Sundance Channel

What can you do with an old gas station? How about live in it?

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:30:22 +0000

Neighborhood gas and service stations are largely a thing of the past: the large-scale convenience store located on main drags or interstate off-ramps seems to have replaced them. Just because the businesses are gone doesn't mean the buildings are, though, and many of these older structures have unique architectural and design features. Might make for a good business location with some renovation, but a home? It would take an artist's eye to transform such a structure into a place someone wanted to live.

Green tech finds (4/29/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:14:20 +0000

White House solar panels, recycling your Xbox, and the top green cars... your green tech finds for the week.

Plug-and-play solar... we're getting there: Start-up Armageddon Energy is scheduled to release its SolarClover system, which can be installed by non-specialists, later this year.
Finnish town joins the Concerto: The Concerto Initiative, that is. Lapua, in Western Finland, will participate in this EU-sponsored project to build local energy self-sufficiency and efficiency.
Cape Wind a go?: After years of wrangling, the Obama administration has given a green light to the Cape Wind project... but the opposition is already threatening a lawsuit, according to the Huffington Post.

Green products for your home: which ones really work?

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:03:54 +0000

If you're thinking about any kind of home improvement or renovation, you may find yourself overwhelmed with the array of "green" choices out there. Paints, appliances, building materials, decor items... there are lots of products claiming green cred. Of course, longevity is one of the key elements of product sustainability, so you need paints, appliances, building materials and decor items to work... and to work for your lifestyle. Architect and LEED AP Maia Kumari Gilman has a post up at Green-Buildings.com that provides an overview of some of the products she's worked with, and which ones she really likes (and doesn't). Among the winners:

Creative reuse: a “green” theatre is probably an old theatre…

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:23:59 +0000

While certified green theatre may still be an anomaly, the live entertainment design community is discussing its environmental impact, as well as broader notions of sustainability, both online and in person. Yesterday, Live Design magazine published a blog post (the first in a series) from lighting designer and theatre consultant Curtis Kasefang on the concept of "sustainable theatres." Kasefang's notion of a sustainable performance space can be summed in up in one word: reuse.