Green Building : Jetson Green

Mattoon FutureGen Near Zero GHG Plant, What?

Well, this is the FutureGen Coal Gasification plant.  As you can tell, it blends well with most things here on Jetson Green, what with its sleek look and contemporary lines.  But FutureGen, which aims to convert coal into hydrogen and electricity, and in the process, store carbon dioxide 3,000 ft. underground, has found its future home in Mattoon, Illinois.  The $1.5 billion plant will generate 275 megawatts of electricity and power roughly 150,000 homes.  The claim with FutureGen is that it will be nearly free of greenhouse gas emissions.  Meaning: it goes in the ground, not the air.   

So, what do we think?  Is this our energy future?

Nanosolar Kicks Off the Solar Revolution: 12/18/07

I mentioned Nanosolar back in August because I found an excellent video about the company -- they're poised to dramatically flip this solar industry inside out.  Today comes news that they shipped their first product and received an actual revenue check.  This is a big deal.  Thin film solar is incredible because it can be used more flexibly and produced at a much lower cost. 

Their powersheet product was recognized by Popular Science as 2007 Innovation of the Year.  Now that the product is a reality, we're going to see some craziness.  They've accomplished a slew of world's firsts (below) and decided to auction off an early batch of product on eBay.  Unfortunately, that's all you're likely to get because they're sold out for the next 12 months!  Better start your orders now. 

BaleHaus by Modcell, Semi-Modern Strawbale

The renderings in this article are of BaleHaus by ModCell.  This UK concept springs from the three positions that we need to: (1) live within our environmental means, (2) maintain a healthy and comfortable quality of life, and (3) build strong communities.  Stated otherwise, the BaleHaus is meant to provide good, comfortable living with a guilt-free eco-conscience.  BaleHaus is super-insulated, boxy and functional, and geared towards communal living.  More renderings below ...

Consumers Spend $3 Billion/Year on Nothing!

Vampire energy, aka phantom loads, is estimated to cost U.S. consumers about $3 billion per year.  I know, it's not really that much ... I mean, if you break it down to the individual level, that's only $10 per person ($3 billion / 300 million).  But the point is, it's money that goes in the pocketbook of energy companies and their shareholders -- it's not going in yours.  The chart above is courtesy of GOOD, the magazine that always brings a full-page spread to otherwise obfuscatory information.

Lee Industries Introduces Natural Furniture Line

Lee Industries, a high quality, custom furniture company has introduced an impressive eco line: naturalLEE.   The beauty of Lee has always been that you can choose one of their fabrics and one of their furniture designs and have a custom piece made to fit your style.  Now, with naturalLEE, you can still choose any one of their furniture design and they will make it naturally! 

Tower Verre by Jean Nouvel (S2)

I'm starting to run dry on eco-tower projects to talk about on Sundays, so maybe we can get a few more to pop up in Dubai?  This skyscraper, Tower Verre, might just be the next green structure in New York.  Well, more specifically, Tower Verre is on the table and ready to go, but I'm not entirely sure whether it will be green.  WAN notes the following: "solar panels and wind turbines fill the narrow triangular top section, putting its unusually thin silhouette to a reasonable use.  This tower is a monument to the rules of shadow and light, and to the forces of the wind." ##  I haven't been able to confirm the use of solar and wind in the tower's pinnacle, but as always, I think it's positive to have solar/wind integrated into structures in a meaningful way.

Project7Ten on the Ebay Auction Block @ $2.85 M

I'm a huge fan of Project7Ten -- the first traditionally-built, LEED Platinum home in California (read: non-prefab).  But the developers are going after another first, that is, to be the first LEED Platinum home sold on Ebay.  That's right.  News that Project7Ten is being sold through AuctionWire is a little shocking to me, too.  Why. sell. your. home. via. auction. on. Ebay?  Can someone tell me the rationale for an auction-based sale?  I mean, I know the market is a little choppy right now, but people with money always have money.  Is it really that tough to find a purchaser for one of the greenest homes in CA? 

Or stated differently, I guess one can look at this a couple different ways: (1) the seller wants to find a quick purchaser and is trying to cast a wide net for potential candidates, or (2) the house isn't selling and ebay was the next best idea to try to move it.  Certainly, the celebrity state of California has enough candidates for a super stylish, green home, right? 

Green Financing, Building Codes, Irked Lumber Dealers, + Other Trends (WIR)

• Green standards irk (lumber) dealers. 
• A foundation for green building. 
• Finding financing for you green building project.
• Affordable housing advocates build green and inspire innovation.
• Planner says going green has its advantages.
• S.F. to have greenest building codes in the nation?
• 67% of consumers willing to pay for green power.
• One writer finds it's not easy building green.

Sustainable House in Poland, it's the Imagery

The original website for this house by Architekt Kuczia is not in english, so here's a quick synopsis of some of the details: "The construction costs of this simple house were low and the lifecycle costs will be reduced.  The built form is designed to optimize the absorbance of solar energy.  80% of the building envelope is directed towards the sun.  “Black box”, a three storey structure clad with dark fibre cement panels, is warmed by the sun and offers a view on the lake."  Notice the living roof?  Via WAN.

Cisco Opens Green Office, Appoints Green Guru

There's major action in the data center world, with all sorts of facilities aiming for energy-efficient centers and LEED buildings.  Cisco, led by the undeniably approachable CEO John Chambers, is embarking on a plan to green their business.  It kind of feels like a revival of the old Japanese, waste-elimination era, but there's progress in areas other than efficiency.  Here's what they're doing:

• 17,400 sf office in Chesterfield Ridge Center (St. Louis Regional Sales HQ) received LEED certification;
• Their Carbon to Collaboration Initiative aims to reduce company GHG emissions from air travel by 10 %;
• They hired Paul Marcoux, one of the founders of The Green Grid, to drive green initiatives inside and outside the company - he's become known as the company "Green Guru." 

Yes, the greening of business is something we're going to keep seeing.  ##