Sustainable Spaces

I may not have mentioned Jetson Green before due to my tendency to keep things that I really love private. This website consistently hosts the most inspiring, beautiful and innovative green, sustainably built projects in the world. reading a blog like this is encouraging because it really helps you realize that many places throughout the United States are adapting some form of sustainable building principals in application to their own spaces.

A little over a week ago I visited Alex Cheimets in Arlington where he and his neighbor are living amidst the Massachusetts Superinsulation Project. This project is a great example of what can be done with supplies available to virtually anyone and some applied scientific reasoning to make a relatively old residential home become energy efficient. I will cover this project and compare it to other projects in further detail in the near future.

When not working with existing residential or commercial structures, there is a seemingly blank canvas left for developers, architects and construction workers to build something new and innovative that serves a purpose of livability, functionality and general aesthetic appeal.

A new design that I'm excited over today that I learned about from the folks over at Jetson Green is Dr. Jim's "Really Nice" space. This walkable, sustainable, rentable commercial space just screams downtown renewal, something that my hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts is in sore need of. If developers and city officials were ever able to pair reasonably priced, sustainably built housing and commercial space down where the Worcester Common Fashion Outlets used to be, that could bring an entirely new dynamic to the city's brand.

Match the concept of new development with retro-fitted existing structures and I can foresee an exciting vision for Worcester, Massachusetts and many many other cities and towns like it. This sort of vision will create jobs and be conducive to community involvement. I like the sound of that. Plus it just looks nice!