, so it becomes sustainable in a variety of ways.'

"Greg Franta was 58. His death is a tremendous loss for us all. Our condolences to his family, and to the Rocky Mountain Institute which we know will continue to pursue his dreams of building a more sustainable world."

Goodbye, my friend.