Energy & Design

Q&A: Green Architect Alex Haecker

Minneapolis green architect Alex Haecker talks about sustainability myths, green ideas we need to use, and inspiring local innovators in sustainable living.“The greenest building is the building that already exists.” — longtime phrase used in the preservationist architecture industry Growing up in Omaha, Alex Haecker watched a large collection of historic warehouses demolished. It set…

Q&A: Architect Ron Fergle on Sustainable Materials

East Isles resident Ron Fergle is a global expert on sustainable design, with a particular view of new products for residential solar energy. His insights..In this conversation with architect Ron Fergle, owner of Solart Inc., his passion for the technology and big-picture of the changing landscape of sustainable building is obvious. He is a detail-oriented…

Q&A: Progressive Landlord Tim Springer

Tim Springer owns properties in Phillips and Powderhorn neighborhoods. Since his undergraduate days at Colby College in Maine, he has been implementing energy efficient measures. In the mid-1980s, he was a board member for the Recycling Association of Minnesota and board president for the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society. Those efforts led him to UC-Berkeley, where…

Ice Dams, Mold and Insulation

Q: Why do you think it is hard to get older codes updated for newer materials? Tim Eian: Like politics, the building construction process is partially informed by lobbyists who want their products, and their systems, to remain the same. One example for this in recent history in our practice are flexible tubes for ventilation…

Q&A: Tim Eian on Renovations

I met Tim Eian, owner of Northeast-based TE Studio, at a house demonstration event in St. Anthony Park, and appreciated his articulate, passionate viewpoints about home construction and renovation. I sat down with him for a few hours of conversation, about everything from innovative building materials to progressive politics, from frustrations to hopefulness.  Q: What…

The Energy Field of Nate Hagens

Perspectives on the energy of consumption and its cost to society, from former Wall Street trader-turned-academic Nate Hagens.After a decade living the “high life” as a Wall Street trader, in 2003 Nate Hagens left to become a professional hiker and student, and now enjoys living the “low life” with his dogs on a farm in…

Spotlight: Edison High School and Cleaner Energy

After Kevin Reich was elected to the Minneapolis City Council in 2009 for Ward 1 (Northeast), he noticed while walking his dog that there were four different lawn care services and four jurisdictions maintaining, in isolation, adjacent youth-oriented properties: Hennepin County Library, YMCA, Edison High School, and some open green park area. He was also…

Spotlight: Cooperative Energy

Timothy DenHerder-Thomas, of Cooperative Energy Futures, is co-creating a collective that puts the Community into solar gardens in Minneapolis and St. Paul.In a recent series of discussions with Minneapolis neighborhood and business advocates, hosted by Xcel Energy to talk about engaging community with energy efficiency and pending solar, one of the many voices at the…