Attendees of the 2013 Explore Design Home Tour, sponsored by American Institute of Architects (AIA) Seattle, will get up close and personal with Park Passive, one of seven homes on the Tour and the first home in Seattle to be designated as a Passive House in accordance with the requirements set by Passive House Academy as authorized by the Passivhaus Institut. Passivhaus sets international standards for a certification program by which ultra-low energy buildings are evaluated.

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The historic Exploratorium, a science museum in San Francisco, California, has been working on its $300 million project to relocate from the Palace of Fine Arts to Piers 15 and 17 at the heart of the Bay Area’s waterfront Embarcadero. It is the first major development to be undertaken on the waterfront since the San Francisco Giants’ ballpark was built over a decade ago.

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Lightwall Pavilion, the winning submission to the 2012 ReSpace Design Competition, was designed by Abe Drechsler and Scott Hefner, architecture students at North Carolina State University. The multi-purpose structure is 213 square feet and is constructed of reclaimed wood from various sources and glass bottles obtained from restaurants and bars in downtown Raleigh.

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There are several green events to attend while the kids are out of school this summer. Bring them along and make it an educational vacation!

Mark Your Calendars for these Upcoming Green Events

• NY13 Passive House Symposium – June 8, 2013 in New York City, New York
• GreenerBuilder 2013 – June 12, 2013 in San Francisco, California
• BALLE 2013 (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies) – June 12-14, 2013 in Buffalo, New York
• Sustainability and the C-Suite – June 13, 2013 – Online Webinar from University of Oregon
• LOHAS Business Conference (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) – June 18-20, 2013 in Boulder, Colorado
• Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) National Geothermal Summit – June 26-27, 2013 – Reno, Nevada
• InterSolar North America: Connecting Solar Business – July 8-11, 2013 in San Francisco, California
• Habitat X Summer National Conference – July 30 – August 2, 2013 in Helena, Montana
• Hanley Award for Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Housing: Award Presentation Dinner – September 4, 2013 in Washington, D.C.
• Solar Power International 2013 – October 21-24, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois

Got news or events that you want to see reported here? Fill out the contact form and select “Submit a tip” or “Submit a press release” and ask that it be directed to Lynne.

This week in Jetson Green Energy News, we’re reporting on a new green skyscraper in San Francisco, Top 10 Green Cities, Top 10 Green Projects, Donald Trump’s controversial (banned) anti-wind advertisement, environmental clean up in Wisconsin, new environmental funding in Minnesota, a new research facility in Colorado, and earthquake-resistant wallpaper. And, even though Earth Day is over, we still have plenty of green events for you to enjoy.

Transbay Transit Tower in San Francisco

Tallest Tower on the West Coast to be Built in San Francisco

Project developers Hines, Houston, and Boston Properties broke ground on the 1,070-ft-tall Transbay Transit Tower after closing a land purchase for $192 million. Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, it will be taller than the Wilshire Grand tower being built in Los Angeles and become the West Coast’s tallest building. Green features include integrated metal sunshades to reduce solar gain, low-E glass, heat-exchanging coils in the foundation, comprehensive water recycling systems, and high efficiency fresh air handlers.

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This week in Jetson Green Energy News, we’re reporting on wind power in Australia and California, the smart homes and solar job market in the U.S., solar power in Germany, Sweden’s plans to be oil-free, Panasonic’s Solar Lantern Project, and a French winery that is going to make toothpaste from its carbon emissions. Plus, we have updated our calendar of upcoming green events.

Southern Hemisphere’s Largest Wind Farm Opens in Australia

The $1 billion AUD, 420-megawatt Macarthur Wind Farm is now feeding Australia’s electric grid. Owned by AGL Energy and Meridian Energy, the farm features the the Vestas V112-3.0 MW wind turbine. More than 50% of the cumulative wind power capacity in Australia has been installed by Vestas.

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