Big Island Glass:
bigislandglass.com
Energy Xchange:
energyxchange.org
Ovce:
ohiovalleycreativeenergy.org
Green Energy Park:
greenenergypark.org
Simon Pearce:
simonpearce.com
The Crucible:
thecrucible.org
Illuminata Glass:
illuminataglass.com
Valkema:
valkema.com
Wet Dog Glass:
wetdogglass.com
Glass Notes:
glassnotes.com
Correll:
blownglass.org/~correll
Minteq:
minteq.com
Electrigaz:
electrigaz.com
Local Energy:
localenergy.org
Geo Plasma:
geoplasma.com
EnergyXchange
Burnsville North Carolina, provides glass and ceramics artists with well-equipped shared studio space at reasonable cost because of their creative use of landfill gas. Landfill Gas is generated naturally through the decomposition of organic matter buried in a landfill and is composed of 50% methane, 45% carbon dioxide, and 5% others (hydrogen sulfide, VOC, etc.). Vertical or horizontal wells are placed throughout the landfill. The gas is pulled to a central processing facility or blower/flare station where the methane gas is burned or sent to the on-site glass blowing studio, clay studio, or the boilers. We burn the excess gas, as storing it is not feasible. Glass furnaces and kilns are powered primarily with landfill gas at no cost to the resident artists.
The Crucible
Located in Oakland, California, The Crucible is a non-profit educational collaboration of arts, industry and community. The Crucible promotes creative expression, reuse of materials, and innovative environmental design while serving as an accessible arts venue for the general public. The glass area currently includes a kiln forming “warm glass” area, extensive cold working facility, and an active torch working area. The goal for 2007 is to build a hot glass shop with extensive hot casting and basic blowing facility, that draws most of its power from renewable energy sources, and reuses the heat generated to heat other locations in the 58,000 sq foot warehouse space.
The roof of the Crucible is covered with a 34-kilowatt solar electric system to generate their own electricity. Solar energy will save The Crucible approximately $12,000 per year in utility costs by offsetting as much as 70% of historical electricity.
OVCE
Arts Center artists will be able to explore their creativity through experimentation and collaboration, and take part in low-cost studio classes and workshops, and other educational programs such as tours, lectures, and special events.
The OVCE arts campus will be located adjacent to the Clark County Landfill, ideally located across from the Knobstone Trailhead of Deam Lake Park, set back in a wooded area north of the landfill. The use of landfill gas will fuel the furnaces of the OVCE glass shop. This would provide artists and visitors from both sites to connect by trail, for an all-around earthy experience.
The facilities will utilize green building techniques, using recyclable materials and demonstrating the most efficient architectural designs that take the surrounding environment into careful consideration.
Simon Pearce,
Quechee, Vermont Glass Shop
Simon Pearce began his career in glass at the Royal College of Art in London and worked in some of Europe’s most renowned glass houses. In 1981, Simon moved his operations to Quechee, Vermont, where he completed a restoration of an historic woolen mill and harnessed the hydro-power of the Ottauquechee River to fuel his glass furnace. Visitors to The Mill can view the hydroelectric turbine on the Mill’s lower level, observe the teams of glassblowers, watch a potter working on the wheel, browse in the retail shop and enjoy a meal in the restaurant where Simon Pearce’s original handmade glass and pottery grace each meal.
